Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero thinks his crew can compete with different Japanese Convention contenders this coming 2024-25 season, stressing that the Magic has the possibility to come back out of the East and play for a championship.
Coming off his first All-Star 12 months, the incoming third-year star out of Duke made plenty of daring statements throughout his look on ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith and Chris Russo on August 16.
Banchero appears unfazed with how different contenders within the East considerably improved their roster over the summer time, saying the Magic is “able to make some noise” this season.
“We really feel like we’re proper there,” Banchero stated within the interview. “We’re proper there with all these (elite groups within the East). I keep in mind final 12 months, we began the 12 months off as a top-two, top-three seed, and everyone thought it was a fluke.
“Everyone thought we have been going to be a play-in crew and drop out the highest of the East. We completed robust and acquired the fifth seed and had an opportunity to actually seize the 2 seeds on the finish of the season. We have been proper there final 12 months.”
Regardless of seeing the Celtics retaining the core of their championship-winning roster and groups just like the Sixers, Bucks, and Knicks making upgrades, Banchero firmly believes the Magic is a top-3, top-4 crew within the East.
We acquired higher this 12 months. I acquired higher; all of us acquired higher. We acquired some new items which might be going to assist rather a lot. We’re making an attempt to make some noise. We must always simply be a top-four, top-three crew and have an opportunity to win the East.”
Orlando’s front-office has excessive hopes these transactions this offseason will repay within the coming years as they try to turn into a official contender within the Japanese Convention.
The Magic, led by Wagner and Banchero, nabbed the No.5 seed within the East within the 2024 playoffs and pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to the restrict of their seven-game playoff sequence.
Banchero, who averaged 22.6 factors, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists, is predicted to enhance his stats throughout the board in his third 12 months with the Magic.
The identical is predicted from Wagner, who averaged 19.7 factors and 5.3 rebounds through the 2023-24 common season. He additionally guided Germany to a fourth-place end within the males’s 5×5 basketball competitors on the 2024 Paris Video games, averaging a team-high 18.5 factors, 5.8 rebounds and a couple of.5 assists in six video games.
