NEWS: Paolo Banchero Agrees to a 5-Year Maximum Extension

[JoshuaPotter]

Congrats Paolo.
I'm not a fan of his playertype (not eff. oneway scorer / drive 1st player without good finishing touch) and playing style (offensive flow killing 2000s iso style) and so far he only showed that he can put up scoring numbers on bad efficiency and leading bottom 8 offenses but I'm open minded and he is young enough to still improve a lot.
His best case scenario is probably Brunson/ Mitchell impact if he becomes a +.600TS% scorer and improves his playmaking. All other top 10-15 players are either 2way players or legendary good offense players like Luka, Curry Jokic who are just a different talent level. Hali who is only a good scorer + elite passer and bad defender is reachable too for him. If Franz ever becomes a +36% 3pointshooter he probably will never be the highest impact player on the Magic.

Good thing is that the east is so bad that your best player doesn't need to be a top 5 player and maybe not even a top 10 player if your team is deep enough to reach the east finals or NBA finals.

Here’s hoping he can be an above average rebounder or defender during this contract.

and yet here we are, almost always agreeing. He needs to become at least average.

Yet again, this bothers me. Nobody has to respond, but what just were we waiting for? This is just my opinion but I really wish we would have made moves sooner to address his inefficiencies or give him an opportunity to build on his weaknesses by not making the game plan "he is the offense" from his rookie year.

Was the plan to somehow avoid a supermax situation by "evaluating" his rookie years putting an excellent defensive team around him but zero offensive cohesion. That way the only way we make the finals is if one of the two of P+F force us there?

Baffling.

But still considering this is the only way Orlando gets max players in this economy.....sold American.

[VFX]

Congrats Paolo.
I'm not a fan of his playertype (not eff. oneway scorer / drive 1st player without good finishing touch) and playing style (offensive flow killing 2000s iso style) and so far he only showed that he can put up scoring numbers on bad efficiency and leading bottom 8 offenses but I'm open minded and he is young enough to still improve a lot.
His best case scenario is probably Brunson/ Mitchell impact if he becomes a +.600TS% scorer and improves his playmaking. All other top 10-15 players are either 2way players or legendary good offense players like Luka, Curry Jokic who are just a different talent level. Hali who is only a good scorer + elite passer and bad defender is reachable too for him. If Franz ever becomes a +36% 3pointshooter he probably will never be the highest impact player on the Magic.

Good thing is that the east is so bad that your best player doesn't need to be a top 5 player and maybe not even a top 10 player if your team is deep enough to reach the east finals or NBA finals.

Here’s hoping he can be an above average rebounder or defender during this contract.

and yet here we are, almost always agreeing. He needs to become at least average.

Yet again, this bothers me. Nobody has to respond, but what just were we waiting for? This is just my opinion but I really wish we would have made moves sooner to address his inefficiencies or give him an opportunity to build on his weaknesses by not making the game plan "he is the offense" from his rookie year.

Was the plan to somehow avoid a supermax situation by "evaluating" his rookie years putting an excellent defensive team around him but zero offensive cohesion. That way the only way we make the finals is if one of the two of P+F force us there?

Baffling.

But still considering this is the only way Orlando gets max players in this economy.....sold American.

To me the topic of Paolo is a doubled edged sword.

You obviously pay him and love the fact that he’s an elite scorer that can shoulder an offense for a team.

That being said… it is very hard to argue with people that bring up his deficiencies and his advanced numbers, etc. they aren’t good. You are banking on the idea that he progresses significantly in those areas (shooting, rebounding, defending, off-ball anything).

The other side of that has to do with actually seeing a system work with him at the helm. It hasn’t yet. People have to pull out very specific timeframes to show it has.

Now, do I think they handled his first few seasons well with this in mind? Absolutely not. Eyriq will argue otherwise. Having a JV coaching staff on offense and zero point guard for his rookie contract isn’t ideal development. It didn’t necessarily show us his ability to adapt in different systems or utilize different skillsets.

