3 Orlando Magic shooting stats that tell a bigger story
By Jacob Warfle
Orlando Magic shooting stats
Two players under 30% from three
Piggybacking off the previous point, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero are the Orlando Magic’s future. Both forwards can be used interchangeably, defend all positions and handle the ball like guards.
They are the biggest matchup problems on the team and they have not begun to scratch the surface of their perimeter shooting potential.
Both Wagner and Banchero are shooting worse than 30 percent from three on less than 4.0 attempts per game individually.
This is not to say these young forwards are not dominating. Banchero is averaging 23.5 points per game and shooting better than 52 percent on 2-pointers. Wagner is averaging 18.6 points per game on a scorching 55.7 percent on twos.
They have been to get to the rim at will and have even found some space in the mid-range.
I note these numbers because I see them as a positive. Banchero and Wagner will not stay cold from deep for long.
Last season, Wagner shot 35.4 percent on 3.4 3-point attempts per game. He was still able to average better than 15 points per game with just more than 1.0 3-point makes per game. If Wagner found a way to attempt just a couple more threes per game and hit two of them, he would be even more dominant.
Banchero is a similar story. He has shown the ability to take and make threes and he has a smooth stroke. Even at Duke, he found or created the space to shoot it at a decent clip.
Becoming above-average three-point shooters would take Wagner and Banchero from great into a new class of elite. It could also open better offensive opportunities for the rest of the Magic.