'A Mess,' Magic Ripped and Paolo Banchero Called Out as Franchise Player by NBA Scout
Everything looked great for the Orlando Magic when they seized a 3-1 lead over the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in their first-round playoff series.
And now nothing but questions loom over the franchise a mere one week later.
"They're kind of a mess," an Eastern scout said of the Magic in a Tuesday report from ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst. "Their ceiling just isn't very high with Paolo [Banchero]. Their roster construction is just off.
"Paolo has to have the ball to make an impact. He reminds me of Julius Randle: great size, great talent, but he's more of a floor- than ceiling-raiser. Having him lead your team is tough to pull off."
To be fair to Banchero, he largely did what he could even as the Magic blew that 3-1 lead. He finished with 45 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in Game 5 before tallying 38 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the decisive Game 7.
Yet he, along with everyone else on the team, struggled in the Game 6 defeat that will surely be difficult for the franchise to get over. Orlando built a 60-38 halftime advantage only to score a mere 19 points after intermission as the Pistons came back to win with relative ease.
Banchero notched a double-double of 17 points and 10 boards, but he was an ugly 4-of-20 from the field and 0-of-9 from deep. Perhaps the scout believes a true franchise player would not have allowed his team to lose a lead like that on its home floor.
It didn't help that Franz Wagner was sidelined with a calf injury, but his overall fit next to Banchero as two ball-handling forwards is also raising some concerns.
"Franz and Paolo just clash a lot in terms of style," the scout said. "They both are iffy shooters and both need the ball. There's a lot of overlap there and you're obviously not benching one."
Orlando responded to the first-round loss by firing Jamahl Mosley, who led the team to three straight playoff appearances but was unable to advance past the first round. Expectations were higher this season, especially after the front office traded significant draft capital for Desmond Bane.
However, the team was unable to deliver and will be looking for a new coach to maximize the Banchero and Wagner partnership as a result.