That being said, you pay him and hope for the best. His development is the only way this team contends. Winning ROY and carrying this trash offense, whether as a contribution or in spite of necessary pieces, is going to get him paid.

In my small friend group (that has nothing to do with forums or Magic echo chambers) half of them are not sold that Paolo is THE guy based on what he does and doesn't do fwiw. I'm probably more in the middle of either side tbh.

[Audi]

Too much noise about Paolo having some rebounding deficiency that’s needs significant improvement..dude lead the team in rpg last season while also shouldering a lot of offense and ball handling duties.
If this is how it’s going to be here, I’m preparing for a forum meltdown because those rebounding numbers may actually dip a little next season, as Bane is a better rebounder than KCP and we’ll have Suggs back and healthy grabbing boards. I’m putting more focal pressure on guys like Franz and WCJ to step it up and average a board or two more instead.

[SOUL]

I mean, of course he'll have to perform, but he and Ant have pretty identical efficiency issue stuff throughout their first three seasons, and the max was given to Scottie Barnes, LaMelo, Cade, Mobley, etc. Some people on RealGM acting like he shouldn't get it is just funny. I mean, if you think NOBODY should get it, that's one thing, but that's an entirely different discussion.

[RichCollab]

Some fans are unreal.

[SOUL]

He needed a better PG (Fultz flyer was fine, didn't work out) but the "elite offense he should've been surrounded by" just was never going to come unless him and Franz drove it themselves. Adding Bane now is great because it fits the timeline of when these guys are actually ready to compete and entering their primes/pre-primes instead of these guys figuring out who they even are as players as young 21 year olds.

I mean, getting a better PG to help earlier, i.e. Tyus Jones? Of course that should've been done, but that's bringing you to like 20th-25th offense instead of 30th. Them actually taking that next step as three point shooters and in Paolo's case, just being more efficient, will skyrocket this team on offense.

[VFX]

I mean, of course he'll have to perform, but he and Ant have pretty identical efficiency issue stuff throughout their first three seasons, and the max was given to Scottie Barnes, LaMelo, Cade, Mobley, etc. Some people on RealGM acting like he shouldn't get it is just funny. I mean, if you think NOBODY should get it, that's one thing, but that's an entirely different discussion.

I dont think I've seen a single Magic fan imply he shouldn't get the contract he got.

[SOUL]

I dont think I've seen a single Magic fan imply he shouldn't get the contract he got.

Oh not here, GB though...

[VFX]

I dont think I've seen a single Magic fan imply he shouldn't get the contract he got.

Oh not here, GB though...

Yeah, I can't take GB seriously when they watched 2-3 Magic games last season outside of the playoffs.

It's just people looking at box scores and drawing conclusions. It's clear when Paolo was out, or not entirely back from injury last season, this offense was somehow worse than it usually would be.

It's not like Orlando is in OKC's situation where they have to make decisions on whether or not to pay Paolo. You obviously pay him and not think twice.

[KillMonger]

I want to see Paolo when he has a clear paint and nobody can double or triple him. Glad he's locked in because it's on him and Franz to get us to where we can be. Paolo is years from his prime so it's nice to see where he's at now with so much room to improve. It's also reassuring that when the games matter the most in the playoffs he rises to the occasion. What's clear to me is that for someone who is pretty spotless, no on or off the court drama.... No scandals... Nothing.... He has quite a few haters to almost an astonishing degree, to where you'd think he was draymond or something.... Just what is the expectation for a 22 year old and why doesn't Paolo seem to fall in line with that for others? Cause I look around at the landscape and not a lot of players have done what Paolo has done at the same age.... Short list

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[eyriq]

This changes nothing about my expectations for Paolo as this was always a foregone conclusion.

[Bensational]

The other side of that has to do with actually seeing a system work with him at the helm. It hasn’t yet. People have to pull out very specific timeframes to show it has.

I think we’ve seen a version of a working system with Paolo at the helm, because he carried the Magic to a 7th game against Cleveland whilst averaging 27ppg 8.6rpg 4apg whilst shooting 40% from 3 on 5 attempts per game.

