Less than a month into the regular season, and the Orlando Magic already have plenty to be concerned about, namely star Paolo Banchero.
Banchero, despite being seen as a rising superstar, has made little progress as a shooter. That was made painfully clear by NBA writer Kirk Goldsberry on a recent The Zach Lowe Podcast. Goldsberry raised alarm bells about Banchero and his lack of development as a shooter.
He’s made just five of his 27 jump shots this year, and I’m not cherry-picking. I love Paolo — he’s a huge part of the future of American basketball — but last season, among the 62 most active jump shooters in the NBA, he ranked 60th in efficiency. He has a jump-shooting problem, and as the team’s most active scorer, that’s an issue. Some of the advanced numbers aren’t trending in the right direction," Goldsberry said on the Lowe Podcast.
In fact, as Goldsberry points out, he ranks as one of the worst jump shooters in the NBA. That certainly hasn't helped the Magic, whose offense has struggled mightily this season. That is even after they traded a staggering four first-round picks to acquire sharpshooter Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies this past summer.
Currently, Orlando ranks 20th in offensive rating, similar to where they ranked last season, suggesting that their offseason work to solve their biggest flaw has yet to actually work. Of course, it's still early, but there are definitely warning signs that Magic fans should be paying attention to.
The Orlando Magic must solve their shooting woes ASAP
If Banchero continues to struggle shooting, and Franz Wagner remains inconsistent in that regard, their offense will continue to remain stuck in the mud. That puts a ceiling on this team's potential, with many previously expecting Orlando to join the Eastern Conference's elite. Now, there are serious questions about how they can build a contender with a basic, fatal flaw.
They currently rank 22nd in 3-point percentage and 28th in 3-point attempts. They are somehow both now taking enough threes and clanking plenty of shots. That puts Orlando at a huge competitive disadvantage with teams nowadays not shy in taking threes and many contenders ranking highly in both categories.
It also raises concerns about whether Banchero can be a franchise player the way that he currently plays. He plays more like a big perimeter player rather than a power forward with perimeter skills. Yes, there is a difference. If he is primarily playing on the perimeter and not taking full advantage of his size, and he doesn't have enough shooting around him, then teams can clog the paint.
Paolo Banchero has been to blame for their struggles
Forcing him to shoot outside the paint appears to be a great strategy given the Magic's struggles thus far. They are probably still a playoff team in the lowly Eastern Conference, but not with Banchero struggling.
He has shot just 30% on mid-range jumpers and has been comically bad as a 3-point shooter, drilling just 26.3% of his threes, with his shot selection being questionable. Almost all of his 3-point attempts are above the Break 3, the furthest possible 3-point shots.
Those are bad shots for a bad shooter, worse since many of those were off-the-dribble jumpers with a hand in his face. The Magic can't win like that and it starts with him.