The Orlando Magic have started preseason by showing a different kind of offense, and Paolo Banchero is right in the middle of it - even if the shot making hasn’t shown up yet.
In the opener against the Memphis Grizzlies, Banchero and Desmond Bane ran a Spain pick-and-roll that helped spring Franz Wagner downhill before the ball was kicked to Wendell Carter for a corner 3. Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the setup looked similar, only this time Banchero eventually got the switch to Peyton Watson and dove to the block to set up a post-up chance. Watson pulled the chair and Banchero lost his balance, but the design worked until the finish.
That’s been the theme for Banchero so far in these preseason looks: more movement, less pounding the ball, and a Magic offense that seems intent on spacing the floor and making quicker decisions. He is not holding the ball nearly as much or as long, and the team’s early public unveiling suggests a real shift in how it wants to play.
The good news for Orlando is that Banchero still looks like himself in the one area that always travels - pressure. He’s already drawn 20 free-throw attempts through two preseason games, so even with the jumper off, he’s forcing defenses to react.
The process has looked sharper, too. He’s moving faster, deciding faster, and spending less time parked at the top of the key.
The issue is that the results have been rough.
Banchero has 21 total points, which leads all of Orlando’s regular starters, but he’s only 3-for-17 from the floor and 1-for-5 from 3-point range. Against Cleveland on Sunday, he was 1-for-10 from the field and finished with a lone make from deep after eight misses. He has also continued to drift into mid-range looks, and he hasn’t hit one yet this preseason.
None of that is reason for alarm on its own. It’s preseason, and the Magic clearly are using these games to look at spacing and offensive structure more than to run a steady diet of actions designed specifically to get Banchero cooking. Sean Sweeney has made spacing a priority, and Orlando appears to be leaning into more 3-point volume while figuring out how all the pieces fit.
Still, the question hangs there because Banchero matters that much to what the Magic want to become. His role isn’t just important - it’s central. Orlando needs him and Franz Wagner to lead the way, and Banchero’s next step is tied to efficiency, impact, and winning.
There are reasons to believe the current setup could help. The Magic have used him more as a roller, paired him with Wagner more often, and put him in motion instead of letting him live on the ball. There have been fewer pick-and-rolls for him so far, and that may be part of the plan.
There are also reasons to keep perspective. This is not the first time Banchero has opened a preseason looking off.
In 2025, he averaged 13.0 points per game in three appearances and shot 12 for 30 from the floor and 2 for 8 from 3-point range. That stretch looked sluggish and ground-bound, and it foreshadowed a tough season.
Last year, he shot 45.9 percent from the floor, 30.5 percent from 3 and posted a 49.6 percent effective field goal percentage.
This preseason doesn’t look like that. He’s not plodding.
He’s attacking the rim, even if one of the misses came on a dunk attempt over Cameron Boozer. He looks quicker and more purposeful than he did a year ago.
The missing piece is simply the shot going down.
Nobody should be panicking over two preseason games. The work behind closed doors at the AdventHealth Training Center matters more than what’s shown in public. But the big picture is clear enough: however Orlando changes the offense, it still needs Banchero to become the efficient centerpiece that lifts the whole operation.
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