We've all heard about his serious mental/psychological troubles that looked to be approaching burnout. Those seemed to have been driven by sense that to not win it all every year meant that that season was a failure. He turned inward, and the game wasn't fun anymore.
A few things may have happened. First, good sportswriters have spoken about how an HC is much like a player; his job takes time to develop. HCs grow and learn and figure things out over many years. Second, he now has a family and a child. There's little more defining and stabilizing of what life is really all about than that. Third, he's a naturally up, energetic and friendly guy who likes to have fun. These are essentially kids he is coaching. Think back to when you were 22, 23, maybe even 25. You thought you were all grown up and knew everything. But, looking back, we see how we were only half-baked. So, that needs to be kept in mind when dealing with these young guys are not expecting them to absorb info or behave like they're 30.
Fourth, I see signs that McVay has adopted the John Wooden approach to coaching his sport. Wooden didn't talk about winning or championships. He talked about everyone being their best in every game, and then letting the process of playing sort itself out. That is, if you gave everything you had, in the way you have been coached, then wins and losses didn't matter as much as being successful doing what you were supposed to do, at your personal highest level. It took the pressure off and guys just let their talent and intelligence work for them in a far less tense way. So, we see a more relaxed McVay, and as a result a more relaxed group of coaches and players, who are playing for the joy of the game and for each other. Of course winning matters to them; but not so much that they lose sight of the fact that they are playing a child's game and so it ought to be a lot of fun.
