NatP4 wrote:Orlando is 42-28, good for the 4th seed. They hit home runs with the Suggs and Wagner picks. Suggs is 22 years old, now a 40% 3pt shooter, averaging 17-4-4-2 on 60% TS, best defensive guard in the NBA. Wagner is 22 years old averaging 22-6-4 on 57% TS.
And Banchero 23-7-5 on 55% TS at 21 years old. I would’ve taken Holmgren, but Banchero has exploded. Anthony Black has had a solid rookie season. Jonathan Isaac is fully back to from and has been dominant.
That is a really good team with a very bright future. Won 5 in a row, 10 of their last 12, and 18 of their last 23 games. I don’t see why they can’t win a championship this year.
The thing I like about them is that they are winning despite one clear and obvious hole in the roster at guard. They should be able to address that weakness without impacting the strengths they have across the rest of the rotation. I also like that they are built on a defense first foundation. They should be able to maintain that for a while, but improve offensively as their young players improve.
I think Banchero has a another level he can get to eventually and become a true primary option scorer - a 2nd Team All-NBA type of guy. When that happens, they are a title contender. And Wagner will get better from 3-point range, which will also help.