Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns may have had the last laugh over the Orlando Magic on New Year's Eve, but that did not stop Kevin Durant from giving rising star Paolo Banchero his flowers. After the Suns took the 112-107 home victory, Durant dove in on how Banchero and the rest of this Magic squad will be a problem in the NBA for a very long time.

“He’s going to be a force in the league for a long, long time. This (Magic) team is going to be a force if they stay together and continue growing.”

That is certainly going put a smile on the face of Magic fans. Paolo Banchero and the Magic are one of the bigger surprises of the campaign and have been a force this season.

As Durant noted, Banchero scored an efficient 28 points on 12-of-23 shooting and added nine rebounds and seven assists. Meanwhile, his co-star Franz Wagner scored 27 points on 11-of-25 shooting and had seven rebounds and six assists.

Orlando started out the 2023-24 campaign strong and now sits at 5th in the Eastern Conference. The team has fallen off a bit as they have lost eight of their last 13 games after beginning the season 14-5.

Nonetheless, the Magic are still one of the best stories of the 2023-24 campaign. They've established a strong defensive identity under the tutelage of head coach Jamahl Mosley.

As for Durant and the Suns, they have rattled off three straight wins after falling below .500 on Christmas Day. Durant led Phoenix with 31 points with five rebounds, five assists, and three steals in the New Year's Eve win.