Sean Sweeney has been busy this offseason.
It was not just that his season ended at the last possible game in the NBA Finals. Or that he was whisked from San Antonio at the end of the season to be introduced as the new head coach of the Orlando Magic. Or that he had to quickly assemble a staff, oversee a Summer League team and meet his new players as they were scattered across the nation.
Sweeney has been active in meeting with players. He has been pounding the pavement to learn his new team.
He was in Las Vegas for Summer League and met with several players there -- Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane were among the players in attendance. He visited Banchero in Seattle before then. He stopped in Minneapolis to visit Suggs. He went to Texas to work out with Desmond Bane and Anthony Black.
He was in Los Angeles last week as many players stepped in for the Rico Hines Run and group workouts at Pepperdine.
Sweeney is getting a feel for his team. Just as he is likely devising how he wants to deploy those players.
All of that remains a mystery as they enter the final month before training camp.
Everyone seems optimistic. But there are still a lot of questions. He is beginning to answer those privately with his new team.
"He’s really shared the vision in which we want to play and the type of player he wants me to be for our team to help maximize our unit as a whole," Suggs told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. "The fact that we get to connect here and continue to chase a common goal of making deep playoff runs and go and accomplish something that the city has never done before, it’s nothing short of a blessing."
This team faces many questions. Many are centered on the team's best players. The Magic need a healthier Franz Wagner and a clear All-Star season from Paolo Banchero to have any chance.
But the biggest key to Sweeney's development and his team will be how he relates to Suggs and how quickly he can get Suggs on the same page and maximize his role on offense.
Suggs is the key to unlocking so much of what the Magic can do and what they can be.
That time with Suggs is valuable. The Magic need Suggs and Sweeney on the same page to manage and grow this team. He is a key to both ends of the floor.
Suggs is halfway there
The Orlando Magic are an unconventional team.
Everyone can acknowledge that the team desperately needs better outside shooting. But the other big need is still the right point guard or table setter to get the ball to the best players in the right spots and keep the team organized and calm.
Jalen Suggs is essential to the team's defense. He is the team's heartbeat on that end. All the numbers suggest the Magic are better with Suggs on the floor. He is a game-changer for them.
But there are still loads of questions. Suggs is still trying to improve as a point guard and prove his consistency on offense.
He took steps last year, averaging a career-high 5.5 assists per game. He is a better 3-point shooter than his percentages suggest, hitting 33.9 percent from deep on 6.3 attempts per game last year but 39.2 percent on 3.8 catch-and-shoot attempts per game, according to data from Second Spectrum.
There are hints of what Suggs can be and how good he can be. But something has been missing. That much is still clear.
Most of Orlando's strength when Suggs is on the floor comes on defense. According to DataBallr, the Magic have a +5.9 net rating with Suggs on the floor, and that comes completely from his defensive impact.
The Magic need Suggs to make a bigger offensive impact. The team was at its season average with Suggs on the floor. Nobody was sure how much the team could depend on him as a shooter -- as his shaky Playoffs showed.
Sweeney is expected to help revitalize the Magic's defense and return it near the top of the league after it slipped last year.
But Orlando's chances to win will come with their offensive development. And that is where Sweeney and Suggs need to be tied together closer.
Whether it is the right fit or not, Suggs is the team's point guard and he needs to be the coach on the floor.
The point guard problem
No one questions Jalen Suggs' defensive intensity or effort. His impact on this team is still apparent.
But he is also at the heart of the Orlando Magic's biggest question. The team needs a player with an even temperament to help run the show.
Suggs has improved as a playmaker and in accumulating assists. But he still has a lot of work to do to be the steady drumbeat that is required from the position. He is still learning to play point guard.
His playoff struggles stand out as Jalen Suggs struggled to fill in when Franz Wagner went out of the series. He could not steady the team. Their lack of organization and ability to get to a good shot stood out as injuries piled up throughout the season.
The Magic are looking for this key player to step up. They need this role. And Suggs needs to be on the same page and execute what Sweeney asks of him to succeed.
Suggs is the player who can take them over the top. They need an evolution in him to be calmer and more composed on both ends.
Everything for the Magic still centers on the familiar questions about their offense. Suggs will play a big role in answering those questions.
How he answers that might be the essential question of the Magic's season.
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