Paolo Banchero: Orlando Magic eager to make some noise in the Eastern Conference

There has been a lot of change in the NBA this summer.

Paul George went to the Philadelphia 76ers. Mikal Bridges got traded to the New York Knicks. The Boston Celtics rolled to a championship and brought their entire roster back. The Milwaukee Bucks stole Gary Trent Jr. on a minimum contract to go with a full offseason with Doc Rivers as head coach. Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen signed new contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The contenders in the Eastern Conference all seemingly made major moves to solidify their future. There is nothing inevitable about anything in the conference and it is likely to be as tight and competitive as it was last year when almost every seeding in the Playoffs came down to the season's final day.

Almost nobody though mentions the Orlando Magic. They are still among the afterthoughts in the league.

Yes, they got five national TV games this year—nine total, including NBATV appearances. But that still leaves them tied for total national TV appearances with the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Utah Jazz. The Magic are still a team seeking attention in the national picture.

There is one player though who could change that perception very quickly. And that was apparent when Paolo Banchero took the stage for First Take at the Fanatics Fest in New York City on Friday.

Banchero is confident for the Magic’s 2024-25 season

With Stephen A. Smith and Mike "Mad Dog" Russo listing all the things other teams have done and the relatively quiet summer the Magic have, Banchero did not blink to state the Magic's intentions this season.

"We were right there last year," Banchero said. "We got better this year. I got better. All of us got better. We're trying to make some noise. We should easily be a top four, top three team and have a chance to win the East."

It is true and easy to forget the Orlando Magic were sitting in the 2-seed after defeating the Chicago Bulls with one week to go in the season. Orlando was in the race for homecourt advantage throughout the season. Only a tough finish to the season and a late three-game losing streak put the Magic's playoff seeding in jeopardy.

They secured their spot and the 5-seed with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on the regular season's final day.

It is not like the Magic did not make major changes to the roster this offseason either.

The addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has largely been praised in NBA circles. He is the kind of veteran that a lot of people believe a young team needs. He is also an excellent shooter, relieving one of the pressures with this Magic roster.

David Aldridge of The Athletic is among those praising the Magic's more measured offseason, ranking them third on his offseason power rankings. Orlando was not splashy with its offseason cap room, but as Aldridge put it, the Magic keep adding nice players to their young core and they seem to make sense fitting together.

Orlando spent its offseason firming its foundation rather than seeking headlines. With an already anonymous team, that likely puts them in the back of the casual fans' mind.

But it is more than that.

Banchero said last year the team was very young—the fourth-youngest in the league, actually. And getting experience playing for a top seed and finishing fifth and going to the Playoffs will help the team. Adding in getting a year better individually, and the Magic believe they will be positioned to compete for homecourt advantage once again.

A lot of that will start with Banchero, of course. In the NBA, you go as far as your stars will take you.

Banchero had a strong second season, averaging 22.6 points per game, 6.9 rebounds per game and 5.4 assists per game. He increased most of his averages in the Playoffs, averaging 27.0 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game and 4.0 assists per game.

Banchero's postseason showing was something that left a deep impression on the national media. Bachero had three 30-point games in the Playoffs, including 38 in Game 7 when it seemed like he and the team ran out of gas.

That experience will surely make him and the team better, teaching them the physical and mental shape they need to succeed in an 82-game season and a grueling playoff series. Banchero said he learned even within the series that he began to understand how to slow the game down and be intentional throughout the game.

Applying that to the rest of the season should make him a better player, anchoring this Magic team. Orlando may have left some needs unfilled to give Banchero more room to keep expanding his game and his responsibilities.

The Magic have been content to run their own race to some extent, focusing on their own internal development rather than stealing headlines for the national audience.

That has worked so far. So much so it has been easy to forget how good the Magic are and how young they are. They feel like they have arrived ahead of schedule in many ways.

There was a lot of optimism and anticipation for the 2025 season even in the days after their Playoff journey ended in May. They believed then that they were capable of securing homecourt advantage the following season.

That belief does not appear to have waned at all.

And with nobody seemingly talking about the Magic, Banchero is ready to lead his team onto the stage and force their way into the conversation.