Official 2025-2026 Regular Season Thread

[Knightro]

Well, that idea goes out the window if Paolo and Franz are combining for 35-40 shot attempts nightly instead.

And yet... Paolo and Franz's FGA per game and usage are both *dramatically* down from last year.

[VFX]

Well, that idea goes out the window if Paolo and Franz are combining for 35-40 shot attempts nightly instead.

And yet... Paolo and Franz's FGA per game and usage are both *dramatically* down from last year.

And why do you think that is?

It’s not because Bane is taking more shots.

[eyriq]

Magic core — AST% & USG% (Regular Season, 2025-26 vs 2024-25)
Δ = 25-26 minus 24-25

Franz Wagner — AST%: 16.0 vs 26.6 (Δ −10.6); USG%: 24.3 vs 31.0 (Δ −6.7)
Paolo Banchero — AST%: 18.4 vs 26.0 (Δ −7.6); USG%: 28.1 vs 33.6 (Δ −5.5)
Jalen Suggs — AST%: 34.2 vs 21.6 (Δ +12.6); USG%: 22.3 vs 27.5 (Δ −5.2)

Notes: It's hard to get a read on roles right now. Last season each player took turns as the number one option so usage is inflated and this season I feel like we are scrambling. Part of the problem is role confusion while we integrate Bane.

[Knightro]

Well, that idea goes out the window if Paolo and Franz are combining for 35-40 shot attempts nightly instead.

And yet... Paolo and Franz's FGA per game and usage are both *dramatically* down from last year.

And why do you think that is?

Because the Magic are attempting to integrate guys into the offense who needs shots (Bane - Washington game aside), and have given probably too many on ball reps to guys who don't really deserve them (Suggs and Black).

Heading into the Washington game, Bane averaged 14.5 FGA per game in the first 6 games. That's pretty much in line with where he was at last year in Memphis (14.8).

KCP didn't need and more importantly didn't want to take many shots last year. Gary Harris same thing. Now the Magic have a shooting guard that needs to be in the 23-25% USG range for maximum effectiveness and it's an adjustment for all parties.

I don't love making sweeping proclamations about things 6-7 games into the season anyway.

[Knightro]

The Magic's regular starting lineup of Jalen Suggs - Desmond Bane - Franz Wagner - Paolo Banchero - Wendell Carter Jr.

Has played the 8th most minutes together of any 5 man lineup in the NBA.

And currently possesses a 121.2 ORTG and 99.2 DRTG for a +22.0 NET rating.

It is one of the most effective 5-man lineup in the league thus far.

[VFX]

And yet... Paolo and Franz's FGA per game and usage are both *dramatically* down from last year.

And why do you think that is?

I don't love making sweeping proclamations about things 6-7 games into the season anyway.

True, but you can easily see how new players are, or aren't, being incorporated into the current system.

His 3pa have gone down tremendously compared to the Memphis system granting him more possessions and looks in the open court. Going from nearly 9 attempts per game to 4.4 is just a completely different player. Its like nobody here is capable of understanding volume, efficiency, and comfort when it comes to consistent shot diet.

Maybe that completely changes. Yeah, its not great to make statements based on 7 games worth of data.

However, there is a specific faction in this fanbase that will say the same exact **** when the season ends and Bane's numbers drop completely off from who he was supposed to be when acquired.

[Knightro]

True, but you can easily see how new players are, or aren't, being incorporated into the current system.

His 3pa have gone down tremendously compared to the Memphis system granting him more possessions and looks in the open court. Going from nearly 9 attempts per game to 4.4 is just a completely different player. Its like nobody here is capable of understanding volume, efficiency, and comfort when it comes to consistent shot diet.

Maybe that completely changes. Yeah, its not great to make statements based on 7 games worth of data.

However, there is a specific faction in this fanbase that will say the same exact **** when the season ends and Bane's numbers drop completely off from who he was supposed to be when acquired.

Some of that falls on coaching and scheme certainly, but some of it falls on Bane too IMO.

He has seemingly got in his own head a little bit about starting so cold from 3PT and has ultimately passed up on quite a few opportunities - at least more than you'd like to see from such a traditionally great shooter - for open and semi open threes to instead drive the basketball.

[VFX]

True, but you can easily see how new players are, or aren't, being incorporated into the current system.

His 3pa have gone down tremendously compared to the Memphis system granting him more possessions and looks in the open court. Going from nearly 9 attempts per game to 4.4 is just a completely different player. Its like nobody here is capable of understanding volume, efficiency, and comfort when it comes to consistent shot diet.

Maybe that completely changes. Yeah, its not great to make statements based on 7 games worth of data.

However, there is a specific faction in this fanbase that will say the same exact **** when the season ends and Bane's numbers drop completely off from who he was supposed to be when acquired.

