Despite elite production and playoff heroics, efficiency concerns and inconsistent decision-making have sparked a significant slide for Orlando’s cornerstone as he faces a pivotal make-or-break season.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero was ranked No. 36 in ESPN's latest NBA player rankings, a massive drop-off from No. 17 in the 2025 rankings.
The 23-year-old remains one of the league's more physically imposing young forwards, but questions surrounding his shot selection and decision-making have prevented his overall game from reaching another level.
Not only his shot selection but also his ability to lead the Magic to a championship as the main option.
The 2022 No. 1 overall pick has consistently produced across the stat sheet and helped lead Orlando to three consecutive playoff appearances. However, his scoring efficiency remains an area for improvement. Banchero ranked 33rd in true shooting percentage among the 42 players who attempted at least 1,000 shots last season, while the Magic have never finished higher than No. 18 in offensive efficiency during his career.
Despite those concerns, Banchero continues to produce at a high level in big moments. Last season, he joined Luka Doncic as the only players to score at least 35 points in each of their first two career Game 7 appearances.
ESPN projects Banchero to average 23.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists this season.
After three straight years of being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, the Orlando Magic have a lot to prove. They are set to face some obstacles along the way, including a make-or-break year for their star Paolo Banchero.
Full Court Magic Host and Roundtable contributor Don Strouble recently discussed the trends of Orlando Magic's superstar and his growth RJ Saunders of 1010XL Magic. Here is what he had to say:
“All-Star has to be the floor—that's the bare minimum here. This is someone who had comparisons to LeBron James just in the way that he would play at the peak of his young powers, and some of the plays that he made when he came into the league as a leaner kind of power forward style player. He was drawing comparisons to LeBron. Now, I wrote about this recently, too: nobody is LeBron. The type of longevity that he has put forward over nearly a generation's worth of time of playing NBA basketball may never get replicated again.”
“Paolo can do his best to try and recapture some of those comparisons. By slimming down and building muscle, it's hard to stop a 6'10" frame of his skill caliber when he's at his best. There were times last year where he looked slow and indecisive. The good thing about Paolo is he acknowledged all of his shortcomings—he acknowledged why he didn't become an All-Star, and he acknowledged when he played poorly in that first play-in tournament game against the Philadelphia 76ers. He is doing the intangible things right that great players need to do, and now he's putting things together tangibly off the court in the weight room and in his private practice sessions. Now we are going to see it come all together. But All-Star—he has to get back to that point, because if he doesn't hit that potential that he is more than capable of, then this team is not going to go as far as it wants to.”
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