1. Paolo Banchero Has a Chance to Be One of the All-Time Greats
There are many reasons why this is. Most obvious, he’s doing things statistically only all-time greats do. For example, by averaging 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 2023-24, he became just the fourth player 21 years old or younger to average 22-plus points, six-plus rebounds and five-plus assists with 40-plus games played. The others were Michael Jordan, LeBron James (twice) and Luka Doncic (twice).
Banchero also scored over 30 points three times in Orlando’s first-round playoff series against Cleveland. Only LeBron was younger when he accomplished that (did it five times in 2006 first-round series against Wizards and scored at least 30 three times in following series against Pistons). Banchero’s 38 points in Game 7 were the most ever by a player 21 or younger in a Game 7.
Other things going for him are his poise, maturity, work ethic, and love of the game.
2. Magic’s Defense Was Great And Should Continue to Be
Magic players said over and over again at media day, and even more so throughout training camp, that defense would be what they hang their hat on. That proved to be legit. Orlando finished with the league’s third-best defense (No. 1 after All-Star break) and held its opponent under 100 points 23 times, tied with Minnesota and New York for most.
While everyone did their part, the two that went above and beyond defensively were Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac. Opponents shot just 39.1 percent with Isaac contesting, per Second Spectrum. That was third best among players who contested at least 300 shots and best among non-guards. Suggs did his best work following the All-Star break, when opponents shot just 37.9 percent with him contesting, fifth best among those during that time frame with 200-plus contests.
3. Kia Center Has Turned Into One of Best Home Courts
Overall, in the regular season, the Magic went 29-11 in their home arena. The only Eastern Conference teams with better home records than Orlando were Boston and Milwaukee.
Also, the Magic went a perfect 17-0 against sub-.500 teams at Kia Center. Boston, OKC and Denver also didn’t lose at home against those teams, but with fewer opportunities. The Celtics were 16-0, while the Thunder and Nuggets were each 15-0.
The Magic then went on to win all three of their home playoff games against the Cavs, including in Games 3 and 4 by a combined 61 points. They were the first team ever in a playoff series to win Games 3 and 4 by a combined 60-plus points after losing the first two games.
4. No Surprise, But the Regular Season Matters (A lot)
One of the biggest fallacies in the NBA is that it’s fine to coast in the regular season. Just make the playoffs, and then you’ll turn it on when the stakes are higher, many have in the past said.
History, however, tells a much, much different story. Rarely do lower-seeded playoff teams advance far in the postseason. Yes, the Heat made the Finals last year as a No. 8 seed. The Knicks were also a No. 8 seed when they reached the Finals in 1999, which was a lockout-shortened season. Those are exceptions. The reality is, most of the time, teams seeded between one and four in their respective conferences are the ones who are in position to go on deep playoff runs, no matter how close the final regular season standings were.
Just look at this year’s first-round results. In the West, the No. 1, 2, 3 and 5 seeds advanced. The No. 4-seeded Clippers didn’t have Kawhi Leonard most of their series against the Mavs. In the East, the No. 1, 2, 4 and 6 seeds advanced. The No. 3-seeded Bucks didn’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo in their series against the Pacers, and Damian Lillard missed two of those games.
The bottom line for the Magic going forward is they must take every regular season game seriously because one game could be the difference between going on a deep playoff run versus being ousted in the first round. If they were at home in Game 7 against the Cavs rather than in Cleveland, just think about how different things might be right now.
5. Magic Have An Amazing Coaching/Training Staff
Making a 25-win jump across a two-year span is not common, especially for a young team. But that’s precisely what the Magic accomplished, going from 22 wins in 2021-22, to 34 wins in 2022-23, to 47 wins in 2023-24. Head coach Jamahl Mosley, who finished second behind OKC’s Mark Daigneault for the Coach of the Year award this season, and his entire coaching staff have done an incredible job steering this group in the right direction.
All year, the Magic stuck to their principles and didn’t change who they were. They understand what their strengths were. They knew it had to be done by committee. That’s the buy-in that’s necessary to make major strides.