Magic Hope to Take 'Next Step' With Sean Sweeney

Sean Sweeney is about to start his tenure with the Orlando Magic as their next head coach in hopes that he can take the franchise to new heights.

San Antonio Spurs associate coach Sean Sweeney looks on during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic are still hurt from their stinging first-round playoff series loss to the Detroit Pistons.

The Magic led 3-1 after four games, but they could not finish the job in any of the final three matchups, resulting in their premature playoff exit. The Magic did not have Franz Wagner in any of the final three games due to injury, which certainly contributed to them not winning the series.

However, Wagner remains optimistic that the Magic have the right players in place and that they can eventually get the monkey off their back.

"I can just say, we got a really talented roster. We got guys with high character and dudes that want to work hard and get better," Wagner said in an interview with HoopsHype.

"And that's a really good starting point. And every great team has gone through disappointments in the playoffs. But, at the end of the day, you gotta get the job done, and I thought we were really close to it this last year, getting over that hump of winning a playoff series and finding a way to win a game on the road.

"These are baby steps on the journey, but those are things you gotta learn, especially as a young team. And, no, all we can do is kind of control each day, each moment as well as we can. As I said, prepare well for next year and then, yeah, hopefully take that next step together."

Magic Playoff Woes Building Character

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero hugs guard Anthony Black. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The growing pains the Magic have been through over the past three seasons came to a boiling point following the team's loss against the Pistons, when they fired head coach Jamahl Mosley. Most of the players on the roster had only known one head coach throughout their careers, so it was a difficult decision to part ways with him.

The Magic felt they needed a new voice to lead the locker room, and San Antonio Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney is the man for the job.

Sweeney has a track record of coaching teams that have found quick playoff success. The Spurs had been out of the playoffs for six seasons, but they managed to reach the NBA Finals in Sweeney's lone year on the staff.

If Sweeney can bring that same expertise to the Magic, they can use that perspective along with their growing pains to build a winner.