So Randle on a bad night 

exactly why jahlil okafor flamed out of the league so quickly. If paolo doesn’t improve it’s gonna be one of the worst contracts in nba history

Randle before he learned how to shoot

Can’t defend? Is his defense bad?

But boozer will be different!

Yeah, Paolo is about 15 to 20 years too late. He would’ve thrived from about 1995 to 2015 when power forward was arguably the deepest position in the league. His playstyle just doesn’t really fit today’s league quite as well, especially when a lot of teams start two scoring small forwards instead.

Josh Smith did think he was Carmelo. 

The thing that stuck in my head was I heard someone say “paolo and franz are dejounte and trae if they were fowards” which is not good

He plays like Julius Randle if Randle thought he was a PG

Bring back mean tweets!

Oof. Poor guy. Also, agreed

Hell yeah, Josh Smith was a shot blocking beast

And playmaker. He just couldn’t shoot but kept shooting

Josh smith would’ve made that fast break dunk last night that paolo missed

Young Josh Smith was fun to watch

also such a lethal shooter he singlehandedly killed off the lob city clippers

A bit like that other Magic PF… Aaron Gordon.

Oh wait…

What is clear is that Banchero is not the engine of a winning team, but he definitely is a great player to have next to one.

It’s crazy because the Magic are really built well if they get the guy. Suggs-Black-Bane-Carter are 4 extremely versatile 3-and-D guys. You plug Giannis in there and that lineup is eating

Paolo Banchero has never had a season with…

• A positive net rating
• A positive on-off
• Above avg 2P%
• Above avg 3P%
• Above avg FT%
• Above avg eFG%
• Above avg TS%

He would really benefit from a true PG,

This is the whole problem with him though. If he could serve as the main ballhandler then his limitations for shooting and defense wouldn’t matter as much, because you could play some kind of 3+D guy alongside him.

But if you need to play a PG with him then his inability to do the other stuff hurts your team, especially since you’re paying him the max.

People on this sub just 1-2 years ago would rank Cade below Paulo every single time that #1 picks were compared and would viciously defend it too. Funny how quickly they look like idiots.

Chet’s defensive versatility and soft shooting touch would be a very welcome addition to this team

A lot of magic fans including me wanted him to be the pick at the time. I remember it was really like split 40% chet 40% paolo 20% jabari even though jabari was who everyone thought the magic were going to take because that was what was being reported

Also if I remember correctly pretty sure Chet tanked his magic interviews and was basically hinting I want to play for okc

Big time . He will never make team USA, and he did Italy dirty.  

I was just thinking that!!!

This was where his reputation to me falls badly

This exact moment

Yes he’s statistically the worst volume jump shooter in basketball

The 3 main areas of basketball: Scoring, playmaking and defending - Paolo excels in none of them

In his rookie season he was getting to the FT line like he played for the Lakers, it tricked people into thinking he’d be good.

Came in to say this. Paolo has his issues for sure, but they’re compounded by roster construction. They can’t shoot. They’re dead last in 3 pt percentage. Franz is finally shooting slightly above league average from deep after shooting sub 30% in the past couple of seasons…but how many teams are led by TWO guys aren’t high volume deep threats? OKC can get away with it because they have a guy who scores and gets to the line at an elite rate.

Doesn’t help that ORL went all in for Bane and he’s shooting a career worst from out there too.

The problem is the Magic are only an above average team when Franz plays.

Paolo should be fitting him, not the other way around. It’s Franz’s team but the FO is too stupid to realize it.

Helps not having Mosley as well tbf.

fine we’ll take suggs bane and carter for Hauser and a second rounder, but just so we can try your theory.

Franz and Paolo are actually what the media thought the Jays were for multiple years. Magic have the right loaded infrastructure for a real star to contend with

They just need to at least see what the team looks like handing the keys to Franz. He gets Ws.

They’ll try a new coach before shipping anyone major off this roster

Do be reminding me of when Hali was pulling off donuts in the first few months of last season

He would’ve gone for multiple good firsts if they traded him last offseason. They could have built around Suggs, Black, Franz, WCJ and a boatload of picks

The argument would be no team is dumb enough to offer him a max in RFA.

Like you said the Magic are stuck paying market value-overpaying to keep good players but they’ve already maxed out their tab paying actually good players in, Bane, Franz, and Suggs. Paolo isn’t better than any of those guys yet he’s making the most and that’s a huge problem. 

What kind of trade do you think they can make because i would say teams are way smarter about using analytics to build their teams and Paolo is a flop there.

I think you’re excusing Orlando too much, and this criticism is not just on Orlando but a lot of small market teams. The number 1 pick in the draft is treated like the savior. They sell tickets and they sell jerseys and it’s exciting for the city. “You saw Paolo drop 35 the other night? He’s gonna be a BEAST soon”. Reality is he’s peaked as an above average NBA player that tries to overcompensate for the lofty expectations set on him. Magic shouldn’t have maxed him, and if he was going to get the max they should’ve traded him. But because $$$ and emotions they screwed both him and themselves.

That’s literally it. Kinda while writing off a guy in year 4. Especially once you see the offense our coach runs. It’s just iso and kick outs with barely any movement. This is a sane take from a rival fan and I respect it.

When was he a star?

Lakers fans are so fcking privileged

Paolo only wants to be in Seattle. He really loves that city and his entire arm is a tattoo of the skyline

Paolo isn’t anywhere close to all-star level production. This is the 4th consecutive season of the magic losing his minutes and the magic being better with him off the court. He’s below league average efficiency and is one of the worst volume shooters in basketball

Paolo was never an elite player, just a young one who put up volume stats so people assumed he would improve

Maybe. But no one is good g to flip on Paolo, because if the Magic start wining it will be because he has a smaller role. He’s a losing player.

2-3 years and forget.

He’s been the same player since day one, an inefficient 6’10 player who plays like he’s a 6’6’ guard

Player development falls on the player to change his style of play because we’re in 2026

he genuinely hasn’t changed his game in 4 years and he looks visibly less explosive, confident and decisive while taking off defensive possessions. watch his effort on fast breaks it’s embarrassing

I’m not sure if there is a single franchise player who’s started his career like Paolo

down season? read what you reply to, this is his most efficient season and its still like this

He’s Bam if Bam was 6’10, a negative defender with an inconsistent motor and had a worse jumper and touch. Just a straight up horrible player to hand out anything over 25 mil to and they gave him the Rookie Max extension lol

It’s also been 4 straight years of no progression in his offense, it’s not looking good.

One bad stretch? The way he’s played this season is basically the same as it has been every other year of his career, the lack of change or progression is half the problem.

Because it isn’t a bad game or a bad stretch. It’s been 4 years (his entire career) of the exact same thing

Probably because he’s a blackhole on offense and tries to play like Carmelo but has like ¹⁄₁₀ the shooting ability.

Acting like this isn’t how he’s played his entire career so far

This season is as good as any yet in his career. He’s just taking less shots due to addition of Bane.

The guy just cannot shoot, and his defensive efforts leave a lot to be desired. Basically he’s a soft version of the NBA PF that has gone extinct.

People have been criticizing him for years but got told they’re just stat watchers who don’t watch the game.

This isn’t some game or stretch

We have extensive and overwhelming evidence that the Magic are better when he’s not on the floor

did you read the post, hes having his most efficient season ever