Some of that falls on coaching and scheme certainly, but some of it falls on Bane too IMO.

He has seemingly got in his own head a little bit about starting so cold from 3PT and has ultimately passed up on quite a few opportunities - at least more than you'd like to see from such a traditionally great shooter - for open and semi open threes to instead drive the basketball.

I just have a hard time imagining Bane being incorporated into this specific system based on how it currently operates and how it has operated in recent years.

Pushing pace at the beginning of the season and Mosely claiming "they lacked conditioning" in preseason seems like the most obvious way of changing the system for Bane. Unfortunately that backfired and looked pretty bad to start the season, so they went back to what worked.

If the idea is that nobody expected Bane to be anything remotely close to the same player he was over the course of the last 2-3 seasons, then fine. It's a hard sell to think that he is merely "overthinking things" and that it has nothing to do with the fact that his role on the court is going to get significantly less looks due to less ball movement, opportunities, and possessions to do so. Those just aren't the tendencies we have seen with the guys that have the ball 70% of the time.

[Knightro]

I just have a hard time imagining Bane being incorporated into this specific system based on how it currently operates and how it has operated in recent years.

Pushing pace at the beginning of the season and Mosely claiming "they lacked conditioning" in preseason seems like the most obvious way of changing the system for Bane. Unfortunately that backfired and looked pretty bad to start the season, so they went back to what worked.

If the idea is that nobody expected Bane to be anything remotely close to the same player he was over the course of the last 2-3 seasons, then fine. It's a hard sell to think that he is merely "overthinking things" and that it has nothing to do with the fact that his role on the court is going to get significantly less looks due to less ball movement, opportunities, and possessions to do so. Those just aren't the tendencies we have seen with the guys that have the ball 70% of the time.

I feel like we're just saying stuff a little bit here.

The Wizards game was one of the fastest paced games the Magic have played in the last three years for whatever that's worth. So the idea that they stopped pushing the pace really isn't accurate to say in this case.

And again... through the first six games, Bane's overall FG attempts and USG% was essentially the same as was in Memphis a season ago. The sample size being so small that one game can skew the numbers somewhat significantly down.

And if the Magic are going to have a game where they score efficiently and play really good team defense, I'm just not going to be all that upset about Bane shooting just 6 times. He was involved in the game in other ways, 5 to 0 assist to turnover ratio. Got a couple of steals. He only played 20 minutes and that's really fine.

[VFX]

I just have a hard time imagining Bane being incorporated into this specific system based on how it currently operates and how it has operated in recent years.

Pushing pace at the beginning of the season and Mosely claiming "they lacked conditioning" in preseason seems like the most obvious way of changing the system for Bane. Unfortunately that backfired and looked pretty bad to start the season, so they went back to what worked.

If the idea is that nobody expected Bane to be anything remotely close to the same player he was over the course of the last 2-3 seasons, then fine. It's a hard sell to think that he is merely "overthinking things" and that it has nothing to do with the fact that his role on the court is going to get significantly less looks due to less ball movement, opportunities, and possessions to do so. Those just aren't the tendencies we have seen with the guys that have the ball 70% of the time.

I feel like we're just saying stuff a little bit here.

The Wizards game was one of the fastest paced games the Magic have played in the last three years for whatever that's worth. So the idea that they stopped pushing the pace really isn't accurate to say in this case.

And again... through the first six games, Bane's overall FG attempts and USG% was essentially the same as was in Memphis a season ago. The sample size being so small that one game can skew the numbers somewhat significantly down.

And if the Magic are going to have a game where they score efficiently and play really good team defense, I'm just not going to be all that upset about Bane shooting just 6 times. He was involved in the game in other ways, 5 to 0 assist to turnover ratio. Got a couple of steals. He only played 20 minutes and that's really fine.

Again, its not about whether he is "playing bad" or not. He's playing as well as what is given to him in those minutes.

Yeah, I'm not correlating the idea that playing at a faster pace was the problem and solution to involving Desmond Bane. It's not that simple. Who do you think I am? Mosely? Watching an AAU scrimmage game against the Wizards isn't real data.

It's about the role and the looks he's able to get. Magic can play faster... it doesn't mean that he's gonna get better looks waiting for defenses to collapse around Franz or Paolo in isolation . Less opportunities to shoot clean looks means less comfortability within volume. The misses mean more and the makes mean more.

[SloNick Russia]

I remember some offseason video on Bane's shooting splits. He is not a typical catch and shoot, look for me parked in a corner guy. He is an efficient pull up and off dribble 3 point shooter which we never use at the moment. Get him those looks, get him some transition threes. So far it looks like Mosley got himself an advanced toy he doesn"t know how to play with.

Sent from my SM-S928B using RealGM mobile app

[basketballRob]

Currently, Black, Goga, Paolo, and Franz all get more buckets than Wendell from 5' or less.

