Paolo Banchero felt something different in his first playoff series.
For a second-year player as the lead scorer on a young playoff team, you would expect everything to be flying by at a million miles per hour. This is when the game is supposed to speed up, when teams can tailor their game plans specifically to stop each team's actions and sets, and when the best players are asked to step up.
Star players are asked to create and figure out how to break a defense that is well-versed in everything you want to do.
That is a big ask for a young star in his first playoff series.
Banchero understood he struggled early in the series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, committing 15 combined turnovers in the first two games even as he continued to score at a steady clip.
But then something clicked. The game started to slow down, as every player likes to say, and Banchero showed what his stardom might look like.
In the final five games of the series, Banchero averaged 28.8 points per game, 10.0 rebounds per game, and 4.0 assists per game. He shot 44.6 percent from the floor and 44.8 percent from three. He capped it off with a 38-point showing in Game 7 in front of a national audience.
The sting of falling in Game 7 with the lead the Magic had in the first half gave everyone on the roster reason to be hungry to return this season. But Banchero, as the young star of this team, set a bigger tone for what he and this team will become.
The playoff series revealed to him—if not to the entire league—what he was capable of doing. Superstardom is surely on the way.
At 21 years old and just two years into his career, he has already won Rookie of the Year and been named an NBA All-Star. He has already stepped up on one of the biggest stages the league has to offer.
As the Magic look ambitiously toward their 2025 season, everything starts with Banchero's potential. His ambition feeds the team's hopes for the upcoming season. And that has driven him as he begins the third season of his potentially historic career.
"I think it just comes with experience," Banchero said after the Magic's preseason finale on Friday. "You can't really explain it. I think it's a certain level of comfort. After my second year, especially playing in the playoffs, just showed me a different way I can be effective. . . . Those first two years, I learned a lot and I'm trying to come in with an improved mindset in my third year."
Paolo Banchero is on the verge of superstardom
Paolo Banchero has always believed he was going to be a star. His "Know Pressure" tattoo was a mission statement as much as a declaration of the expectations he expected to carry for whatever franchise drafted him. Banchero wanted moments like the ones he faced last year.
He wants more of it.
That first playoff experience was not something he celebrated. It was an awakening of what he is capable of doing.
Banchero said even in the weeks after the playoffs that it fit his pace and style. He liked how the game slowed down and created a new puzzle for him to solve.
Things were continuing to make more sense for this quiet basketball savant.
"I think every year the game slows down a little bit," Banchero said after practice last week. "Last year I felt it slow down. In the Playoffs it slowed down a little bit. I think now it's even more. It's kind of a never-ending thing. Always trying to improve, finding ways to be successful. Obviously, teams kind of throw something different at me whether it's a matchup or a certain look. I'm trying to be ready for whatever they have, trying to find a joy in that. It's like a quiz every week or every game. That makes it fun."
That he and the team did not fully solve that puzzle only fed him more.
Banchero said he spent the offseason watching film and understanding where he got his shots and how to diversify his game. He said he learned that if he mixes up his play and works off the ball, he can keep defenses off-balance.
Banchero's versatility was on display throughout his breakthrough 2024 season where he averaged 22.6 points per game, 6.9 rebounds per game, and 5.4 assists per game. Among his accomplishments were his first 40-point game and his first career triple-double. Banchero hit several clutch shots too, taking over games late to help his team secure victory.
That versatility is what the Magic are trying to nurture. They created a lineup of playmaking forwards. And Banchero is the center of that and now taking ownership of that role.
"I have the ability to lift others up just with having the ball in my hands, getting others involved and setting them up to use their strengths," Banchero said after practice last week. "That's what I can do for them on the court and just my voice encouraging guys and helping them out. Obviously, I don't know everything but I feel like I can be a leader for this team and help guys where need be."
While fans and analysts fret over the team's lack of playmaking and creating, the Magic believe Banchero can be a do-everything forward. The kind of player who soaks up attention and can create for others as much as himself.
Part of what Banchero had to study was how to make sure he was more effective with his decision-making so he could make the most of these talents. Orlando did not want to take the ball out of his hands.
That is the skill he can and will grow the most. It is what makes him unqiue and a dangerous player among the elite talent in the NBA.
That is what the Magic have centered their whole rebuild around. Everyone is still surprised by his ability to create for others.
"His playmaking ," new teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said after the first day of practice. "Just being alongside him, it's hard to see that. But out here, his decision-making, his attacking in transition when he has the lane, making the right decision in the post. That's what we always talk about as well. How can we get easy baskets for you? That's going to help him out a lot if he continues to stay patient with himself and continues to learn."
