Desmond Bane: The Spark That Ignites Orlando’s Magic
Orlando, Florida – With the ball in his hands and his gaze fixed on Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner faced a crossroads. The team, after squandering a 13-point lead in the final quarter against the Trail Blazers, found itself in an unexpected situation: the possibility of transforming a collapse into victory. Banchero was well defended, so Wagner turned his attention to an option that didn’t exist last season: Desmond Bane, who, after a screen, executed a three-point shot, game-winner, over the outstretched hand of Toumani Camara. This shot, the first of its kind in Bane’s career, surprised the Blazers and could have been the turning point that boosted the Magic’s season.“He can just turn us on,” Banchero said.
Paolo Banchero
This moment is the reason the Magic traded four unprotected first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Cole Anthony to acquire the coveted 27-year-old shooter from the Memphis Grizzlies last summer. After consecutive first-round exits and an injury-plagued season for the Magic, the front office bet big on competing in an open Eastern Conference. With expectations of reaching the second round or even surpassing it for the first time since 2011, Orlando’s 1-4 start put pressure on head coach Jamahl Mosley, his staff, and the players to make it work.
The frustration was palpable after a painful 111-107 defeat to the Boston Celtics, which left the Magic with a 4-6 record. However, Bane, sitting on one of the Magic’s practice courts, seemed relaxed, even claiming to have predicted a “difficult start” to the president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman.In recent years, the Magic haven’t had a shooter and scorer like Bane, who averaged 19 points and 39% on three-pointers with Memphis last season. No guard or forward on the Magic has averaged numbers like those since Hedo Turkoglu in 2007-08. With the urgent need for more playmaking, experience, and a third scoring option that fits their defensive identity, Orlando (7-7) trusts that Bane will take Banchero and Wagner to the next level, unlocking their rising games and forming a young trio that will be at their best and compete in the East for years.“It’s something so new, I think everyone is looking for their place,” Bane commented. “We didn’t have the start we wanted. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about… I’ve been here before (with slow starts in shooting)… it’s the beginning of the season so it’s a hot topic.”
Desmond Bane
Despite starting the season with 26% accuracy from beyond the arc before hitting the game-winning three against Portland, Bane’s shot has broken its slump, as he has made 8 of 20 from long distance since then. Meanwhile, Orlando has won six of its last nine games. The team saw a three-game winning streak snapped in a 117-113 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday, despite 29 and 26 points from Wagner and Bane, respectively, with Banchero and Jalen Suggs out due to groin injuries. The team is finding its rhythm, driven by the component that the Magic believe will help Banchero and Wagner win a championship.“We paid a very high price,” Weltman said. “There’s a selection that we don’t have under control, but the rest we do. And with Des entering his prime, and many of our key young players under contract… we’re not seeing this as a single season. Obviously, we gave up a lot because he’s a very talented player who fits our roster very well. And we’re betting on ourselves.”
Jeff Weltman
“He’s unlocked things,” Banchero said of Bane’s impact on him and Wagner. “When we put him in positions to make the defense make a decision, obviously the spacing, that’s something we’ve struggled with in the past. Defenders don’t want to leave him. His playmaking too… And then he’s a dog. He’s not scared, he doesn’t back down from anybody. He’s only going to get better. It’s still early. He’s only going to get better from here on out.”
Paolo Banchero
Wagner and Banchero recall that the Magic had other discussions in practice in the past. But this heated training game stood out for how it ended. With the temperature still boiling, Bane and Tyus Jones, teammates for three seasons in Memphis, gathered everyone for a meeting. It was one of the first moments of the season in which Bane’s voice as a leader was noticed.“I wouldn’t say I started it,” Banchero said. “But I was there a little bit. It was just something competitive, I’d say nothing personal. But it was definitely heated.”
