Paul George gives Magic star Paolo Banchero his flowers before 2024-25 season
09/17/2024 07:59 PM
Last season, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero established himself as one of the top rising young stars in the NBA. Banchero evolved into the Magic’s best player, averaging 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in his second year in the league.
Banchero’s production was enough to earn him a spot in the NBA All-Star game at midseason, and he also garnered consideration for one of the 15 All-NBA spots before just missing out.
After becoming one of the league’s top players last season, many are looking at Banchero to take another leap into superstardom in 2024-25. Paul George is on board, and showed the former Duke star some love on a recent Podcast P is presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment episode.
"Who 25 and under would you build your franchise around today? You can't pick Luka, Anthony Edwards, & Wemby."
Paul George: "I think who's shown that they're ready for that next jump & I think was a star. For sure Paolo [Banchero]."
(via @PodcastPShow) pic.twitter.com/c6VdbTmVjD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 17, 2024
“He is a grown man,” George said. “He’s a force. He’s great in transition, he’s great in isolations, he’s great at sizing dudes up and using his strength to get by and blow by.”
Taking Banchero over the rest of that crop of stars under the age of 25 may seem like a bold take, but it speaks volumes about his progress that he’s entered that discussion.
What is Paolo Banchero’s ceiling in 2024-25?
After Paolo Banchero became an NBA All-Star and led the Magic to the playoffs last season, many are wondering how high he can go in year three in the NBA.
Individually, Banchero still has plenty of room for growth as a scorer, and it starts with his shooting. He already gets to the free throw line at one of the highest rates in the league, but struggled to knock them down at times. Banchero shot just 72.5% on about seven free throw attempts per game last season. If he can get that percentage up into the high-70s, it will instantly bump up his scoring average.
Banchero can also improve from beyond the three-point line. He already made a big leap from 29.8% from deep as a rookie to 33.9% last season, which is just below league average. If he takes another jump this season from the outside, it’s easy to see him averaging 25 points per game or more.
Banchero should also benefit from having more space on the court. Spacing was a major problem for the Magic last season, as they were constantly forced into playing too many non-shooters at a time. This offseason, they added veteran wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and drafted Colorado product Tristan da Silva in the first round, both of whom should relieve some pressure with their shooting ability.
Like George said, if you can space the floor around Banchero, you open up more driving lanes for him to attack the basket. If those new additions can pay dividends for the Magic and Banchero can make the internal improvements in his offensive game, it’s easy to see a path where he becomes an All-NBA level player in year three.
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