NBA All-Star would build around Paolo Banchero, but says he needs help

A lot of this offseason has been spent debating how Paolo Banchero can be a better player.

After a breakthrough season last year that saw him make an All-Star team and average 27.0 points per game with three 30-point games in a seven-game series in his playoff debut, Banchero established himself as one of the best young players in the league.

The conversation this offseason would not seem to suggest that. There has been a lot of parsing of his efficiency and advanced numbers trying to punch holes in his game. Orlando Magic fans have had to spend a lot of their offseason defending their star player.

While the analysts and reporters debate Banchero's merits, players around the league have had nothing but praise for Banchero. Whether that was coming from Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce or all corners of the league, players know what a handful Banchero is and the gravity he creates for this Magic team.

Early in the summer, Paul George was one of those players praising Paolo Banchero, getting fans eager for George's potential free agency considering the Magic's ample cap room.

Paul George is still firmly in the Paolo Banchero camp, saying outside of Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama, Banchero is the young player he would build around.

George reasoned Banchero is ready for the next jump because he has already shown he can make that leap in ways other key young players have not.

George, in other words, is buying into what Banchero did in the playoffs and how that helped boost the Magic into a series they could win.

There are still holes to poke in that theory despite Banchero's strong raw numbers—the Magic had a +3.4 net rating with Banchero on the floor in the playoffs, the worst mark of any of the team's starters.

But there is still no denying that Banchero helped the Magic's worst lineups in the playoffs keep pace and that he stepped his game up when the team needed him most, scoring 39 points in Game 5, 27 in Game 6 and 38 in Game 7.

Banchero is still building his shot profile

Paolo Banchero still has to get better and improve his efficiency. No one will deny that.

But no one should also be denying that Banchero has all the elements to be a great scorer and performer at the highest levels.

Banchero's shot diet is certainly one that resembles what stars get. He shot 64.2 percent in the restricted area, taking 29.8 percent of his shots in the restricted area.

Where he struggled was with his mid-range shot. He shot 40.0 percent on mid-range shots, taking 23.8 percent of his shots from the mid-range.

Banchero was 10th in the league with 4.2 mid-range field goal attempts per game. Among that top 10, his 40.0 percent shooting was the worst among the top 10. He can still get a lot better. It is vital that he does.

Banchero has a decent balance where he finds his shots and he is comfortable operating everywhere.

Banchero's bread and butter though is his driving. He averaged 12.7 drives per game last year, scoring 7.7 points per game off drives and shooting 43.7 percent on those shots according to Second Spectrum. He got to the line for 7.0 free throw attempts per game (after averaging 7.4 free throw attempts per game his rookie year).

Among players with at least 12.0 drives per game, Banchero ranked ahead of only Scoot Henderson's 41.2 percent in field goal percentage.

The criticism that Banchero is wildly inefficient for the shot volume he gets is certainly very fair. But it also speaks to how good he is already that he is so productive and his team is winning on poor efficiency. All of these stats fail to capture the attention Banchero receives and absorbs to boost his teammates.

He did lead the Magic in assists last year and is growing as a playmaker.

Orlando Magic still need shooting

But Paul George's other point is very true: The Orlando Magic need more shooting.

That is an obvious statement. And Orlando hopes to improve its shooting by signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and drafting Tristan da Silva. They hope Franz Wagner will improve his shooting and Jalen Suggs will maintain the gains he made last year.

But shooting remains a sore spot for the Magic and one of the biggest question marks. But because Banchero is such a driver and mid-range creator, he needs more space to operate. Space the Magic have not been able to create.

Banchero has to improve his skills, efficiency and decision-making. That is part of his next step.

But it is also on the Magic to make that part easier for him. Their lack of shooting congested the space for Banchero to drive and attack and limited his options to pass back to the perimeter.

But, as Jeff Weltman likes to point out, the Magic were 15th in the league in 3-point field goal percentage after Jan. 1.

Similar to the Magic's offense during that time, Banchero averaged 12.1 drives per game and shot 43.1 percent on drives after Jan. 1. Among players who averaged at least 12.0 drives per game, Banchero ranked ahead of only Scoot Henderson, Cade Cunningham and Darius Garland.

But where there might have been an effect is with his mid-range shooting. Banchero shot 41.8 percent on mid-range shots after Jan. 1.

That was a marked improvement. Some spacing and 3-point shooting does indeed help a player like Banchero.

He shot 54.8 percent on mid-range shots in the playoffs. He took a major leap in the Playoffs when mid-range shooting becomes a lot more valuable.

Banchero should gain more confidence to be one of the better volume mid-range shooters in the league. He should improve as a 3-point shooter too. His field goal percentage and 3-point shooting both improved last year. So while there is room for criticism and concern, there is also undeniable opportunity for him to improve.

But finding the right players to put around Banchero is part of the equation too.

Orlando did not solve the problem Banchero pointed out early in the offseason. The Magic did not add a playmaker to boost the offense. The team is relying on internal development, including from Banchero himself to get them there.

One this is certain: There are a lot of reasons to believe in Banchero heading into this season. There are a lot of areas Banchero needs to keep getting better.

And there is a lot the Magic still need to do to make sure they make the most of the budding, young star.