The Orlando Magic made a momentous splash at the start of the 2025 offseason by acquiring Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies. Bane has steadily emerged as one of the best and most productive shooting guards in the NBA, stepping up in the regular season and postseason alike.
Despite the success he's experienced and the film that supports his status as a top-tier player at his position, however, Bane continues to be the epitome of underrated.
Bane is a five-year veteran who ranks among the most efficient players at his position. He's shouldered a significant offensive workload while maintaining a strong reputation on defense during three of those four trips, oftentimes stepping up when co-star Ja Morant was absent.
Despite his past success, Bane was ranked outside of the top 10 shooting guards in the NBA in a player rankings article published by HoopsHype.
Bane checked in at No. 11, which is less of an egregious snub than a slight omission. Players directly ahead of him included Zach LaVine at No. 10, Austin Reaves at No. 9, Josh Hart at No. 8, Amen Thompson at No. 7, and Tyler Herro at No. 6.
Even if one were to put aside debates about a player's true position, one can't help but feel as though Bane has been confirmed as criminally underrated by these rankings.
Desmond Bane left out of HoopsHype's Top 10 shooting guards
Bane started 76 games in 2021-22, when the Grizzlies burst onto the scene with a 56-26 record and a trip to the second round of the playoffs. He averaged 18.2 points per game on .461/.436/.903 shooting during the regular season and tallied 18.8 points on .478/.489/.857 marks in the playoffs.
Considering Ja Morant missed 25 games and Dillon Brooks was absent from 50 that season, and Memphis still went 56-26, it's worth noting that Bane was technically their leading scorer.
The next season, when Memphis went 51-31, Bane upped his numbers to 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.9 three-point field goals made on .479/.408/.883 shooting. It was the formal beginning of his evolution into one of the most well-rounded players in the NBA.
In the two seasons that have followed, Bane has compiled averages of 20.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.7 three-point field goals made on .475/.387/.883 shooting.
In 2024-25, Bane sacrificed his scoring and some of his playing time for the betterment of a resurgent Grizzlies team. After winning just 27 games in an injury-plagued 2023-24 campaign, Memphis went 48-34 this past season with a uniquely-structured rotation that prioritized a widespread distribution of minutes.
Even still, Bane averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.4 three-point field goals made per game—equating to 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.7 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes.
Desmond Bane combines star-caliber production with elite efficiency
In 2024-25, only six qualified players averaged at least 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per 36 minutes: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bane, Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, LeBron James, and Nikola Jokic. For perspective: Every player on that list but Bane has been an All-Star.
Refining that list to the qualified players who also buried at least 2.0 three-point field goals per game, it's an even more exclusive selection: Bane, Cunningham, and James.
With this in mind, as well as Bane's four separate trips to the playoffs, it's difficult to justify leaving him out of the top 10. Other players may play for bigger franchises, but Bane has provided consistent effort on defense and the type of production and efficiency that every team would covet.
Despite this, it appears as though players who offer less production and perhaps even lower efficiency are taking precedence.
Thankfully, Bane will have the opportunity to erase the narratives that downplay his status as a star-caliber player in Orlando. He's a perfect on-paper complement to Paolo Banchero and EuroBasket star Franz Wagner, and has already thrived alongside new Magic point guard Tyus Jones in Memphis.
Bane has been snubbed and overlooked yet again, but it shouldn't take long for him to rewrite the narrative in 2025-26 with the Magic.