The Orlando Magic are done waiting for Paolo Banchero to turn promise into production. With Media Day set for Monday and training camp opening Tuesday, the franchise is moving into a season that has to be about more than potential. If Orlando is going to get where it wants to go, Banchero has to be the guy - not just in bursts, but every night.
That’s the pressure that comes with being the face of the franchise. The Magic have invested a lot of money and trust in the 23-year-old to handle the No. 1 role and lead the way on the floor.
He has already flashed the kind of talent that makes people believe, but now the ask is consistency. This has to be the season where he stops hinting at stardom and starts living in it.
There’s reason to think Banchero understands exactly what’s at stake. He has spoken this summer about the importance of this year for both him and the Magic, and he has also made clear that he wants to become more durable. The work has been part of the story, too, with Banchero training with his agent Mike Miller and other trainers during the offseason.
The disappointment of the Magic’s series loss to the Pistons seems to have sharpened that edge. In the latest episode of the Full Court Magic Podcast, the point was made that the defeat appeared to hit Banchero hard, especially after the way he performed in that series. He followed a 45-point outing and a head-to-head battle with Cunningham in Game 5 with what was described as a big Game 7, and the takeaway was simple: he’s tired of losing and tired of just getting to the stage without delivering on it.
That’s where the new season and the new coach intersect. Sean Sweeney is taking over on the sideline, and the hope is that his experience can help Banchero unlock another level. The comparison made was to the kind of work Sweeney has done with bigger stars, including Giannis, and the idea is that he can help push Banchero further toward the player Orlando believes he can become.
The criticism of Banchero’s game last season was also direct: he was too often indecisive and passive. But the belief here is that he has already acknowledged that and started working to correct it.
The physical tools are there, and so is the skill. The challenge now is turning those pieces into a more aggressive, more decisive version of himself.
That’s why the expectation for this season is so clear. The floor has to be All-Star.
The ceiling, if everything comes together, is much higher - the MVP conversation, the All-NBA conversation, and a full-on statement about why Orlando made him the face of the franchise in the first place. Monday will offer the first real look at where that journey stands.
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Franz Wagner Could Decide How Far This New Magic Team Goes
Franz Wagner enters this season in a different kind of reset for the Magic, one that goes beyond the new coaching staff led by Sean Sweeney. He spent the offseason working back from a high ankle sprain and calf strain that hampered him last year, and Orlando will be eager to see how quickly he settles into a fresh system after an interrupted stretch.
There is also a personal adjustment layered into the basketball one, with Wagner preparing for the first time to play an NBA season without his brother on the same team after the older Wagner signed with the Brooklyn Nets. For Orlando, the bigger picture is clear: if this new version of the team is going to take a meaningful step, Wagners health and comfort in the new setup will be a major part of it. [Read more 🡒]
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Jeff Weltman has sounded comfortable with that low-drama approach, saying the organization liked the focus that came with it, and players have already spoken positively about Sweeneys style. The real test, of course, starts when training camp opens Tuesday, with the preseason set to begin Oct. 7, because the Magic still have to prove that a quieter reset can turn into something more meaningful once the games count. [Read more 🡒]
Paolo Banchero Holds The Key To Orlandos Next Playoff Step
The Magic keep running into the same postseason wall, and the pattern has become hard to ignore after three straight first-round exits. Orlando has talent, size and enough promise to believe the next step is there, but the gap between being competitive and actually advancing has been the story of each of those recent playoff runs.
Paolo Banchero sits at the center of that conversation because his growth is tied so closely to where this team can go next. The expectation is not just for more points, but for more consistent pressure, more aggression in the lane and a stronger interior presence that raises his efficiency and lifts his overall impact. If he can turn that kind of play into a regular part of his game, the Magics ceiling starts to look a lot different. [Read more 🡒]