When Desmond Bane arrived in Orlando after last season's surprise trade, he seemed to share in everyone's excitement about this roster. He agreed that he was the missing piece this young team needed.
His 3-point shooting was something the Magic were clearly desperate to acquire.
Bane was one of the league's best volume 3-point shooters. He would give the Magic's offense a dynamic it did not have. That he could step up and play on the ball in some circumstances, too, was a plus.
It is safe to say that Bane's first season was a success. He picked up huge part of the offensive slack, added an incredible shooting threat. The Magic's offense was the best it had been in more than a decade and Bane was a big part of making all the pieces connect.
Of course, Bane's role was not quite what he expected.
He arrived in Orlando saying he was going to shoot more threes than at any point in his career. Instead, because the injury to Franz Wagner put him on the ball more, Bane took the fewest per game since his rookie year.
Orlando got a lot from Bane in his first season. He was our season MVP for his durability, consistency and leadership. There have been few reasons to talk about Bane this offseason. He is the one player who seemingly delivered everything that was promised in a disappointing 2026 season.
But the team can still get so much more from him. And there is hope that a healthy season will enable the Magic to get what they really bargained for in Bane.
Unlocking this next level is essential for Orlando to fulfill the vision it had for its roster when the team invested so much in him in that trade last offseason.
Bane still has a lot more to contribute to this team's success.
The Magic need to find Bane more threes
The idea behind acquiring Desmond Bane was a sound one -- even if the sticker shock from the trade still has not quite worn off.
The Orlando Magic needed a shooter who could put up tons of threes and help space the floor. They needed someone who was a constant three-point threat.
Bane mostly delivered on that promise in his first season with the team. He averaged 20.1 points per game while shooting 39.1 percent from three. His numbers were mostly in line with previous seasons and he added 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game to boot.
Bane was solid, but not spectacular, in the Playoffs, averaging 18.1 points per game and shooting 43.1 percent from three. He made a playoff-leading 3.6 3-point attempts per game.
The problem with Bane throughout the season was the team could not get him three-point looks. They could not maximize that shooting boost they envisioned.
The one thing he did not do this year was the big thing the Magic acquired him to do.
Bane took only 5.2 3-point attempts per game, the fewest since his rookie year. It was a stunning and frustrating development -- even as he did so many other things so well.
The Magic never really corrected that. He was nowhere near the seven or eight attempts he imagined.
Some of this stemmed from the injuries the team faced. Bane was on the ball a lot more. The team relied on him to create a ton more. The Magic could not generate the same 3-point looks for him because Bane had more creation responsibility.
The Playoffs saw that change. Bane took 8.3 attempts per game against the Detroit Pistons. More than half of his attempts were from beyond the arc. This was at least part of why the Magic found some room and tortured the Pistons.
Bane still had his struggles throughout the series. It sometimes felt like he was invisible. Especially after Franz Wagner went out with his injury.
Bane scored 51 total points in those final three games, adding 10-for-24 shooting from three. It was hard to blame Bane for anything that happened in that series, aside from known defensive shortcomings.
Bane always did what was asked of him and he did it exceptionally well. The Magic just needed a little more on the ball -- a tough ask against Ausar Thompson and the Pistons' defense.
Even without the expected 3-point attempts, Bane's effects were felt everywhere.
Bane can be a bigger offensive booster
The clear goal for the Orlando Magic this year should be to get Desmond Bane more 3-point attempts. That is the best way to unlock his impact and make the most of him.
If Sean Sweeney is going to run a much more intentional offense, this will be a big part of it. Involving Bane in sets wher ehe can space the floor and put defenses in tricky positions will be key to unlocking someone like Paolo Banchero.
The Magic did not feel the full impact they thought from Bane last year.
Overall, Orlando had a +2.2 net rating with Bane on the floor. The team's offensive rating with Bane on the floor was 113.6, worse than the team's overall average.
But, the Magic had a team-worst 109.5 offensive rating when Bane was off the floor. He was an essential piece to the team's offense.
In the Playoffs, it was a -5.0 net rating with Bane on the floor (a number worse than Banchero's and heavily influenced by the Game 6 debacle). Orlando had a 102.1 offensive rating with Bane on the floor and 94.0 with him off.
It was a +5.3 net rating and a 103.0 offensive rating with Bane on the floor through the first four games of that series. And -3.2 and a 93.9 offensive rating with Bane off the floor.
Even thinking solely about the Magic's star players, the Magic were only slightly better offensively with Bane on the floor during the regular season.
Orlando had a +2.1 net rating when Desmond Bane and Paolo Banchero shared the floor, with a 115.3 offensive rating. The team had a +4.6 net rating when Desmond Bane and Franz Wagner shared the floor with a 114.4 offensive rating.
There was still a lot left on the floor with Bane. There is still a level that is waiting for Sean Sweeney to unlock.
If Bane proved anything last year, it is that he will be ready to do whatever the coaching staff asks of him. And that is what is exciting about Bane's upcoming season.
There is still so much more he can do after a strong season.
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