Banchero joins a lineage of great players to have been selected with the top pick in Magic history, as both Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard share that same honor.
The Magic are clearly a team in rebuilding mode, but this also presents a great opportunity for Banchero to establish himself as a top dog in this league while going up against the best players in the world during NBA matchups.
Banchero’s NBA Stats
Banchero posted up well-rounded numbers during his lone season with the Duke Blue Devils, as he averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game.
The 6-foot-10 forward has all the tools to be an elite wing that thrives in today’s game, as he is comfortable handling the ball, pushing the pace, and creating for others, which could help make him morph into an elite playmaker in addition to his ability to score the ball.
Banchero shot just a little under 34 percent from three in college, but with the NBA placing such a premium on 3-point shooting, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him further develop that shot.
NBA Experts Criteria
For that reason alone, a lot of NBA experts may not have picked him as the first overall pick in the draft. Instead, they may have gone with Jabari Smith or Chet Holmgren. But if Banchero can develop that shot, he’ll make a lot of people eat those words.
Magic Plan to Success
The magic plan to success is highly unlikely to be realized this upcoming season. Orlando was the second worst team in the league and showed no signs of being ready for playoff contention any time soon.
However, the addition of Banchero could very well help this team at least be competitive and perhaps earn about 30 wins, as the Magic will sure to empower Banchero to take over the reigns in just his first season in the league.
He will have some talent to work with as well, with Wendell Carter Jr., Mo Bamba, Franz Wagner, Cole Anthony, and Jalen Suggs all rounding out the group.
Jonathan Isaac is also still on the roster, but it remains to be seen how effective he’ll be after sitting out the last two seasons with an ACL tear he suffered back during the 2020 bubble down in Disney World.
It will be imperative for Banchero to develop chemistry with all of those guys, as they all figure to be a huge part of what the Magic hope to achieve in the future.
Magic’s Next Season
This season will also be a good opportunity for the Magic to get a sense of which players fit best with Banchero and which players could perhaps be shipped out to add additional assets to help this team go further along in the rebuilding process.
The best thing for the Magic to do is to be patient with the process and give Banchero space to grow. Let him play through mistakes, struggle and go through the growing pains that every young player needs to go through to succeed rather than benching him when the going gets tough.
Keep Your Expectations Low
The best thing for Magic fans to also do is to keep expectations low. The Magic aren’t even going to come close to the playoffs, let alone play-in tournament this upcoming season, so just enjoy the ride and watch the games to see Banchero develop into your franchise player.
Banchero’s Intangibles
The intangibles are all there for Banchero to be an elite player in the NBA with his combination of size and ability.
He just needs to have the right coaching staff take him under their wing and work with him behind the scenes to make that a reality.
But with Banchero forever being linked to Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, expectations will be high the minute he steps out onto the court, as that topic of conversation will not be going anywhere anytime soon.
But if Banchero eventually becomes the one to bring a championship back to Orlando, then he’ll forever be placed on a higher pedestal than those other two guys.
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