The ringer had a really good article about Banchero that just came out.
What if Paolo Banchero never gets that much better than he is right now? This is not a small or simple question: For the Orlando Magic—their fans, coaches, and front office—it’s existential. For an Eastern Conference that may be up for grabs, it looms as a critical uncertainty.
This team [whispers: that I picked to make the NBA Finals] has puttered to a 3-4 start as Banchero stymies his immense potential with the same bad habits that plagued the first three years of his NBA career, but it’s not a catastrophe … yet. But some degree of concern seems rational. We’re just two weeks in, and I now find myself whipsawing between two very different opinions about what his developmental track can still be.
The first end of that spectrum is defined by patience: Banchero doesn’t turn 23 until November 12. He followed up a 2023 Rookie of the Year campaign by making his first All-Star team in 2024, and then his third season was derailed by an oblique injury that limited him to 46 games.
Critically, there have already been signs of fearless postseason presence. Since 1976, only 10 players have scored more points in the first dozen playoff games of their career, and most are either in the Hall of Fame or on track to get inducted someday. He was a problem that the Boston Celtics struggled to solve throughout last year’s first-round matchup, and he appeared to be on the cusp of a major leap in 2025-26 if the Magic could modernize their offense, simplify his responsibilities, and finally, for the love of God, space the floor. On paper, by trading for Desmond Bane (and signing Tyus Jones), they took major steps in the right direction. (TL;DR: Paolo is very young and still, in theory, has a ton of upside.)
On the other end of that spectrum, though, is what may be an evolutionary plateau that, in the context of Orlando’s ambitious offseason, swelling expectations, and burdensome payroll, would pose a serious threat to everything this organization is trying to build.....
https://www.theringer.com/2025/11/04/nba/paolo-banchero-orlando-magic-shooting-midrange
