Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic says his team can compete with anyone in the Eastern Conference.
The Magic, who reached the postseason for the first time since 2020, are on a roll after posting their best regular-season record since 2011 at 47-35.
“We feel like we’re right there,” Banchero said Friday during an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take.”
“We’re just like all those teams. I remember last year we started out as a top-three or top-two team and everyone thought that was a fluke. Everyone thought we were going to be a play-in team and go down as the top team in the East. But we finished strong and finished fifth and had a chance to really grab second place at the end of the season.”
Banchero is one of the NBA’s best young players, having become an All-Star in his second year in the league, so when he looked around the East, he felt his team should be competing with teams like Boston and New York, the top two seeds in the 2024 playoffs.
“Last year we were right up there with the best and like I said, this year we’ve gotten better. I’ve gotten better, we’ve all gotten better. We’ve got some new players that will help us a lot. We’re trying to make a splash. We should easily be in the top four or three and have a chance to win the East.”
Is Banchero’s statement completely absurd? Maybe not.
The Magic eventually lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of a grueling seven-game series. The young team blew an 18-point lead in that game, an experience the Magic hope to learn from. With an average age of 24.3 years, the Magic were the second youngest team in the playoffs.
When the opportunity to sign two-time NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope came their way, they jumped at the chance. Caldwell-Pope brings championship experience and shooting ability, something the Magic sorely lacked last season. Orlando ranked 26th in the league in 3-point percentage and struggled to score from the 3-point line in the Cleveland series.
In addition, long-time NBA veteran Cory Joseph has also signed with Orlando. Joseph, who won the championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, can be a valuable mentor for the team’s younger guards like Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony.
In addition to the free agent additions, Orlando re-signed many of its rotation players, such as forward Jonathan Isaac and rising star Franz Wagner, and added Tristan Da Silva, a 6-foot-8 forward from Colorado who is expected to see playing time due to his high IQ and long-range shooting ability.
How did the Magic compare to the rest of the East in the offseason?
When you look at the moves made by other teams in the East, Orlando’s seem marginal at best.
The Philadelphia 76ers revamped their roster in free agency, signing veterans like Paul George, Eric Gordon, Caleb Martin and Reggie Jackson, all players with plenty of postseason experience and, in Jackson’s case, an NBA championship. George was one of the biggest additions in free agency. He has averaged 20.8 points per game for his career and will be the third option on Philly’s roster behind All-Star duo Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, making Philadelphia incredibly strong and arguably Boston’s biggest threat in the conference.
The Knicks, who are coming off a season in second place in the East, have also improved. Mikal Bridges, 27, has averaged 20 points a night this season and is considered one of the game’s best perimeter defenders. In addition, the chemistry between him and the other former Villanova Wildcats on the team can only help.
Re-signing OG Anunoby should also pay off for the Knicks. Having him and Bridges will undoubtedly be worth considering as the Knicks have the best defense in basketball.
Outside of those teams, the Milwaukee Bucks will always be formidable with a healthy Damian Lillard and Giannis Antentokunmpo. The Indiana Pacers are also a young team that will be a year better after a long playoff run. The same goes for the Cavaliers, who can rest easy knowing that Donovan Mitchell is tied to them long-term.
While Banchero and the Magic have undoubtedly improved, it remains to be seen how far they will go in what is currently shaping up to be the best league in the East in quite some time.