Paolo Banchero’s offseason work has been pointed in one clear direction: turning a promising star into a more complete one.
After a rollercoaster 2026 season, Banchero has spent the summer trying to leave that stretch behind and answer the questions around his game. He’s looked more mobile, more agile and bouncier, while also getting plenty of reps as a shooter and around the rim. He’s even taken on some of the responsibility for Orlando’s recent postseason snags, showing a willingness to lead as well as produce.
That next step matters even more now that the Magic have made a change at head coach, moving from Jamahl Mosley to Sean Sweeney. How Sweeney finds efficient spots on the floor for Banchero will be a major swing factor, but Banchero’s own adjustment is just as important. He’s already treating next season like a reset, with an eye on arriving in the best physical shape possible while sharpening the efficiency side of his game and continuing to grow as a superstar offensive hub.
His core identity still looks the same. Banchero remains a powerful downhill force who can barrel into the paint, rebound, draw fouls, create threes and wreck defenses in transition. The question is how far he can push the scoring efficiency that sits at the center of his leap.
There are two obvious routes. One is trimming the middies and leaning harder into shots at the rim and beyond the arc.
The other is making the midrange jumper so reliable that it becomes a weapon defenses can’t ignore. That’s the part that could really change his ceiling.
If his pull-up starts landing with the kind of force Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant bring to their midrange games - 1.0 Points Per Possession on those looks - then a shot that can feel questionable suddenly becomes the right one every time.
And Durant has already been part of the process.
In July, footage surfaced of Banchero working out with KD, and now there’s a clearer picture of what that partnership has focused on. Through Adam Harrington and Swish Cultures, Banchero’s summer work with Durant has been tied to three main areas: shot creation, shotmaking and finishing. Banchero said the work has been done “All at game speed.”
That gym work has also included post-up moves, footwork, midrange shotmaking and finishing at the rim, all while getting into basketball shape alongside one of the game’s sharpest offensive minds.
For a player who has already made the All-Star leap, that kind of summer says plenty. Banchero is not just keeping his game steady.
He’s trying to widen it. And doing that while learning from Durant, a fellow active competitor, shows exactly how serious he is about taking the next step.
In Other News...
Magic Enter Camp With A Rotation Crunch Sean Sweeney Must Solve
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For Sweeney, the real challenge is less about remaking the roster than figuring out how all the pieces fit. Several positional and rotation questions remain unresolved, and the answers figure to hinge on who is healthy, who performs best in camp and which combinations work against different matchups. In a league where depth can become a strength only if the rotations are clean, the Magic enter camp with more stability than uncertainty, but still enough of both to keep the decisions interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Suddenly Face Bigger Questions About Their All In Gamble
The Magic entered last summer with clear intent, making a major trade for Desmond Bane in hopes of lifting an offense that needed a real jolt. Instead, the combination of injuries and a disappointing season has sent the conversation in the other direction, with ESPNs future power rankings dropping Orlando from seventh to 22nd and raising fresh doubts about how sturdy the roster looks around its core.
What was supposed to be a confident all-in swing now comes with heavier questions about the front offices read on the teams timeline and upside. With payroll constraints already part of the picture, Orlando has to sort through not just what went wrong, but whether the current foundation can still support the kind of competitive rise the franchise had in mind. [Read more 🡒]
The Magics Biggest 2026-27 Question Might Be Their Bench
The Magics depth is once again shaping up to be one of the more important parts of the conversation around their next step, especially with the roster built to lean on more than just the starters. Nikola Vucevic gives the second unit a proven scoring option, Jevon Carter brings the kind of defensive edge and veteran steadiness coaches value, and Anthony Black continues to stand out as a young reserve with real usefulness on both ends.
Orlando does not need its bench to steal the spotlight, but it does need that group to hold up when the game turns and the rotation gets thinner. Those are the kinds of minutes that can decide whether a promising team becomes a dangerous one, and the Magics answers there may be just as important as the headlines around the top of the roster. [Read more 🡒]