After last year’s breakthrough, this season has been tough for Paolo Banchero. He suffered a tricky oblique injury just five games into the season, missed significant time, struggled upon his return, and was not named an All-Star again. Much like the Magic as a whole, Banchero has not been able to build on last season’s success.
Meanwhile, Franz Wagner has taken his game to the next level, establishing himself as an All-Star-level two-way player in Banchero’s absence. That was great to see for the Magic, but it has also brought up some questions about who the best player on the team is. Kevin O’Connor, for example, raved about Wagner while doubting Banchero’s potential.
For the Magic, it does not really matter which player is better at the moment as long as both play well and help the Magic turn things around before they run out of time. Banchero getting back to his pre-injury form is the key to that.
Luckily, the regular season is not over yet, and Banchero still has some time left to work with.
Banchero can still end the regular season on a high note
Banchero still has 24 regular-season games left to remind everyone why he was an All-Star last season and help his team win some games. He has been rather up-and-down since returning from his injury but has already shown that he can still put up big numbers and carry his team to wins. In the Magic’s latest victory over the Hawks, he scored 36 points on 11-25 shooting from the field, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out five assists.
He certainly looked like an All-Star in that game, and while he was not able to repeat that kind of performance on the second night of a back-to-back, there is no reason to believe that Banchero won’t put together some big games to close out the season.
Banchero has carried the Magic several times before already, and the team needs him to step up once again. Twenty-four games may sound like a lot, but it really is not in the big picture of an 82-game season.
The season is drawing to an end, and the Magic still have not secured a playoff spot. They are currently sitting in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, three games behind the Detroit Pistons.
It will take a lot of hard work from the Magic, particularly Wagner and Banchero, to end the season on a high note. While that comes with a lot of pressure for the Magic’s young stars, it is also a chance for Banchero to remind everyone of his talent and prove his doubters wrong.