3 Orlando Magic players who could fall flat in their future playoffs

3 Orlando Magic players who could fall flat in the playoffs

Paolo Banchero

The considerations for the Orlando Magic, as they think about how players will perform in the playoffs, are not just about who they might need to get rid of to move forward. It is also about finding ways to help their key players succeed more and what holes they might need to fill.

It is, like all things with this team, also about getting experience. This team needs to go through the growing pains of playing in the postseason for the first time with all the attendant pressure that comes with it.

No one is going to feel that pressure like Paolo Banchero. And his first postseason is likely going to be a rough one, even if he still puts up solid numbers.

The knock on Banchero throughout his rookie year was his lack of efficiency. That was a product of the Magic letting Banchero be their star and make mistakes in the process. He will surely get better with that as he continues to improve and grow.

The playoffs though will see him face pressure and double teams in ways he has not yet. And the growing pains he goes through will be natural and expected.

And he will likely not be alone in those struggles. Other stars like him had their issues in their first playoff series.

Player comps like Blake Griffin averaged only 19.0 points per game on 50.0-percent shooting in his first playoff series (and only 13.2 points per game while dealing with injuries in his second). Kevin Durant scored 25.0 points per game on 35.0-percent shooting in his introduction to the playoffs.

Banchero will almost certainly put up some strong raw scoring numbers his first time in the postseason. The Magic almost certainly will be relying on him to do so. And so that first playoff series is going to look like his rookie year — at times spectacular, at times inefficient and probably leading to defeat.

But all of it will be valuable.

The other area of concern, specifically when it comes to Banchero, is with the team’s rebounding. Banchero was notably not a strong rebounder last year, averaging a solid 6.9 rebounds per game. The problem was that he and Wendell Carter combined for just 15.6 rebounds per game total.

Orlando was a decent rebounding team by the numbers. But the team struggled throughout the season with rebounding consistently and avoiding giving up offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities.

Only 24.5 percent of Banchero’s defensive rebounds were contested and only 32.9 percent of Carter’s defensive rebounds were contested. Carter ranked strongly otherwise as a rebounder. But rebounding is still Banchero’s biggest weakness that he has to focus on and develop.

Do not think that opposing teams will not realize this and send some extra attention to the offensive glass.

The playoffs have a way of exposing your every weakness. And this is one that should be easily anticipated from this Magic team.