Tremendously important observation. The player-coach relationship is a fit. There were no shortage of people piling on Holloway last season for these interactions, perhaps not considering the role of the player in such things.
The staff seems to have learned a lot from last year's debacle -- most saliently, about roster construction. These guys fit him, they fit together, and they want to win. And they trust the coach to guide them toward that.
That team last year, as awful as it was on its face, is aging like a fine milk in the hot sun. Losers.