Scott Skiles was the biggest addition to the Orlando Magic this summer. And with so little change, improving the team falls largely on him.
The Orlando Magic did not do a whole lot this offseason when you really think about it.
They did not get a big-name free agent (although they tried signing Paul Millsap to a max contract). They did not make any major trades (unless you consider swapping Maurice Harkless and Shabazz Napier a major trade). They largely stood pat on a 25-win team that disappointed everyone in the franchise.
The Magic put their faith in their young core to continue developing rather than treat it with new players.
There was one major change that will create a new storyline and determine whether this rebuild from the Magic actually works or not. That would be Scott Skiles.
The Orlando Magic hired Scott Skiles to instill some discipline and accountability. Skiles is not the kind of coach to let guys slide when they make mistakes or play guys just to develop them. He was brought in to win.
That expectation alone might be the biggest change for the Magic this season.
So even though many still believe the Magic made good moves this summer re-inking Tobias Harris and bringing in Mario Hezonja and C.J. Watson, but largely standing pat, it is the Scott Skiles hire that will have the biggest impact.
From Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated:
Over the last three seasons, the Magic have collected a mess of young talent without much sense of internal order. Any fit thus far has been shaky; Orlando’s players haven’t yet learned to apply their skills in a cohesive way, yielding the fourth-worst offense and sixth-worst defense in the league last season. Intrigue, on its own, doesn’t guarantee wins.
This is why the Magic have entrusted the next stage of their development as a team to taskmaster coach Scott Skiles. It took all of one season for Skiles to elevate Chicago’s defense from league-average to league-elite in the mid-2000s. Ditto for his near-identical impact in Milwaukee over his first two years at the helm. Skiles has a way of instilling a young team with a sense of defensive responsibility and identity—both of which are very much needed in Orlando.
In all, Skiles arrival makes this a formative off-season for the Magic—even if many of their roster modifications were subtle.
The Magic have entrusted a lot of their rebuild then to Skiles. Orlando has clearly signaled they want this year to be the year they begin competing in a more serious way. Skiles has won every where he has gone, turning young teams into Playoff teams.
With Skiles at the helm, things will certainly change in one direction or another.
