Last season, the Orlando Magic put the league on notice and let NBA teams know their time had come. Now, the Magic are back on the map, and so are the team’s players.
Looking ahead, if the team hopes to make another leap forward this season, it will need its best players. to rise to the occasion.
“Paolo Banchero is the Orlando Magic’s only offensive player,” wrote Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report. “If anyone is going to dominate late-game usage, it’s going to be him.”
“In addition to ample opportunity and limited intra-team competition, Banchero has a game designed for breakthrough success.”
“He’s too fast for bigs and too tall for wings. He has to be defended honestly because he’s a willing and capable passer who averaged 5.4 assists per game last year. Better yet, Banchero is a skilled free-throw shooter who averaged at least 7.0 free throws in each of his two NBA seasons.”
Banchero was selected with the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft. Since then, the Duke product has continued to develop into the star Orlando hoped he would become.
Averaging 22.6 points and shooting 44.2 percent from the field over his two-year career, the versatile forward can make teams pay from anywhere on the court.
The Magic may not play many close games this season, but you can count on Banchero to be the go-to guy if they do.
The 21-year-old could well be an outsider to win the Clutch Player of the Year award.
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