Official 2025-2026 Regular Season Thread

[basketballRob]

Maybe not the man every night but when you are the number 1 draft pick and get a contract extension like he did, his expectation is higher than anyone else on the team.

Watching Paolo brick 10 straight mid-range shots doesn't help us win. If Paolo doesn't have it in one game, he can let other players be the man for a game.

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and Ive watched him take a step back in many games when someone else is hot. with the last game, Franz goes out early and Paolo was still 4th in shot attempts behind Banes, Suggs and Black. Behind Suggs, Banes and Franz in the Miami game.

I we lose 4 or 5 in a row is when things may get interesting again.

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[DrunkOnMystery]

The notion that the Magic would be better off keeping Mose over Paolo is almost too stupid to contemplate.

[Blue_and_Whte]

I wonder if Jesse Mermuys being fired was due to Paolo being upset with the offense?

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Are you just pulling stuff out the air to create some narrative? PB hasn’t undermined anyone and Jesse Mermuys was upgraded. What is this? Gossip Girls? Lort!!

[eyriq]

The notion that the Magic would be better off keeping Mose over Paolo is almost too stupid to contemplate.

Facts

[RookieStar]

Wait... who started this talk that there are problems between Paolo and our coaches?

[MassimoPayne]

Anyone else annoyed by the rhetoric that Bane threw the ball at OG for no reason? Look he probably shouldn’t have done it but there was a reason. They took out franz then OG does pull Suggs arm down after the attempted contest and then nearly falls on his legs. Part of me loves it because it wasn’t going to cause any damage but is a message to them to cut this **** out.

I understand it 100 percent. Freed his frustration and anger without hurting anyone.
I also cought myself thinking if I was in the game I probably would've thrown out for an unsportsmanlike foul

[cedric76]

Top 4

[basketballRob]

It looks like browsing through the schedule that around 30% of our games have been against under 500 teams, and close to 45% of our future games are against under 500 teams.

It feels like every game has been against a tough opponent.

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[davey_wavy]

Watch the post game interview with Paolo and tell me something ain't right.... That's NOT the same man

[basketballRob]

Watch the post game interview with Paolo and tell me something ain't right.... That's NOT the same man

That's 5 minutes I can't get back. You made me listen to the Paolo interview, and it's the same Paolo as every interview he's given.

With some success, i hope he really buys into the new offense and identity with Bane. Paolo said he was sore and can use the days off.

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[davey_wavy]

Watch the post game interview with Paolo and tell me something ain't right.... That's NOT the same man

That's 5 minutes I can't get back. You made me listen to the Paolo interview, and it's the same Paolo as every interview he's given.

With some success, i hope he really buys into the new offense and identity with Bane. Paolo said he was sore and can use the days off.

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No way Rob. Way different body language, especially In his face. I know he's sore but...

[eyriq]

Watch the post game interview with Paolo and tell me something ain't right.... That's NOT the same man

That's 5 minutes I can't get back. You made me listen to the Paolo interview, and it's the same Paolo as every interview he's given.

With some success, i hope he really buys into the new offense and identity with Bane. Paolo said he was sore and can use the days off.

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No way Rob. Way different body language, especially In his face. I know he's sore but...

He almost seems depressed

[JoshuaPotter]

That's 5 minutes I can't get back. You made me listen to the Paolo interview, and it's the same Paolo as every interview he's given.

With some success, i hope he really buys into the new offense and identity with Bane. Paolo said he was sore and can use the days off.

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No way Rob. Way different body language, especially In his face. I know he's sore but...

He almost seems depressed

I have to look hard but I do see some things I do not like in body language. Let's just remember that it doesn't have to be basketball related. We saw Cole Anthony go through the same thing.

His language is in the right place I think, the rest is just body language. Let's also be real, he just came back from injury and has at a personal level not done as great as he may have liked lets just say due to injury. We lastly need to consider that he could be deeply an introvert and need a moment to get used to post game pressers.

[drsd]

It looks like browsing through the schedule that around 30% of our games have been against under 500 teams, and close to 45% of our future games are against under 500 teams.

It feels like every game has been against a tough opponent.

Well: from here on the Magic has the 29th easiest schedule at 0.473.
https://www.tankathon.com/remaining_schedule_strength

EDIT: The Magic is currently 15-10, a 60% win team. Let's say the Magic "IS" a 60% team. So that means the Magic is predicted to win :

57 games left X 0.6 winning rate X 1.057 SOS = 36 wins and a 51/31 final record. Hard to argue!

p.s. the 1.057 is the SOS adjustment of 0.5/0.473. That is, the Magic's opponents are not average (0.5) but rather, below average by 0.473.

[Bergmaniac]

In the last 12 games we have the best turnover ratio in the league (12.0%), massive improvement from early on in the season or from last season. Bane has been a big reason why, early on in the season he struggled with turnovers but has really turned it around. In this stretch he has handled the ball a lot, led the team in shot attempts and been second in assists but has only averaged 1.8 turnovers, and the team turnover rate is only 10.9 in his minutes.

[ORLMagicGirl15]

Watch the post game interview with Paolo and tell me something ain't right.... That's NOT the same man

There was nothing wrong with his interview. Just media trained answers. Even his interview with Kendra he seemed like same ole Paolo.

[ORLMagicGirl15]

That's 5 minutes I can't get back. You made me listen to the Paolo interview, and it's the same Paolo as every interview he's given.

With some success, i hope he really buys into the new offense and identity with Bane. Paolo said he was sore and can use the days off.

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No way Rob. Way different body language, especially In his face. I know he's sore but...

He almost seems depressed

He lost his aunt this summer so if he is depressed it would make sense if he is still grieving. But truly, we don’t know these players lives or what they are dealing with. It took until after his rookie year before he told us that he was dealing with nerve issues in February where he played his worse basketball. Who knows, maybe we’ll learn why the slow start after the season.

[zaymon]

I wont read that much into Paolo performance or body language-after injury and propably sick, but there seems to be transition of power.
Desmond is becoming team leader on and off the court. He is the leader on offense. He is the first one to praise teammates. He is the aggressor when things doesnt go our way. Not sulking like Paolo and Wendell but spiking the ball at opponents. I think it will benefit us.

[tooler]

It looks like browsing through the schedule that around 30% of our games have been against under 500 teams, and close to 45% of our future games are against under 500 teams.

It feels like every game has been against a tough opponent.

Well: from here on the Magic has the 29th easiest schedule at 0.473.
https://www.tankathon.com/remaining_schedule_strength

EDIT: The Magic is currently 15-10, a 60% win team. Let's say the Magic "IS" a 60% team. So that means the Magic is predicted to win :

57 games left X 0.6 winning rate X 1.057 SOS = 36 wins and a 51/31 final record. Hard to argue!

p.s. the 1.057 is the SOS adjustment of 0.5/0.473. That is, the Magic's opponents are not average (0.5) but rather, below average by 0.473.

It used to amuse me on the GB when someone would challenge our hot starts when we hadn’t faced many good teams. Yet our remaining SOS would always be one of the bottom 2 or 3. Haha!

That’s what being in the East will get you. The record doesn’t matter aside from home court advantage in the playoffs. Our record against winning teams might be more useful to keep an eye on. Even that is kind of pointless because the team can’t stay healthy.

[Knightro]

Bane last 10 games...

22.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.5 TOV, .462 FG% on 17.1 attempts, .393 3PT% on 5.6 attempts, .953 FT% on 4.3 attempts.