The Orlando Magic are surging at the right time, and one of the biggest reasons is guard Desmond Bane. After his latest scoring explosion in the NBA Cup quarterfinal win vs. the Miami Heat Tuesday night, teammate Paolo Banchero offered high praise perfectly capturing the impact of Bane. The 37-point performance gave Orlando a crucial 117-108 victory and solidified their spot in the NBA Cup semifinals.

Following the game, Banchero was asked by Swish Theory’s Ryan Kaminski, who took to his X (formerly known as Twitter) account to share the exchange about Bane’s growing offensive role and how it eases his workload with Franz Wagner sidelined. His response quickly became one of the night’s biggest storylines.

“He’s more than just a shooter… he’s a real scorer, just a ball player.

He hit 6 threes tonight, but he had 37 PTS against Detroit without shooting any threes.

It’s not only his shooting, it’s the scoring in general.

You just give a player like that the ball, it’s not really hard. He gets to it.

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He’s stuck at 37, hopefully we can get him a 40-ball here soon.”

Banchero’s comments showed the growing trust inside the locker room as the Magic continue to climb in the NBA Cup field. Bane has scored well from every level, giving the Magic a steady option when games tighten late. His work from the arc vs. the Heat came only days after he scored 37 without a three, proving he can attack in more than one way. The growth reflects the offensive arsenal the former Memphis Grizzlies guard possesses, and it makes him harder to guard now that teams have played 20-to-25 games and scouting reports have grown sharper.

With Wagner still out, the Magic are leaning on Bane to carry a heavier load, and his recent stretch shows he is meeting that demand. The group now prepares for a semifinal matchup with the New York Knicks, a chance to strengthen their run in the league’s new tournament and build on the momentum they have found behind Bane’s rise.