His game seems built for the playoffs even if the efficiency isn’t off the charts - it’s good enough to keep the team within striking distance as long as others step up and give him help.

[pepe1991]

I mean, of course he'll have to perform, but he and Ant have pretty identical efficiency issue stuff throughout their first three seasons, and the max was given to Scottie Barnes, LaMelo, Cade, Mobley, etc. Some people on RealGM acting like he shouldn't get it is just funny. I mean, if you think NOBODY should get it, that's one thing, but that's an entirely different discussion.

Ant was year younger when he was drafted. Ant is still 23 (for about a month ).

I'm looking at those numbers and ...i don't really see it.

Edwards Regular season



Edwards playoffs


Paolo RS



Paolo Playoffs




And keeping in mind, average guard efficiency is solid 3-4% TS below forwards efficiency. But Paolo efficiency is worst than Edwards sophomore year in both RS and PO. It goes without saying that overall Paolo simply isn't Edwards tear of talent. Edwards on East would *probably* carry one team to finals already. Guy went to two WCF as best player before he turned 24. And Edwards is top 10 player today.
Even "scalps" he took are impressive : Lebron, Curry, Jokić all were beaten in last two years by Edwards led teams.

From people you mentioned, Lamelo's contract is terrible and i can't even find suitor in nba to get rid of him. Last two days on GB i had several posts how Hornets are worst ran team in nba. Lamelo's contract (and drafting, and roster building) are one of reasons why. But it all circles back to Lamelo who makes sick money, has playing style that makes nobody better ( actually worst), plays no defense and worst of all- plays like 30 games a year.

Cade is point guard in era where great point guards are both: pivotal for success and rare to find. Cade fits the bill.
Evan is DPOY, x2 all nba defensive team, all nba second team. Even if he is worst on offense (18 ppg, 63% TS) than he is, it's instant lock for max contract. Very rare combination of speed, size, mobility and still gifted enough to provide on both ends.
When you see his EPM , it suggests Mobley is top 15 player, impact vise.


Paolo deserves max on potential. But he has to prove he can be more than Rudy Gay / Derozan / Josh Smith ( but no defense) type player.
He also has to improve defense in regular season. But above all, him and Franz need to share the ball with rest of a team.
And it's on coaching to upgrade offensive system from 2004- elbow isolation to 2025-26 - team oriented basketball.

[SOUL]

I mean Paolo will always look bad if you compare his warts (efficiency) but other player's best attributes are being highlighted lol. Of course though his contract will only look good if he is able to become an efficient and smarter player. He's too big to finish as soft as he does sometimes and takes a lot of unnecessarily difficult shots and is finally being surrounded by some shooting/PG play.

Ant is clearly the superior player, he just had similar criticisms and question marks his first two years even as a guard. It's just first option expectations that will be asked of by players like him, Paolo, Cade, Flagg in the future, etc. His elite first step and athleticism lets him get away with some silly plays he would otherwise be more prone to doing.

Cade is a turnover machine and a bit of inverse of Franz shooting in his career so far (27/31/35/35). Decent three point shooter but has hot and cold games. Nothing to write home about on defense (neither is Paolo tbh but his size just makes him hard to bully if in set position.) Playmaking and scoring is pretty great. Obviously his archetype as jumbo creator is super valuable but I see him and Paolo in the same ceiling as far as players go right now as a question mark first option until you prove it a few times.

Mobley is probably one of the most portable player in the game. Everything he brings to the court you can use on your team as a #1/2/3 option. Elite defender and good scorer and now becoming a solid shooter too. But this is the 4th season of about 15-17/8/3/1/1 average on 12 shots a game. Nothing inherently wrong with this, it's just now the Cavs have a reputation of nobody being afraid of them. Mobley is going to accept his role and put up great stats and impact but teams will accept him scoring if it means shutting down Spida. Feels like he could be in the KG mold if he has his own team, but feel like nobody is really scared of Evan Mobley offensive explosion and while his defense is elite, Cavs have shown to be exploitable and a bit soft.