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using RealGM mobile app

[basketballRob]

CMB had a good night playing center. Penda is bigger than him.

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using RealGM mobile app

[drsd]

(Banchero) is shooting 47 percent of his attempts at the rim (a career-best), while attempting 32 percent of his shots in the mid-range (career low) with fewer 3-point attempts (20 percent 3PAr, career low).

SI.com link

This is a good story that Banchero's efficiency is improving because his shot selection is better. Good.

[KillMonger]

Anybody remember seeing a Bane/Franz P&R?

Sent from my [Sidekick 5G] using RealGM mobile app

[Bensational]

Anybody remember seeing a Bane/Franz P&R?

Sent from my [Sidekick 5G] using RealGM mobile app

They’re rarely used together so far, ey? Looking at lineups and passing data, it looks like the team is focusing on getting the Paolo/Bane pairing going first, and Franz and Tyus/AB are another lineup.

[KillMonger]

Anybody remember seeing a Bane/Franz P&R?

Sent from my [Sidekick 5G] using RealGM mobile app

They’re rarely used together so far, ey? Looking at lineups and passing data, it looks like the team is focusing on getting the Paolo/Bane pairing going first, and Franz and Tyus/AB are another lineup.

Interesting.....could've swore we would have some data on this by alas... We're really not using Bane to his full potential

Sent from my [Sidekick 5G] using RealGM mobile app

[pepe1991]

(Banchero) is shooting 47 percent of his attempts at the rim (a career-best), while attempting 32 percent of his shots in the mid-range (career low) with fewer 3-point attempts (20 percent 3PAr, career low).

[url=https://www.si.com/nba/magic/onsi/news/magic-star-has-modified-his-shot-diet-for-the-better-01k959g72mbg]SI.com link[url]

This is a good story that Banchero's efficiency is improving because his shot selection is better. Good.

And in most hilarious fashion possible, even when he plays more like normal player should, he still stays well below league's level efficiency

Paolo at 56,5% TS, on 27,5% usage
League's average 58,5% TS

Players with similar usage and similar age, mostly younger than him:

Castle 63,7% TS
Giddey 58,3% TS
Keyonte George 61% TS
Segun 59% TS
Maxey 62,7% TS
Scottie Barnes 59% TS

It's just what Paolo is. Low efficiency scorer and yes, on surface he "improved" a little bit, but league's efficiency made bigger leap than he, personally did. Basically, 2025-26 is shaping into season with:
- most PPGs in modern era
- most FTA since mid 1990s
- highest EFG% and TS% of all time

And yet we still talk about his "improved efficiency" that wasn't all that great even by 2019 standards, in 2025-26.

Kevin Durant at age of 37, with all the surgeries he had, without any issues puts 26 ppg on 65% TS. That's where league is now. No defense whatsoever.

On top of that, only actually good 2 games Paolo had, were against AUU level NBA teams, Hornets (3-4, beat Nets, Wizards and Utah) and Wizards (1-6 , had 2 competitive games since season started , - 14 points differential for a season ).


I don't have smart answer what to do with Paolo. If he was part of my nba building plan, i would always tag him with rim protector C and elite ball handler guard. Magic did everything opposite. Now either sink or swim with roster build around him.

[SOUL]

I feel like everybody is wanting everything at once or even everything all together when that's just not feasible. People already wanting to "go back to last year" and not run fast and play defense first + put the ball back in the hands of Franz/Paolo again instead of Suggs/Black, but also incorporate Bane more... all somehow while making sure nobody else gets frozen out of the offense and the ball continues moving.. it's just a lot of things people are demanding/complaining about when it just really needs to be simplified.

If the simple thing is simply going back to the offense they know last year but not having 2/3rds of the team shoot historic lows from three while Bane gets acclimated.. I'm fine with that. As long as we learn how to incorporate Bane by mid-season.

Cam Johnson is also massively struggling on a new team as well as some other players.

[pepe1991]

I feel like everybody is wanting everything at once or even everything all together when that's just not feasible. People already wanting to "go back to last year" and not run fast and play defense first + put the ball back in the hands of Franz/Paolo again instead of Suggs/Black, but also incorporate Bane more... all somehow while making sure nobody else gets frozen out of the offense and the ball continues moving.. it's just a lot of things people are demanding/complaining about when it just really needs to be simplified.

If the simple thing is simply going back to the offense they know last year but not having 2/3rds of the team shoot historic lows from three while Bane gets acclimated.. I'm fine with that. As long as we learn how to incorporate Bane by mid-season.

Cam Johnson is also massively struggling on a new team as well as some other players.

Yep, but Nuggets continue to win as he adjusts. They only lost season opener in OT and single possession game to Blazers, Blazers game being blunder where they pissed off game at the end by making two silly mistakes in a row.