Paolo Banchero is already good enough to make the Orlando Magic relevant. The real question is whether he can become the kind of force who pushes them deeper when the playoffs arrive.
That’s the burden that comes with being a high draft pick heading into a fifth season. The expectations climb fast, the money gets massive, and the label of franchise centerpiece leaves no room to hide.
For Banchero, the next step is no longer optional. It’s the difference between being a very good player and being the engine of a team with real postseason ambitions in 2026-27.
The bar in the Eastern Conference is sitting pretty high, too. The Miami Heat have a megastar in Giannis Antetokounmpo, the champion New York Knicks are led by Jalen Brunson, the Indiana Pacers have Tyrese Haliburton, the Detroit Pistons are set with Cade Cunningham, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have Donovan Mitchell. All of them are proven takeover scorers, and all of them bring more offensive variety than Banchero does right now.
That gap can close if he’s truly the kind of player Orlando needs. The league doesn’t spend much time raising players beyond their third season, so whatever jump happens from here has to come from him.
The biggest area for growth is his pull-up game. In the playoffs, defenses are going to crowd the lane and make him earn every inch.
Off-the-bounce attempts made up 42 percent of his shot diet, and he hit just 38.3 percent of those shots, including 32.1 percent from beyond the arc. The counters need work.
Right now, his scoring package doesn’t have enough layers.
Playmaking is the other piece. A star doesn’t just score; he makes the game easier for everyone around him.
Banchero can use the post to create passing lanes, but the accuracy has to sharpen up. In the playoffs, 37.5 percent of his turnovers came on bad passes, and 45.8 percent came from simply losing the ball.
That matters even more on a team that doesn’t have a lot of margin for error. Orlando is offensively limited and doesn’t generate enough threes to afford wasted possessions. The defense can’t be asked to rescue everything.
Banchero had his moments in the playoffs, but the Magic still need a defining run. In 19 playoff appearances, they’ve only advanced past the first round five times, and the last time came in 2009-10, when they reached the Eastern Conference finals. The supporting cast isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough.
It raises the kind of question stars usually answer by force. How did Dwyane Wade before the Big Three, Kobe Bryant after Shaquille O’Neal left Los Angeles, and LeBron James before going to Miami not experiment with the dark arts to build a group like Banchero has around him now?
Nobody doubts Banchero is All-Star caliber. What’s still up for debate is whether he becomes the guy or settles in as the kind of player who fits best as the second option on a championship team. 2026-27 should bring everyone closer to that answer.
In Other News...
Magic May Have A Cheap Answer To Their Shooting Problem
The Magic have spent plenty of time searching for more reliable shooting on the perimeter, and Buddy Hield has emerged as a name worth watching. The veteran guard was traded to the Hornets and is expected to be waived, which could open the door for Orlando to explore a low-cost addition from a player long known for his three-point range.
For a team trying to improve its spacing without making a major investment, Hield fits the kind of flyer that can make sense. The 33-year-old would bring immediate floor-stretching potential if he becomes available, but any move would still depend on the waiver process playing out in Charlotte first. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Give Former Lottery Pick One More Chance To Impress
The Magic are bringing in another familiar name for training camp, this time giving former lottery pick Kevin Knox an Exhibit 10 contract and a chance to compete for a spot in Orlando. Knox, who has seven years of NBA experience, spent last season with the Windy City Bulls in the G League, and now gets one more look as the team sorts through the back end of its roster.
Orlando also filled out its camp group with Exhibit 10 deals for Ricky Council IV, AuDiese Toney, Ace Baldwin Jr. and Jarron Cumberland, all of whom are expected to be waived as part of the process. The moves were announced alongside the Magics 20-player training camp roster, setting the stage for a crowded few weeks as the team evaluates depth and decides which names are worth keeping around. [Read more 🡒]
Magics Young Core Is Creating A Roster Squeeze Sean Sweeney Cant Ignore
The Magic have spent the past few seasons making a clear bet on their youth, locking in Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and the rest of the core on long-term deals and signaling that this group will define the franchises next era. That approach has the roster trending toward a hefty luxury tax bill in the 2026-27 season, with the salary-cap math getting tighter by the year as Orlando tries to keep its best pieces together.
For Sean Sweeney, the challenge goes beyond drawing up a new defensive identity or sharpening the offense. He inherits a team with real upside, but also one that will have to navigate apron restrictions and the kind of roster squeeze that can force hard choices about depth, flexibility and fit. The Magic want to win with this core, and the question is how much room theyll have to keep building around it without compromising the structure that made the plan so appealing in the first place. [Read more 🡒]