For the last month, all eyes have been on Franz Wagner.
Wagner was one of the stars for Germany during EuroBasket, putting his name and his game on tape. There have been plenty of ways to dissect Wagner and what he will bring to the Orlando Magic this season. There are big expectations, and Wagner seems set to meet them.
Paolo Banchero, meanwhile, has worked mostly in anonymity. Outside of some promotional videos from the Jordan Brand or videos coming from an elite camp he helped run, Banchero has mostly been working quietly in Seattle and thereabouts.
Where everyone has seen a lot of Wagner, nobody has seen much of Banchero.
That has not kept anyone from having outsized expectations for Banchero and his upcoming season. He has been a dark-horse MVP candidate for many. Banchero is expected to take a big step forward.
That noise is coming from his own camp, too. The hype for Banchero's 2025 season has officially begun.
He fed it himself with the debut of a behind-the-scenes look at his offseason on his YouTube channel (the first of several episodes, covering his offseason mindset and the trade of Desmond Bane).
If the videos are any indication, Banchero is due for the season everyone thinks he is.
"I think I can really take it to another level this year. Really just more motivated than I've ever been," Banchero said in the video. "I'm still figuring it out, how disciplined you have to be to be great. The more of a routine you have from day to day, working out at the same time. It's important that I'm there every day, locked in with a focused mindset."
Banchero has a lot on his plate this year. As the video showed, he reacted gleefully to the Bane acquisition, already miming passes to the corner for an open shooter. Everyone can sense the excitement for the upcoming season.
Ultimately it all falls on Banchero.
"The Tip of the Iceberg"
Workout videos are obviously highly edited. This video is produced by Paolo Banchero and posted to his social media and YouTube channels.
Take that for whatever it is worth. It is a clearly, carefully crafted message.
With so little Banchero content available during the summer, fans will take what they can get. Especially considering what a big season is ahead for him.
There is plenty of faith that Banchero will put in the work. He has improved with every season, and he was on track for an All-NBA-level season before the oblique injury interrupted his season. It took him time to regain his footing, but he got back on track to help the Magic reach the Playoffs.
It was a career season, where he averaged 25.9 points per game, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. He shot a career-high 5.9 3-point attempts per game but shot only 32.0 percent, allowing efficiency concerns to persist.
But taking out the first month after he returned from an oblique injury reveals he has taken a major step.
After the All-Star Break, Banchero averaged 29.0 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists per game. He had a 58.3 percent true shooting percentage. That continued into the Playoffs when he put up 29.4 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game while carrying a substantial offensive burden for the overmatched Orlando Magic against the Boston Celtics.
Nobody came out of that playoff series blaming Banchero for his inefficiency or his effort.
Everyone could see he has a lot more to accomplish and a lot more to do. No one was pumping Paolo Banchero up more than his agent, Mike Miller.
"Tip of the iceberg. Paolo's biggest thing is how can I be the best basketball player? He is just beginning to understand how freaking good he is," Miller said on The Boardroom in a Feb. 2023 clip included in the episode. "The one thing I will say about him and why I bet on him all day long is because he absolutely loves it and dives into it."
That statement still feels very true even after Banchero earned his first All-Star berth and made two Playoff appearances in the last two seasons.
Miller truly believes in Banchero's potential. He is willing to bet a lot on him.
The Magic certainly are too after giving him a max extension and the first player option on a rookie extension since Luka Doncic and Trae Young in 2021 (that will be the topic in episode two).
Still, Banchero came out of that series eager to win more and disappointed that the team was not able to do more this season. That mindset clearly carried over into the offseason, as Banchero said throughout the video.
He took some time to reset at an undisclosed beach and tropical location before he got back to work.
Banchero continues to work in anonymity. Soon, he will make his way from his summer workout homes in Seattle and New York City back to Orlando. And the work will continue as the Magic begin this important season.
Nobody has seen Banchero in public yet. That debut will come when the Magic open their preseason in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
They will see him soon enough. And there is plenty to believe in that this will be another breakthrough season.