PHILADELPHIA -- For all the frustration and all the disappointment that have filled the Orlando Magic's season, Paolo Banchero can still make fantastic plays. All the attention he receives as a 6-foot-10, 250-pound battering ram pays its dividends.
When John Tonje's three with 43 seconds went off the back iron, Paolo Banchero skied for the rebound. He turned upcourt quickly as the Magic wanted to create easy offense and fed Jalen Suggs streaking in front of him.
Suggs hit the game-tying three, and for a moment it looked like the Magic would escape this disaster with a win.
That would have been the right way to cap Banchero's third triple-double of the season. He had 23 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists Sunday against the Boston Celtics. Despite a poor shooting night, he had four assists in the fourth quarter as the Magic came back.
Still, it was not enough. Banchero made his mistakes -- shooting 7 for 22 and committing six turnovers, including three in the third quarter. More importantly, the Magic lost, dropping to eighth and facing a road game in the Play-In Tournament.
That is what ultimately stung. And ultimately how Banchero and his team will be measured.
"I definitely did not play my best basketball," Banchero said in the locker room after Sunday's loss. "I think collectively we just have to have more urgency. We can't expect to win just because guys are out. We can't expect to win just because we have a lead at halftime. You have to come out and finish the game, come out and play hard. You can't just be relaxed in moments like this. Everybody was way too relaxed and expecting it to go our way."
Every move from Banchero is dissected. He was the first overall pick and a near-unanimous Rookie of the Year. The Magic gave him a Rose Rule max -- a third team All-NBA selection is a long shot, at best -- with a player option on the fifth year.
He has failed to live up to the billing as the Magic struggled throughout the season in their 45-37 record and 8-seed entering the Play-In Tournament against the Philadelphia 76ers.
No player is under more pressure this postseason than Banchero.
All eyes on Banchero
Paolo Banchero has been the center of scrutiny and attention throughout the season. He has never quite been what everyone wanted.
Whether that was analytics-minded critics who wanted to see him be more efficient as a shooter and decision-maker or those who want to quantify his impact on winning.
It is completely true that the Orlando Magic were a rebuilding team before drafting Banchero with the first pick, and climbed to 35 wins before making the postseason in the last three years.
It is also true that the Magic have never had a positive net rating with Banchero on the floor.
He finished his 2026 regular season with a -0.2 net rating with Banchero on the floor (114.0 offensive rating/114.1 defensive rating).
For a second straight year, the Magic made a big push with Franz Wagner leading the way when Paolo Banchero was out with a strained groin in November, going 7-3 in the 10 games he missed. With Franz Wagner out, the Magic went just 24-23.
"It's been a tough season," Banchero said in the locker room after Sunday's loss. "I don't think we've played up to our potential or met the expectations that were there before the season. Hopefully, we can make noise in the playoffs to make up for it. It was definitely not the regular season we were all expecting."
No one really questions his statistical output. Even in a down year, he averaged 22.2 points per game and shot a career-best 45.9 percent from the floor and a 56.6 percent true shooting percentage. He added a career-best 8.4 rebounds per game with 5.2 assists per game.
But like everything with Banchero, it seems there is a negative to his positives.
He took more shots at the rim than ever before and fewer of the mid-range jumpers his critics detest. But he shot only 62.7 percent on shots within five feet, ranking 11th in the league in those field goal attempts but 13th-worst among 49 players who took more than five attempts per game (although better than both Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane).
Banchero has looked noticeably slower and less explosive than in previous years, a byproduct perhaps of his early-season groin injury.
And that does not get into the constant noise and rumors circulating about his frustrations with the offense coach Jamahl Mosley runs.
A playoff riser?
There is one truth that is consistent in two postseason appearances that nobody can deny. It is the one reason to continue believing in Paolo Banchero as a player.
At 23 years old, he has a lot of room to keep growing. And in two playoff series, he has stepped up to the plate.
Banchero averaged 27.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game on 45.6/40.0/75.5 shooting splits in the 2024 series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He upped his game with 29.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on 43.5/44.4/65.9 shooting splits in the 2025 series with the Boston Celtics.
All that could seemingly save Banchero's season is another strong playoff performance, and the hope that it can carry over into a productive offseason and a better 2027 season.
That is the pressure that comes with a star. And after such an up-and-down and disappointing season, the Playoffs are a showcase for him. Or it could be the clincher that leads to some more uncomfortable questions.
"Paolo has always shown up big in the Playoffs," Zach Lowe said on The Bill Simmons Podcast on Sunday night. "That is one of the interesting reasons to take him here. After a pretty spotty regular season, the last couple of months have been better than the ones that come before it. Fit with Franz is still kind of TBD. But on an undermanned team, that dude has always shown up, and not just in a he had to take 30 shots, and he got a pretty inefficient 35 points. He has shown up on both ends of the floor and played pretty well. That guy is still in there."
Both Simmons and Lowe put Banchero in their "Player at a Crossroads" category in their playoff preview. Simmons wants to put him in the "Fire up the Trade Machine" category.
The national media is alway slooking for the next big trade drama.
Even after a frustrating season, the Magic are not likely to want to move Banchero. He is still young enough to bet on his improvement. They invested in him to that degree.
The next step is likely to hire a new coach to maximize his talents. And they will hope for a healthy season next year to see this team at its fullest.
But there is still a Play-In game to win, and hopefully, a playoff series to play.
And if the Magic are going to have a successful postseason, it will start with Banchero.
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