So IDK. I think we're all well aware of so many of Paolo's warts, but that's what makes him so intriguing. Putting up big statlines and looks easy to him and then you see he shot 1-7 from three, missed 6 free throws, took 8 "meh" shots and finishing inside still needs work. Not that improvement is linear, but you ask him to get slightly more efficient as he gets smarter, older, stronger.. do small little things better, and you suddenly have a whole new ceiling.

Not that this doesn't apply to guys like Cade or Mobley, but it's hard to just fix things like turnovers (ask Harden) or suddenly have a 1st option role entrusted to you in Mobley's case. Though I am curious if they ever intend to let him shoot more than 12 times a game.

[Skin]

Some of you sound like we shouldn't have signed him

[KillMonger]

None of those guys had the roster Paolo had to deal with and really only ant edwards started to get double teamed only recently......most of those guys are a year or more older than Paolo that extra development matters.... There's always context missing in these arguments that doesn't quite make it an apples to apples comparison..... Plus consider the roles, some of those guys aren't bus drivers they're bus riders

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[dsg2021]

At least everyone here has seen like 80-100% of Paolo’s games. There’s a respect required to listening/responding to their opinion. General board knowledge is like 10% of the knowledge on Paolo compared to here and for being 200% more opinionated than here.

I’m still worried we need one more experienced wing with elite shooting. TDS was sniper-level 50/40/90 in 19 games with high-usage, high minutes (from team injuries), but he didn’t prove it on a smaller usage alongside some starters.
I think it could/will be Jase by Playoffs time, but its his rookie year and we still benefit from another one with some real 3/2 size and veteran experience (for 1-2 years).
I don’t know if I fell into sociology/confidence nonsense too much, but I really wanted a practice lineup that drains 3’s at 100% and comes on the floor in the games as 3-man, 4-man units for a few minutes and doing the same at 38%. Just giving the Magic the vibe of a reset and a confidence boost in team-wide shooting.

[Blue_and_Whte]

None of those guys had the roster Paolo had to deal with and really only ant edwards started to get double teamed only recently......most of those guys are a year or more older than Paolo that extra development matters.... There's always context missing in these arguments that doesn't quite make it an apples to apples comparison..... Plus consider the roles, some of those guys aren't bus drivers they're bus riders

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Agreed. But we have this fickle ass fan base. we’ve improved every season since his arrival and he elevates his game in the PO’s.in his SECOND season we came in as a 5Th seed and went 7 games with a flawed roster. I wish Franz shot 41% from 3 when the games matter most.

[pepe1991]

None of those guys had the roster Paolo had to deal with and really only ant edwards started to get double teamed only recently......most of those guys are a year or more older than Paolo that extra development matters.... There's always context missing in these arguments that doesn't quite make it an apples to apples comparison..... Plus consider the roles, some of those guys aren't bus drivers they're bus riders

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Cade?

Guy won 44 games with castoffs.

Beasley, Harris, Schroder, Hardaway are disposable cannon fodder in nba.
Schoder is 1 team away from record 11-different teams in nba.

Here's hard game: elect who is second best Pistons player.

All answers are wrong

[KillMonger]

None of those guys had the roster Paolo had to deal with and really only ant edwards started to get double teamed only recently......most of those guys are a year or more older than Paolo that extra development matters.... There's always context missing in these arguments that doesn't quite make it an apples to apples comparison..... Plus consider the roles, some of those guys aren't bus drivers they're bus riders

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Agreed. But we have this fickle ass fan base. we’ve improved every season since his arrival and he elevates his game in the PO’s.in his SECOND season we came in as a 5Th seed and went 7 games with a flawed roster. I wish Franz shot 41% from 3 when the games matter most.

People bring up his "warts" as if he's supposed to be at peak level this early in his career. At 22 what's the expectation in terms of what is his game supposed to be? He's improving year by year, I think that's all you can ask for. One thing for sure Paolo and Franz are ready to compete right now.

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