The Orlando Magic have hired Scott Skiles to be the franchise's next head coach, the team announced Friday afternoon. He will receive a four-year contract, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Scott Skiles hired as next Orlando Magic coach
Skiles last coached the Bucks for four and a half seasons.
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“Scott (Skiles) clearly distinguished himself as a tremendous fit,” general manager Rob Hennigan said in a release. “Our young roster will benefit greatly from Scott’s extensive head coaching experience and commitment to teaching smart, physical, unselfish basketball. We believe in Scott’s ability to establish a culture of winning habits and accountability that will help guide our team in a positive direction.”
A personal connection to the franchise enhanced Skiles’ candidacy. Five of Skiles’ 10 NBA seasons came in Orlando, where he played in 384 games for the Magic. Since retiring as a player, Skiles coached Phoenix and Chicago, and was last employed for five season in Milwaukee before he left in 2013.
Skiles' teams consistently see defensive improvements and the Magic could use help there, as they finished No. 25 in points allowed per 100 possessions last season. Right now, Orlando has a roster full of intriguing young players, including three top 10 picks from the previous three drafts: Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton.
However, while Skiles is good at improving bad teams, he’s never proven to be a good long-term solution. His previous coaching stops included the same basic pattern: immediate improvement, then stagnation followed by player frustration and a firing. He has never reached a conference finals and his career record is just 443-433.
Orlando fired three-year head coach Jacque Vaughn halfway through the 2014-15 season and the Magic finished 25-57 under interim head coach James Borrego.
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