The Orlando Magic enter the 2025-26 NBA season under a completely new spotlight. After back-to-back playoff appearances and consecutive first-round exits, the team’s leadership has made it clear: the developmental phase is over. Winning is the only standard. Team president Jeff Weltman doubled down on that message during Media Day, while Paolo Banchero himself welcomed the pressure, saying expectations for greatness are exactly what he wants. Orlando doubled down on their ambitions this summer with the stunning acquisition of Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies, a move that pairs Banchero with one of the league’s premier shooters and playoff-tested performers.

Now entering his fourth NBA season, Banchero is coming off a year where he averaged 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, showing that he can carry a heavy scoring burden while steadily improving his efficiency. His first two campaigns laid the foundation, but the 2025-26 season will be defined by whether Banchero can elevate from rising star to franchise cornerstone capable of leading deep playoff runs. Here are three bold predictions for what lies ahead.

Paolo Banchero will post his first 27-point scoring average

The first bold prediction for Banchero is that he will raise his offensive production to new heights, becoming a true 27-point-per-game scorer. While he already took a major leap between his rookie and sophomore seasons, Banchero’s shot profile suggests there is still significant room for growth. His career scoring average sits at 22.4 points across three seasons, but his steady rise from 20.0 as a rookie, to 22.6 in year two, to 25.9 in year three, indicates he has not yet hit his ceiling.

The addition of Desmond Bane is particularly significant here. For much of Banchero’s early career, he has faced packed defenses, as Orlando lacked high-level floor spacers who could consistently punish help coverage. With Bane stretching the floor and drawing defensive attention, Banchero will benefit from better driving lanes, more isolation opportunities, and greater space in pick-and-rolls. That added spacing could be the difference between him hovering around 25 points per game and breaking through into the high-20s.

Another factor is Banchero’s free-throw rate. Last season, he averaged 6.1 attempts per game from the line, hitting at a 72.7 percent clip. If he can get closer to eight attempts nightly while nudging that percentage up toward 77 or 78 percent, that alone could add two to three points per game. Combine that with improved shot selection, particularly from deep, where he shot 32 percent on nearly six attempts a game, and the path to a 27-point scoring average is clear. For a team that will be judged on playoff success, having a forward capable of putting up nightly superstar scoring numbers will be vital.

Banchero will earn his first All-NBA selection

For Banchero, individual accolades have always felt secondary to team progress, but 2025-26 could be the year where his personal resume finally catches up with his impact. With Jayson Tatum sidelined for the season due to injury, the door is wide open in the Eastern Conference for another forward to stake a claim as one of the league’s best. If Banchero carries Orlando to a top-five finish in the East while posting career-high scoring numbers, he will have a legitimate case for his first All-NBA selection.

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The All-NBA process often rewards both team success and statistical dominance, and Banchero could be primed to check both boxes. The Magic are no longer a plucky young team hoping to compete; they are being built to win now. The front office’s decision to trade for Bane, while maintaining their core of Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs, signals that this roster should be more balanced and dangerous than in previous seasons. A lineup that allows Banchero to both facilitate and dominate scoring could result in Orlando finishing among the top half of the conference, a prerequisite for individual recognition.

On the numbers front, a stat line of 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists per game feels realistic. That production would not only make him the centerpiece of Orlando’s attack but would also elevate him into the conversation with established stars across the league. He has already proven capable of producing at high levels in big moments, but now consistency and efficiency are the next hurdles. If he clears them, All-NBA honors will be hard to deny.

Banchero will lead the Magic to their first playoff series win since 2010

His growth in the postseason will be critical. In his first two playoff trips, the Magic showed fight but lacked the offensive firepower to close out games against more experienced opponents. This is where Bane’s addition matters most. Orlando now has a proven playoff scorer to complement Banchero, giving the team a balanced attack that is less predictable in crunch time. Opponents will no longer be able to load up on Banchero without fear of reprisal.

Defensively, Banchero has steadily improved, and with Franz Wagner taking many of the toughest assignments, Orlando can afford to maximize Banchero’s energy on offense. If Banchero embraces the pace and efficiency improvements the coaching staff has emphasized, and if his supporting cast continues to grow, Orlando could find itself in a position to win 50 games and secure home-court advantage in the first round. From there, Banchero’s ability to dominate in playoff settings could finally carry the Magic into the second round for the first time in 15 years.

Ending that drought would cement Banchero’s arrival as not just an elite individual talent but as a franchise player capable of altering the trajectory of a team. For Orlando fans who have waited more than a decade for meaningful playoff success, it would mark the true arrival of the Banchero era.

If he can deliver on even two of those predictions, the Magic will firmly establish themselves as one of the rising forces in the Eastern Conference. If he delivers on all three, Banchero could enter the conversation as one of the league’s premier young superstars, and Orlando’s long-awaited climb back to contention will truly be underway.