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Early odds for the Orlando Magic to win each 2025 NBA award

With the bulk of the offseason completed and the contours of the 2025 season coming into clear view, the early favorites for each of the NBA's awards are coming out. Where do the Magic stand in the early awards races?

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Paolo Banchero was one of the standout players for the Orlando Magic in 2024. For the Magic to make a leap again, they need Banchero to make another leap.
Paolo Banchero was one of the standout players for the Orlando Magic in 2024. For the Magic to make a leap again, they need Banchero to make another leap. / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
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Clutch Player of the Year: Paolo Banchero

Betting Favorite: Stephen Curry (+1100)
Magic Candidate: Paolo Banchero (+3,500), Franz Wagner (+10,000)

No award is more anecdotal than the Clutch Player of the Year Award. It is something you feel more than something you can back with evidence.

Last year's Clutch Player of the Year was Stephen Curry. And that was for good reason since he led the league in clutch scoring with 189 total points and 45.7 percent shooting from three. The Orlando Magic felt that clutch scoring in their loss to the Golden State Warriors in March when Curry put the Magic to sleep late.

Orlando though has plenty of stories it can tell about its clutch exploits. Paolo Banchero, it turned out, is one of the most clutch players in the league.

He finished the season 14th in total clutch points with 98. He hit late game-winning baskets against the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons. He hit late critical shots in losses to the Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks. Banchero had his share of clutch moments too in the Magic's series with the Cavaliers, hitting a big and-one to push the Magic's lead to five in their do-or-die Game 6.

Banchero, like in all areas, needs to improve his efficiency. He had a league-high 15 turnovers in clutch minutes too. And Banchero made only 37.8 percent of his shots. That only speaks to how much the Magic leaned on the second-year player to carry them through the season. They gave him the keys late in games and lived with the consequences.

Like so many other areas, the Magic just want to see him refine his game and that will not only boost him but the team.

To be sure, the Magic are going to lean on Banchero and his decision-making late in game.

It helps too that they have another player who can finish games off too.

Franz Wagner had his share of clutch moments too, including a game-winning and-one in the In-Season Tournament game against the Bulls in November. His most infamous clutch moment will be his blocked layup at the end of Game 5. But Wagner scored 50 points in clutch situations.

Like Banchero, he needs to be more efficient. He made only 1 of 17 3-pointers in clutch situations and 36.6 percent of his shots overall.

This is an area where these two young players clearly still have to grow.

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