3 Goals Paolo Banchero should look to accomplish during the 2024-25 season

Goal #1: Make an All-NBA team

The third and most important goal for Banchero this season is to make an All-NBA team. To make an All-NBA team you have to be a top 15 player in the NBA. The NBA recently changed the rules to make All-NBA teams positionless. So, Banchero does not just have to be top of his position like in an All-Star voting, but he has to be one of the best in the league.

There was already an argument to be made last year that Banchero was worthy to be an All-NBA player as he received two second-team votes and four third-team votes. This year, if he is the best player on a top seed in the east, he is sure to make an All-NBA team. He just has to make sure his counting stats are good and his team is winning.

This is a lot easier said than done, but we have already talked about how he can make scoring improvements and how he can get better on the defensive side of the ball as well. There are only a few other aspects that could really solidify his spot on an All-NBA team.

One way he could do his best to secure a spot would be to average a double-double. Averaging a double-double in the NBA is something that only 13 NBA players did last year and Tyrese Haliburton and Giannis Antetokounmpo were the only non-centers to do it. It is not an easy task, but it is something that could really separate Banchero from the others.

The good news for Banchero is that with his unique skillset, he has two ways he could average a double-double, and if he can not reach the double-double aspect, a near triple-double sometimes holds the same value. Averaging 20 and 10, or averaging 20, 8, and 7 can create the same respect.

Banchero has averaged 6.9 rebounds per game in both seasons of his career but should be able to raise that number. Getting 10 rebounds a game would make him one of the league’s best, but even just getting to 7 or 8 would raise his chances of making All-NBA.

Banchero also averaged 5.4 assists last year, and it is not crazy to say that number will increase. The Magic lack a traditional point guard. Instead, they have two natural shooting guards in the starting backcourt. While Suggs will take on more responsibilities, Banchero and Wagner will still be the primary creators. The offense mainly runs through Banchero, and he is often the one to take it up or initiate the offense.

This will allow him all the chances to make plays for his teammates and get assists. The addition of an elite catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will hopefully help him get a few more assists. Plus, if Franz Wagner can find his shot, Banchero could easily average around 7 assists per game. If Wagner had shot the ball better this past season, Banchero already would have probably averaged around 6 assists per game.

All the players who made All-NBA teams last season either averaged over 25 points per game or averaged at least 8 in another category. The only exception was Kawhi Leonard who averaged 23.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game but obviously made the list for his efforts on the defensive end. That means Banchero will have to reach either the 25-point-per-game mark, average at least 8 rebounds or 8 assists a game, or do both.

It may seem like a lot, but getting from 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game to 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 or 7 assists is very doable. He already had these amazing stats as just a second-year player and he is only going to get so much better.

Banchero making an All-NBA team would make him the first Magic player to make an All-NBA team since Dwight Howard in the 2011-2012 season. This could be his first of many All-NBA stints on his way to creating a legacy as an all-time Orlando Magic great.