Paolo Banchero’s preseason shot has been ice-cold so far, but there’s no reason to sound the alarm just yet.
That’s the reality for the Magic forward after two exhibition games, even with plenty of attention heading his way this season. At 23, Banchero is the kind of player Orlando needs to take a real step if the team is going to reach its ceiling, and that starts with stronger offensive production.
The scoring talent has never been the question. Banchero owns a career regular-season average of 22.3 points per game, and 2024-25 was the only season in which he finished above 23 points per game. The catch is that he appeared in only 46 games that year.
What stands out now is the shooting line, which has been rough through two preseason outings. In Orlando’s 122-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Banchero logged 15 minutes and went 2-for-7 from the floor, including 0-for-2 from three. He followed that up against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday by shooting 1-for-10 from the field and 1-for-3 from deep.
Put together, that leaves him at 17.6% from the field and 20% from beyond the arc in the preseason.
Those numbers are well below the standard he’s set in regular-season play. Over four regular seasons, Banchero has shot 44.9% from the field. He also had not shot below 33% from the field in any of his previous four preseasons before this stretch.
That’s why the numbers matter, even in October. Banchero will need to clean it up the rest of the way through preseason, and if the shot still isn’t falling, he’ll have to answer with a sharp start once the games count. The concern isn’t just the misses themselves; it’s whether they hint at a dip in offensive efficiency to open the year.
The 3-point shot is the other piece everyone is watching. That was an area Banchero needed to improve this offseason, and it’s easy to see why.
Better accuracy from deep would make him tougher to defend and create easier looks inside, too. So far, though, the early returns have not suggested a jump.
Still, this is preseason, and that matters. These games are not the place to draw sweeping conclusions about Banchero’s regular-season outlook.
For now, his career field-goal percentage offers the bigger picture. It says this preseason slump is not yet a cause for panic. And while it would obviously help to see the 3-ball start dropping, the smarter move is to wait and see what he looks like when the regular season begins before deciding where his ceiling stands from deep.
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Magic Showed The Identity Fans Wanted To See Against Cleveland
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The encouraging part for Orlando was that the performance was not only about scoring. The Magic were sharper defensively, made life harder on the Cavaliers from long range and controlled the glass in a way that helped keep the game tilted their way. It was preseason, so the result will not count in the standings, but it still offered a useful snapshot of how this group wants to look when it is clicking. [Read more 🡒]