Orlando Magic preview: Rookie Paolo Banchero gives team a new outlook as season opens
ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic got lucky again. Now we shall see how lucky.
The Magic open their 34th NBA season in Detroit Wednesday night with rookie forward Paolo Banchero firmly established in the starting lineup.
The 6-foot-10 Banchero came courtesy of Orlando's fourth victory in the NBA Lottery. The first three (Shaquille O'Neal in 1992, Penny Hardaway through a draft-day trade in 1993, and Dwight Howard in 2004) worked out well, leading directly to appearances in the NBA Finals of 1995 and 2009.
The Magic have come upon hard times again, having finished 22-60 last season, and having posted the NBA's worst record over the last 10 years. The 19-year-old Banchero appears to be as close as it comes to a quick fix.
"He's so unique in a way, where guys don't really know how to guard him," said teammate Wendell Carter Jr. "The moment he realizes that, the sky's the limit for him. I feel like he's one of the most unique players in the league, and with him being with Orlando, it's a perfect opportunity to show that."
Banchero joins a roster stocked by recent first-round draft picks including Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner, who were drafted in 2021. Carter and point guard Markelle Fultz were premium lottery picks by the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively, and subsequently traded to the Magic.
But the results have yet to arrive. In spite of their consistently good draft position, the Magic have tasted the playoffs only twice in the last 10 years, and in most of those seasons they didn't come close. If they don't challenge for a playoff spot in his first season, Banchero will be among the disappointed.
"I definitely want the team to be in contention, whether that's a playoff spot, a play-in," he said. "Just to be in the mix, to compete every game. And then I also want to be Rookie of the Year. That's just a personal goal I set for myself."
Orlando has not had an NBA Rookie of the Year since Mike Miller in 2001. In spite of having a high lottery pick almost every year in the past decade, the Magic went seven years without a first- or second-team All-Rookie selection until Wagner made the first team last season.
The additions of Wagner, Suggs and Banchero are the Magic's justification for keeping their roster intact after consecutive seasons at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They now have one of the youngest rosters in the league and also one of the biggest, with Carter, Wagner and Banchero among six players standing 6-10 or taller.
What the Magic have lacked is shooters, game-finishing confidence, and health. All those factors will have to improve this season to make a run at a playoff spot.
"So many times last year we were in games, we were playing well and we'd come out flat in the third quarter, or a two-minute stretch of the fourth quarter," Suggs said. "We'd lose the game based on two-minute stretches when we'd have a lapse, or we weren't locked in or we were tired, and that would cost us.
"This year that just can't happen ... little things are going to be honed in on, and if you're not ready to be out on the court, you won't be on the court."
On the health front, things could be better. Suggs, who had ankle issues as a rookie, is reportedly ready to go after a minor knee injury suffered during the preseason. But Fultz, who had a very positive impact after returning from an injury for the final six weeks of last season, is out with a broken toe. Also, the return of the oft-injured Jonathan Isaac remains open-ended.
With six of their first eight games on the road, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley is faced with the short-term task of finding some combination to plug those holes.
"Injuries sometimes provide opportunities for others," Mosley said. "With that being said, Franz will have an opportunity to handle the ball more, Paolo will handle the ball more. We may play a little more through Wendell.
The more we get guys who can do that, as one guys steps out through injury, another guy can step in and fill that role right away."
It helps when one of those guys is Banchero.
"Anytime you get the No. 1 pick, that's going to put everybody in good spirits, from the players to the city to the front office," said veteran guard Terrence Ross. "And then on top of that, I think Paolo was the player that was the most well-rounded to what we need. He kind of fit us the best.
"He works, he wants to get better. He understands what the situation is. Anytime you get that, it makes everyone feel better. So sure - you get the No. 1 pick, you're going to have fun that year."
HIGH PICKS
Recent first-round draft selections currently on the roster of the Orlando Magic:
2017
1st - Markelle Fultz, Washington (by Philadelphia)
6th - Jonathan Isaac, FSU
2018
6th - Mo Bamba, Texas
7th - Wendell Carter Jr., Duke (by Chicago)
2019
16th - Chuma Okeke, Auburn
2020
15th - Cole Anthony, North Carolina
24th - R.J. Hampton, Little Elm, Tex. (by Milwaukee)
2021
5th - Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga
8th - Franz Wagner, Michigan
2022
1st - Paolo Banchero, Duke
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Orlando Magic hoping rookie Paolo Banchero puts them in NBA playoffs
