And it left another challenge from the star player heading into the offseason. <\/p>\n
“It’s frustrating being in the same spot three years in a row and getting the same result,” Banchero said after Game 7. “It’s about winning habits. It’s about creating a winning environment every single day. From September to now. We’ve got to be better. It doesn’t start in April when the playoffs start. It starts in September and October when we get everyone in the building. <\/p>\n
“You build habits. You build an environment where losing isn’t acceptable. Losing in the first round isn’t acceptable. It’s not good enough. It shouldn’t be comfortable in the building. It should be everybody on their p’s and q’s feeling pressure to be great. This result isn’t good enough. That’s the mindset that needs to be there top to bottom.”<\/p>\n
The Magic responded to that with the predictable move to change coaches, dismissing Jamahl Mosley<\/a> on Monday. The question is: How many other changes to the roster<\/a> will that lead to, and what does this challenge mean for Banchero himself?<\/p>\n Paolo’s challenging season<\/p>\n Without a doubt, Paolo Banchero did not have the season he or anyone hoped for.<\/p>\n So much of what the Orlando Magic wanted to accomplish this season was based on Banchero taking another leap in his game.<\/p>\n Instead, Banchero often became a punching bag for the Internet. In The Athletic’s anonymous player poll, Banchero garnered four of the 81 votes<\/a> for the most overrated player in the league. <\/p>\n Some of those arguments are overblown. But it still said something that the Magic went 26-25 in the 51 games Franz Wagner missed with the high ankle sprain (he missed 47 of 51 and the Magic went 2-2 when he played).<\/p>\n Banchero averaged 22.2 points per game, down from his 2025 output. He posted a career-high 8.4 rebounds per game to go with 5.2 assists per game. He shot a career-best 45.9 percent from the floor and had a career-best 56.6 percent true shooting percentage.<\/p>\n Still, he had a 49.6 percent effective field goal percentage and shot 30.5 percent from deep. The Magic once again had a negative net rating with him on the floor — -0.2 points per 100 possessions. Only Tyus Jones had a worse on-court net rating among the Magic’s regular rotation players.<\/p>\n There does feel like something left on the bone for Banchero.<\/p>\n “I think Paolo is really hard on himself,” president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said Monday. “He’s really competitive. He’s really driven. He’s a great learner. I think our group is really attached, and I think they believe. Paolo, I think, shows you who he is in the Playoffs. Some of this, as I always come back to, we have to look at ourselves and our roster construction. It starts in the summer and builds out through the season. I think Paolo is going to have a great season next year.”<\/p>\n Banchero has always been a Playoff riser<\/a>. And he mostly showed out in the Playoffs, averaging 26.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. He had 45 points in the Game 5 loss<\/a> and 38 in the Game 7 loss. <\/p>\n Those two games largely satisfied the national media and proved he could be a big performer as this team continues to grow.<\/p>\n Paolo did shine in the end.<\/p>\n “What I do care about is how [Banchero] played,” Tracy McGrady said on NBA Showtime on NBC on Sunday<\/a>. “And I’ve seen growth in him. We’ve been talking about Paolo and how we suspect he should play. Games 5 and 7 is who he is and who he should be. That’s who you are. Don’t forget that. Let’s build around that right there. Let’s consistently be that player all the time, and we don’t have to have that talk next year.”<\/p>\n
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