The Orlando Magic are one of the young up-and-coming teams in the NBA right now. They are eying another playoff appearance in the 2024-25 season but are not yet on quite the same level as some of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. In terms of star power and experience, the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks are a few steps ahead of the Magic.
On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and Tim MacMahon acknowledged the same thing but then continued with some takes that will not make Magic fans happy.
Paolo Banchero’s efficiency was under the microscope once again
Brian Windhorst started the conversation around the Magic by stating that he believes Paolo Banchero does not receive enough attention. He continued to say that Banchero may not have the same ceiling as someone like Anthony Edwards when it comes to future superstars but that we should still expect him to take a leap in his third year and contend for an All-NBA team.
Tim Bontemps did not agree.
“If anything, he’s been maybe given too much credit so far,” he said. A bit later, Bontemps added, “He’s been one of the most inefficient players in the league.”
The latter is an argument Magic fans have heard a lot over the past two NBA seasons. Banchero is not a great three-point shooter, his effective field-goal percentage is below league average, and he turns the ball over a lot. Those issues are real, especially the turnovers, but a lot of it will go away with more experience and maturity.
Banchero is only in his second NBA season but is asked to handle both the main scoring and playmaking responsibilities for his team. Bad shots, misses, and turnovers just go hand in hand with that sometimes.
The key is Banchero’s future development and whether or not he can improve as a 3-point shooter, limit his turnovers, and get players around him who can space the floor and help with the playmaking responsibilities.
Talking about Banchero’s future, Bontemps said, “There’s a path where he is like Julius Randle, who has made two All-NBA teams, who has made multiple All-Star teams, who is a really good player, but is a guy who is difficult to build around from a championship standpoint because he is not super efficient and needs the ball in his hands a lot. Or does he become a guy who is a top-10ish player in the league?”
This is not the first time a discussion like this has taken place. Paolo Banchero and the Magic just cannot escape this narrative and there is some truth to it. Banchero does need to improve as a shooter but he has already shown the ability to do that from his rookie season to his sophomore season and shot the three well in the playoffs.
It seems that people continue to overlook all the other positive aspects of Banchero’s game. Yes, he may not be a very efficient scorer yet but he still led a young team that had very few go-to offensive contributors or creators and terrible spacing to the playoffs. Sometimes, taking a bad shot is his only option to even hope to score. As Banchero and the Magic continue to develop, his efficiency will surely improve.
At least, everyone on the podcast agreed that Banchero is still a good player and has a bright future in the league.