Paolo Banchero has high expectations for the Orlando Magic as they enter their third season in the NBA.
In an interview with Jared Ebanks of SlamBanchero spoke about the growth he’s seen with the Magic over the past two seasons and where he sees the Magic going from here.
“When I came to Orlando, there wasn’t a lot of expectations for the team, and so there was a lot of expectations for me,” the 21-year-old said. “But I wanted that to reflect on the team. I wanted it to be a team success. I wanted people to come back and start coming to games. So it’s just great to see the fan base grow, obviously, the organization grow, we get more serious and we make the playoffs.”
“But now I think it’s time to make the transition, to go from that rookie stage to being successful and being happy to be successful. Now we’re trying to become one of the most recognizable names in the East and the league. It’s not going to be easy – I know that, we all know that – but I think we’re all ready and we’re all excited.”
The Magic finished 47-35 last season, clinching fifth place in the Eastern Conference and their first playoff appearance since 2020. They lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, but that still gave Banchero optimism for the future.
“I think one day when this is all over, I’ll look back on my sophomore year, last year, and think of it as a beginning,” Banchero said. “It was kind of the beginning of something special.”
