New Orlando Magic head coach Sean Sweeney spoke to the media on Monday about his plans for the roster, the team’s leadership, and his coaching strategy. Sweeney said the team is building together and wants to win the franchise’s first playoff series since 2010.
“[We are establishing] a strong foundation early,” Sweeney said. “That foundation was based on fundamentals and good halves. I think every team I’ve been with, not just San Antonio, which we obviously had great success. Go back to Dallas, we went to the finals. If we maximize and achieve at a high level or really get close to our full potential, it started with our foundation.”
The former San Antonio Spurs assistant’s strengths are on defense, elevating the 2025 Western Conference Champions from the sixth-worst defense to the third-best in only a year. Orlando’s defense faltered in 2025 after posting a top three defensive rating in the two previous seasons.
“We want to have a defense that’s a level that tracks,” Sweeney said. “In my mind, a great defense travels, whether you are on the road and get in front of a big crowd in a hostile environment against a great team. We always want to be someone and somebody collectively that has defense on our mind and use that as a calling card.”
Sweeney spoke about getting hired by the Magic in June, stating the history of the organization is strong. He recalled his first memories of Orlando Magic basketball were of Scott Skiles, the NBA’s single-game assist record holder.
“When we talk about the history of the franchise, it’s an honor to be here,” Sweeney said. “We’ve seen what’s been accomplished here [with] the ‘09 team, the ‘95 team, the heart and hustle team. The history and tradition is not lost on me.”
The Magic are still a relatively young team, only having two players (Nikola Vučević and Jevon Carter) over the age of 30. Sweeney said he is fostering leadership in all of his players going into the season, using guard Desmond Bane as an example.
“[With] any young team, you want to make sure that it goes back to those fundamentals and those habits,” Sweeney said. “Making sure we do a good job with them. I think as the leadership piece comes, you don’t get to think and talk your way into acting. You have to act your way into talking and being able to use your voice. When you talk about Des, the proof is in the pudding. He backs up what he says he does and I think that goes for every guy on our team. We want a team full of leaders and we want to lead by our actions.
Sweeney’s leadership will be tested in a tougher Eastern Conference, with the Magic projected to finish 10th in the 2026-27 season. With a lot of pressure on Orlando’s core, Sweeney said the team wants to be competitive and are working together going into training camp.
“We want to be a team that’s got great competitiveness,” Sweeney said. “We’re connected and then we’ve got great toughness. When you talk about identity, you’re building that every day and that’s part of the standard that you set. When we talk about who we’re going to be, we’re going to be competitive, we’re going to be tough, and we’re going to be connected in everything we do.”