The case will be made.
The Orlando Magic (3-4) are on a downward path, losing three of their last four games with playoff teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers, and New Orleans Pelicans all still waiting to feast on a limited Magic team this week. Paolo Banchero will be absent for those games after team doctors ruled him out for at least four to six weeks. All three of those games could be losses.
And if that is the case, an MVP case can be made for the superstar forward upon his return to the starting lineup—whenever that is. Before Banchero’s injury, the Magic were looking like they were the second- or third-best team in the Eastern Conference.
After the injury, the Magic look like a bottom-feeder team in the Eastern Conference, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Dallas Mavericks in blowout fashion. As a matter of fact, it is hard to recognize this team as a contender without him.
The Magic only look like a competitive team with a healthy Banchero
The Magic are only a legit contender in the Eastern Conference with Banchero, and that's why an MVP case can be made once he returns to the lineup, especially if he drops another 50 burger shortly after. That 50-point game put Banchero into a different category, as he was the first player to drop 50 points in a game during the 2024-25 NBA season. It made the national media pay attention to what was brewing in Central Florida. Then shortly after, Banchero got injured, and the national correspondents packed their bags to cover some other team.
That’s MVP-worthy. Banchero has the same impact on his team as some of the biggest names in the league.
Obviously, the national media will be back to cover Banchero and the Magic once he returns from injury, but for right now, the team doesn't seem as important to the national media without its star player. And a large part of that is the way he is able to dominate the game on both sides of the court.
Banchero is averaging 29 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game so far. That's pretty much 29/9/6 when you round it up. If those aren't MVP-level numbers for a guy who doesn't have an All-Star-level second option, I don't know what is. And if the Magic continue to win and Banchero can average close to those numbers once he returns, he deserves to enter the MVP conversation.
Team success definitely plays a role in winning the MVP award but the overall numbers on the offensive side of the ball play a critical role as well.
For instance, when Russell Westbrook won his MVP award in 2017, he didn't have an All-Star-level player on his team either. He had Victor Oladipo (a player Magic fans are very familiar with) as his second option. That year, Westbrook averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists per game. His team finished with a 47-35 overall record and secured the 6th seed in the Western Conference. Banchero is in a similar situation. The biggest difference is that Westbrook did not get hurt that season, and he also played in 81 of the 82 regular season games, thus making him so valuable.
The number of games played is a determining factor in the MVP race now, and Banchero will miss a lot of games, but for the youngster, it would be an accomplishment just to enter the conversation.