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Despite the Orlando Magic being eliminated from the NBA playoffs, Paolo Banchero is the promising piece, alongside Franz Wagner and others on the roster.
However, the former No. 1 overall pick thinks that Orlando can reach another level. On The Pivot Podcast, the Magic star forward gave his organization a blueprint for who they should follow.
“I see some of these teams like the (New York) Knicks or the (Cleveland) Cavaliers,” Banchero said. “The Knicks, they’ve been in the playoffs the last couple of years, but they went and got some guys, and I think their mind is, they’re trying to win for the playoffs.
“And Boston, they’re trying to win for the playoffs. You can just feel that when you play against some of those teams. So I think that’s our next step.”
Three of those teams acquired superstar talent, but made the roster extremely deep. The Knicks, Celtics, and Cavaliers were the respective Top 3 seeds in the Eastern Conference.
For the Magic, they were the seventh after dealing with injuries. Still, they managed to win one game against Boston with the young core. Still, Banchero thinks there is more work to do.
Paolo Banchero sees the Magic following the Knicks' model
New York was in a similar position in 2024. After they lost Jalen Brunson to a hand injury in the semifinals, they fell to the Indiana Pacers in seven games.
As a result, they went out and reloaded in a major way. For instance, the Knicks traded for both Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Although they lost key pieces like Isaiah Hartenstein, they managed to reload.
For the Magic, they might need to do some of that. Considering how close Orlando was to being a Top 4 seed before the injuries, securing another star next to Banchero and Wagner would do the trick.
Regardless of that, Banchero still reflected and was honest about what the team should work on.
“I think health, but also just learning from these last two years,” Banchero said. “We’ve been out of the first round these first two years in the playoffs. Why is that?
“What do we need to work on, what are some of our deficiencies, what are some of our strengths? And how does that translate into winning in the playoffs? I think that’s the biggest thing, not only focusing on the regular season success, but how can we be successful in the playoffs.”
No matter what, the Magic are in a prime position to take that next step. Using New York as a blueprint could be a major blessing for Orlando.
