Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic are currently in the midst of what figures to be a highly important offseason for the future direction of their franchise following their crushing seven game series loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Banchero overall played very well in his first foray into the NBA postseason, but as a whole, the Magic's lack of perimeter offense and three-point shooting spelled their downfall against a much more experienced Cleveland team, who went on to lose to the Boston Celtics in five games.
One common criticism about the national media's coverage of the Magic this year was the team's lack of nationally televised games, especially considering the talent of the former number one overall pick in Banchero alongside a host of other youngsters including Franz Wagner.
In fact, recently, a fan took a not-so-subtle jab at Banchero on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter, referencing the rapid rise to stardom of WNBA Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and juxtaposing it to the Magic's more low-profile nature thus far.
“Caitlyn Clark already has more games on ESPN than Paolo Banchero lmao,” wrote the user.
Banchero responded with a graceful reply on his own account on the platform.
“rightfully so! my time coming,” wrote Banchero.
Even in the postseason, the Magic felt the disrespect of the national media, as their series vs the Cavaliers was largely dubbed as the “NBA TV series.” In that matchup, Games 2, 3, and 5 were all carried exclusively on NBA TV, meaning that a large portion of the basketball watching country did not have any access to them at all. In any case, it seems that Banchero has taken the perceived disrespect in stride and is ready to continue to generate a higher profile for his team over the coming years.
Where do the Magic go from here?
In a vacuum, there is a whole lot to be excited about as it pertains to the future of the Magic. Banchero is still just 21 years old and made his first All-Star team this year, and also proved that he is more than capable of rising to the occasion in the NBA playoffs, even though his teammates for the most part did not (Wagner had one of the worst shooting games in NBA playoffs history in Game 7).
However, there are still some clear flaws on this roster, mostly regarding its guard depth and perimeter shooting. In this offseason, Orlando figures to be key players for talented guards and perimeter shooters such as Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors and D'Angelo Russell of the Los Angeles Lakers, each of whom could potentially be free agents this summer.
Acquiring one of these two stars would help alleviate some of the pressure from Banchero and also provide a veteran presence for a Magic team that showed its youth at multiple points of the Cleveland series.
In any case, expect the Magic to have a few more nationally televised games next season after their upstart 2023-24 campaign.
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