That was on full display during a stellar preseason where Banchero took what the defenses gave him.
Against the New Orleans Pelicans, he scored 15 points in 22 minutes, attacking the basket and torching the interior of the Pelicans' defense. Against the San Antonio Spurs, he tallied seven assists and six rebounds, finding teammates with ease as he navigated around Victor Wembanyama.
Then in the Orlando Magic's final preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers, he had 21 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes. That included a run of seven straight points to finish the first quarter, imposing himself on the game at a critical juncture.
It is just preseason, but Banchero showed the patience and composure of a star playing at his own pace. He said last week great players take what the game is giving them. Banchero showed an elevated level of understanding of what the game calls for and looked like he was playing easily at his own pace, even as defenses started to throw their weight at him.
Banchero looked like a different, more composed player eager to solve whatever puzzle teams send his way each game.
"I think just trying to be a better player and improve in every area coming into this year," Banchero said of his offseason focus at Media Day. "I think I improved a lot last year. Just looking at last year I can improve a lot again this year. I'm really excited to improve in all areas and get this team farther than we did last year."
Banchero, a forgotten All-Star
Paolo Banchero has become something of a forgotten All-Star.
The Orlando Magic have rarely been on national television and are not in the consciousness of most national NBA fans. He is not mentioned nearly as often as perhaps he should in the pantheon of young players, especially for what he has accomplished both statistically and as the leader of the team in his young career.
His raw scoring is often taken for granted or used against him.
Critics point to his inefficiency and the Magic's stats with him on and off the floor (+0.0 points per 100 possessions with Banchero on the floor compared to +7.6 points per 100 possessions with him off the floor) especially when comparing him to Franz Wagner anchoring the Magic's vaunted second unit or to contemporaries and peers like Scottie Barnes, Jalen Williams, or Chet Holmgren.
Those criticisms often look only at the numbers and fail to see a young player dealing with the attention superstars receive while holding all the playmaking responsibilities that come with that.
It is still fair to say Banchero has to improve his efficiency if the team is going to take the next step. Indeed, that is likely what will determine whether the Magic become a future title contender or merely a nice playoff team.
That is what Banchero was undoubtedly studying and trying to improve throughout his offseason. But it is also the thing the Magic know he can still improve on. He has the hard part down—getting the respect from defenses to demand double teams.
A lot of his raw counting stats at his age and experience level compare with all-time greats. That is the class of player Banchero aspires to be talked about and where he is already walking.
"Let's understand what we're saying here: The fact we are even having that conversation is a testament not only to Paolo's talent and physical abilities, but he is an amazing young guy in his ability to understand big picture," president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said during Media Day. "He's different. He works. He works smart. He cares about winning.
"He understands he is going to be measured by the team's success. At age 21, he understands that. That's unique. We need to give him the time to grow and experiment. Even with his amazing physique, his body is going to change. He is just starting his journey."
Banchero will be judged by his team's success
What he needed was to slow the game down. Everyone needed to slow down and give him the time to grow.
Of course, that is not how things work. The Orlando Magic made a statement last year in winning 47 games and reaching a Game 7 in their first playoff series. Paolo Banchero made a statement with his big Game 7.
While Banchero did not make the same playoff guarantee he made last year, he knows all that matters now is how his team performs. That is why he has been as front and center as anyone stating the team's belief they will be competitive in the Eastern Conference and aim to be part of the contender tier.
A lot of that will fall on Banchero's shoulders, fair or not. What is perhaps most impressive is that he embraces this responsibility and everything that comes with it.
With what he has done so far in his career, why would anybody doubt he can accomplish these goals and take that next leap?
"I can't give you one this year," Banchero said at Media Day. "Just sit back and watch the show. My first year, I was Rookie of the Year. My second year, I was an All-Star. Obviously, you want to be an All-Star again and All-NBA, and all that stuff. Really what I want is to get to the Eastern Finals and get deep into the playoffs and make a deep run."
Bachero wants it all for himself and for his team. He has already done so much and taken the Magic so far.
But he knows there is much further to go. He is not satisfied with what he learned last year or where the Magic finished. And that should have everyone eager to see what comes next for him.
And that is his mission statement for the 2025 season. He knows he can dominate any game on the court. Now he aims to be the player that elevates his team beyond it. And that will be his big task for the upcoming season.