Paolo Banchero said nothing new on the stage at the Fanatics Fest last weekend when he spoke to First Take.
Several Orlando Magic players said the day after their Game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers that the season made it clear their goal should be to get homecourt advantage. Considering how close they were to advancing out of the first round and getting homecourt advantage last year, they know they are capable of doing so.
Paolo Banchero made that point to Stephen A. Smith and Chris Russo. The Magic were right there with the top teams in the East last year. They have already walked the walk, even if they fell short in the end.
Orlando has long been the quiet contender in the Eastern Conference. The Magic remain the team nobody is talking about—perhaps because they have been out of the national spotlight so much.
The Magic's addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will make a major difference with his strong defense and solid 3-point shooting. Orlando got better this offseason from a talent perspective, even if there are still some needs left unfilled and young players the team is hoping to see take the next steps in their careers.
Orlando is still a young team. There is still a lot for them to learn. But the Magic showed in the 2024 season what they are capable of and just how close they are to achieving their vast potential.
Right now, the prognosticators still have their doubts about the Magic. So much of that has to do with Orlando having to prove itself all over again. The Magic have not built a resume of consistency. A lot of this season is about proving the Magic can do it again.
There is a lot of confidence that they can. And that they can continue to build and grow.
What will it take then for the Magic to make good on this promise? Banchero reaffirmed the Magic believe they can compete at the top of the Eastern Conference this season. But actually doing that will take some major things going in the Magic's favor.
3. Paolo Banchero reaches the All-NBA level
Paolo Banchero made it painfully clear what he expects from the Orlando Magic this year. He has started to take on the role of the superstar—even at times highlighting what he believes the Magic need in the offseason to take the next step.
Ultimately though, Banchero understood even in his call for a table-setter that the Magic's improvement starts with him. That is something his agent Mike Miller even highlighted. Banchero has spent his summer working to improve.
Banchero has already accomplished a lot in his two years in the NBA.
He was an All-Star last year, averaging 22.6 points per game, 6.9 rebounds per game and 5.4 assists per game on shooting splits of 45.5/33.9/72.5. In the playoffs, he increased many of his averages, scoring 27.0 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game and 4.0 assists per game on 45.6/40.0/75.5 shooting splits.
The playoffs, at the very least, showed what Banchero can rise to become. Even if there are still questions about his overall efficiency, Banchero staked a claim as the next big young star in the league.
That is entirely the storyline for the Magic and the hopes for their future. Just how good can Banchero be?
Banchero's second season was one for the history books. It showed what was possible for the Magic and what he can do in that role. Banchero finished just seven spots away from making the All-NBA Third team.
The analytics crowd may not quite be sold on Banchero, but everyone around the league understands he is a load and he is the primary focus of every defense. That is why he is doubled as much as any player in the league.
To say the least, the Magic go as far as Banchero will take them. Everything else is something of fluff. And Orlando's task in every transaction window is to find ways to make Banchero's job easier. Because he showed in the Playoffs, he will step up to the occasion.
If the Magic are going to compete for homecourt advantage and for the Eastern Conference title, it starts with Banchero becoming a true All-NBA player.
2. Jalen Suggs becomes a playmaker
The biggest need of the offseason went relatively unaddressed throughout the offseason.
Paolo Banchero was right that the team needed some playmaking relief to create easier opportunities for both Banchero and Franz Wagner. That lack of extra playmaking was one of the reasons the Magic lost their playoff series to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is not a playmaker to say the least. The Magic's biggest addition this offseason has averaged 1.8 assists per game in his career. He is a shooter and defender—a true 3-and-D wing—and not a playmaker.
All the playmaking will fall on Jalen Suggs. And as much as any player, the Magic's ability to improve offensively may fall on Suggs and his improvement as a playmaker.
He has a long way to go to get there. There will surely be growing pains this year.
Suggs averaged only 2.7 assists per game last year. After the All-Star Break, that increased to 3.4 assists per game. And in the playoffs, he averaged 3.3 assists per game.
Assists and passing was not the Magic's strong suit last year either. Orlando averaged 24.7 assists per game, the third-fewest in the league. The Magic averaged only 25.2 assists per 100 possessions, the fourth-fewest in the league.
According to data from Second Spectrum, the Magic averaged 279.2 passes per game (18th in the league, and an improvement from ranking 27th in 2023). They averaged only 44.1 potential assists per game (21st in the league).
Even if the Magic could make more shots, they still have a deficit to make up with their passing and playmaking. They still need to make sure they move the ball more effectively.
And that starts with their nominal point guard. Suggs' development as a playmaker and even as a game manager will be critical to moving the Magic out of the bottom 10 in offensive rating for the first time since Dwight Howard left.
Nobody really knows if Suggs is up to the challenge or whether the Magic can navigate a season successfully with Suggs as the team's full-time point guard. It is one of the biggest question marks for this team.
Ultimately, Banchero is right that the Magic need to find a decisionmaker and playmaker to supplement their offense. That was a need left unaddressed this offseason and has a lot of questions for the Magic to answer.
The team's short-term success may depend on how far along Suggs is.
1. The bench continues to dominate
The Orlando Magic's secret weapon last year was their bench.
They were fourth in the league in bench scoring with 41.5 points per game. Their best lineup last year that played at least 48 minutes was the team's typical bench unit of Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz, Franz Wagner, Jonathan Isaac and Moritz Wagner (+21.2 points per 100 possessions with a 125.9/104.6 offensive/defensive rating split).
The Magic's bench was a key to the team's success last year. And, as you may note, one of the players from that bench group is no longer on the team. And another key player is also no longer on the roster.
Markelle Fultz and Joe Ingles are not on the team anymore. That is twokey playmakers no longer on the team.
The point guard problem rears its ugly head again. Orlando is going to have to replace that production and will turn to some unproven players.
But the Magic still have plenty of depth. They are going to be sitting some players who fans believe should be playing. But they will still need some players to step up.
That probably starts with Anthony Black.
He got his share of playing time, but still receded into the background as the season went on. Still, Black was not used like a point guard with a low 12.7 percent usage rate. He averaged only 2.8 assists per 36 minutes. Black was not much of a playmaker or creator last year.
The Magic will need him to step up into that role. Or they will need Cole Anthony—4.7 assists per 36 minutes—to take on that larger playmaking role. That is something the Magic are missing off their bench.
As successful as the Magic's bench was, there were holes too. Holes the playoffs exposed to some extent. The Magic averaged only 28.0 points per game off their bench in the playoffs (second in the entire playoffs, but still well below the team's regular season average).
Orlando is going to rely on its bench heavily again. Whether that is Anthony bouncing back from a difficult shooting season last year or Black stepping into the starting lineup.
Or whether that is relying on Gary Harris and Jett Howard to provide important shooting off the bench or Tristan da Silva stepping in wherever the team needs him.
Orlando should have players who can help off the bench. But the team is going to have to reconfigure its bench and its players' roles off the bench to make that success again.
And that does not get into how much more the Magic may lean on Franz Wagner to anchor those bench units—with the pressure that might come on him to be more of a playmaker and scorer for those lineups.
The Magic's bench could be a big key to the team maintaining their place and growing further.