Entering year three, Paolo Banchero has all the makings of a star for an Orlando Magic team on the rise. Efficiency is imperative for him to take the next step, but the All-Star forward needs help in making it happen.
ORLANDO –– In two seasons, 21-year-old Paolo Banchero has solidified himself as the Orlando Magic’s cornerstone going forward.
But that process has come with some growing pains, which are to be expected for any second-year player who is adjusting to NBA defenses designed to thwart him. Banchero was whistled for travels 18 times in the regular season, the sixth-highest mark in the league, and he committed 3.1 turnovers a game. Because of his frame and comfort in the mid-range area on the offensive end, 57.8% of his scoring came from two-pointers .
Without a consistent outside threat to keep opposing defenses honest, Orlando’s offense too often would become stagnant, leaving Banchero in isolation scenarios. A recentarticle said that Banchero had the fourth-most isolations per 100 possessions last season – 15.7 of every 100 and 888 possessions total that ended with Banchero having to create his own offense with the shot clock expiring.
Among all of Banchero’s buckets in 2023-24, 58.3% of his field goals were unassisted. When filtering players who saw the floor for at least 30 minutes a night last season, that was the third-highest share for any non-guard.Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero's shot map for the 2023-24 NBA regular season. / NBA.com
The Eastern Conference figures to again be tightly contested, and the Magic’s third-ranked defense kept them afloat to relieve some of their scoring issues. One can’t help but wonder what heights even just a league-average offense could help Orlando achieve.
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