ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic made a no-brainer move this summer when they signed All-Star forward Paolo Banchero to a rookie maximum contract extension worth about $240 million over five seasons. 

The No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2022 NBA Draft said he was happy to sign the extension, but it’s not what drives him.

What You Need To Know

The Magic signed forward Paolo Banchero to a rookie maximum contract extension in the offseason

Banchero averaged nearly 30 points against the Celtics last year in the playoffs

 The 2024 All-Star said he wants to win an NBA championship and an MVP award

“The want to be the best, be the greatest — I don’t feel like I’m there yet,” Banchero said. “I’ve done some good things in the NBA but haven’t done what I wanted to do, which is win a championship, be MVP. I’m still working towards all that. My motivation is to be the best.”

Banchero makes the game look easy. In the first round of the NBA playoffs last season, he averaged almost 29.4 points per game against the then-defending champion Boston Celtics while shooting 44.4 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. 

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said the league and fans are just seeing all the hard work put in behind the scenes. 

“You get to watch the work he put in this summer. He’s ready to take it to that next level,” Mosley said. “People get to see glimpses of it. But we’ve seen what he’s done in practices and in big games. He shows up in those big moments. This is the reason why he is who he is, and the sky is the limit for what he’s capable of doing.”

In each of his first three seasons, Banchero has gotten statistically better. He has increased his scoring from 20 points per game in his NBA Rookie of the Year season to 25.9 ppg last season, his third in the NBA. His rebounds have climbed from 6.9 per game his first year to 7.1, and his assists have surged from 3.7 to 4.6 per game last season.

But for him to reach the ultimate goal, his leadership will be as important as his jump shot. 

“I think it’s just mostly the team being connected,” Banchero said. “I think we have a great team, being connected on both sides of the floor. Us just counting on each other and believing in each other, depending on each other. That’s what championship teams do.”

The Magic have lofty goals for this season and it starts with their superstar.