The Orlando Magic have spent three straight seasons running into the same wall in the first round, and now the pressure lands squarely on Paolo Banchero.
For Orlando, the next step is bigger than just getting back to the playoffs. The Magic need to turn a promising core into a team that can actually break through, and that starts with Banchero becoming the kind of star who shows up every night, not just in bursts. On the latest episode of the Full Court Magic Podcast, host Don Strouble and I dug into why this has to be the year he makes that jump.
If Orlando is going to push toward a top-five seed in the Eastern Conference and finally escape the first round after three straight exits, Banchero has to be reliable from start to finish. That means no disappearing acts, no uneven stretches, and no waiting for the postseason to flip the switch.
The version of him the Magic have seen in the playoffs has real juice. Now that level has to become the standard in the regular season too.
The biggest piece is efficiency. Banchero has to attack the paint more often and stop settling so much on the perimeter.
He has the size, strength and athletic pop to punish defenses inside, and when he does that, everything else opens up. The mid-range game becomes cleaner.
The deep mid-range shots get easier. Even the threes become more dangerous because defenders have to respect the drive.
When he leans too heavily on outside jumpers, defenses can sit on him and shrink the floor. That’s why the next stage of his growth is about becoming an interior force first.
He’s built to do it. He can score near the rim.
He can shoot it. He can overwhelm smaller defenders.
But the leap comes when he stops drifting and starts imposing himself.
There’s also the defensive attention that comes with being the centerpiece. Teams know exactly who they’re trying to stop when they study Orlando.
The questions are all about Banchero: how to contain him, how to limit his passing, how to make him take tougher shots. That’s part of why this season matters so much.
He has to answer that pressure by making better decisions and becoming a more dangerous all-around threat.
The belief is there, but the expectation is clear too. Banchero has to show he’s not just a star in flashes. He has to prove he can rise into the next tier - the kind of player who can carry a team beyond where Orlando has kept falling short.
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The Magic head into the new season with Jamahl Mosley in place as the new head coach and Paolo Banchero sitting at the center of everything they hope to build. As Orlando keeps shaping its identity, Banchero is expected to be the franchises leading player, the one who can set the tone night after night and give the team a clear direction in a crowded Eastern Conference race.
Banchero has already shown the kind of talent that makes the ceiling easy to imagine, but the next step is about turning that promise into something steadier. Analysts have pointed to his need for more consistency and stronger leadership, and those are the traits that could determine whether Orlandos season feels like another step forward or just another year of waiting for the breakout to fully arrive. [Read more 🡒]