Paolo Banchero
Suggs said he and Wagner had breakfast the next day and discussed what happened. In previous practice confrontations, the Magic’s young players might have let the tension linger or let feelings go unexpressed.“This will be us,” Suggs said about what Bane said. “This is what we’re doing now. It has to be us throughout the year. You can’t choose the days you’re dogs. You’re a dog every day or you’re not. And knowing that when we leave the court, it’s all done, especially between us. That fiery competitiveness is good.”
Jalen Suggs
In 2021-22, the Grizzlies won 56 games and reached the Western Conference semifinals before losing in a six-game series against the Golden State Warriors. Memphis never made it out of the first round again, derailed by injuries, off-court drama with Ja Morant, and, ultimately, Taylor Jenkins losing his job last season.“[Bane] has been on some teams that have been on both sides of talking and winning, losing some games they should have won,” Wagner said. “I don’t think we’ve had a player [who spoke up] after moments like that in a training camp game where, after emotions [were high], he still shared that perspective of what we’re really trying to achieve.”
Franz Wagner
Bane doesn’t want to see something good go wrong in Orlando. He said there are lessons learned from Memphis that he wants to pass on to his new young team, including “together” and “commitment”. He has tried to set an example even with his frustration. When the Atlanta Hawks were outscoring the Magic in the third quarter on November 4, Bane committed a hard flagrant 1 foul on Onyeka Okongwu under the basket before swatting the ball away from Okongwu while he was on the ground. Bane received a technical foul and was ejected after a replay review. The Magic lost the game, but Bane’s message was sent. “It was frustration,” Bane said. “[But] we say, no trays. Make them see the lights [on the ceiling]. I can’t put myself in that position where I get ejected. But I definitely hoped it would wake me up. And wake up the rest of the group.” Desmond Bane“The team reminds me a lot of the situation in Memphis,” Jones said about when the Grizzlies were on the rise. “Young, core group together for several years, growing and having made the playoffs the last couple of years, not having the postseason success they wanted. But you have to go through your trials and tribulations and choose to overcome them. The group here is an extremely close locker room, which was similar in Memphis. I just think it’s a good recipe here.”
Tyus Jones
Orlando has needed more bite in the last two postseasons, especially from long distance. The Magic shot 31.8% from the three-point line last season, the last place. But even more evident was the dismal 26.3% they shot from beyond the arc against Boston in the playoffs, regressing from their 30.9% three-point shooting during their first-round loss in seven games to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2024.“We appreciate him setting the tone for us every day in practice, in the game,” Black said. “He’s super physical. He’s like a junkyard dog. Junkyard dog with a bag.”
Anthony Black
The Magic’s offense became too stagnant in the playoffs. They ran 17 isolations per game for Banchero, the most of any player last season, and the power forward, who shot 44.4% from the three-point line last season, received a double team on 8% of those isolations. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks and Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers had a higher double-team rate than Banchero, according to ESPN Research.“The obvious answer is shooting,” Weltman said about what has been missing. “We’ve been one of the worst shooting teams in the league in recent years. And I think with that we’ve also relied heavily on a small group of players for shot creation.”
Jeff Weltman
Bane is shooting 31.3% from three and averaging 16.5 points, numbers that are slowly increasing since the game-winning shot against Portland. There are times when Bane seems like the differentiating factor that can take the Magic deep into the postseason. There are also nights like that loss to Boston just over a week ago, when Bane attempts only one 3-point attempt and seems more like a player trying to fit in instead of aggressively seeking shots. Against the Celtics in that second game, the Magic resembled the team that battled them in the playoffs. Although the Magic have improved their pace from 30th last season to 22nd this season, they have sacrificed some of their defensive identity while focusing on a faster game. Orlando went from having the second-best defensive rating (109.1) last season to 10th (112.9) in the league, while averaging 15.9 turnovers. That frustrating defeat, just two days after the optimistic victory, left their coach furious and the franchise star hesitant about what to say.“We are a very good defensive team,” Wagner told ESPN. “But it’s pretty obvious that we had problems on offense. Shooting is part of that, but I think it’s also how we play. I don’t know if it was very sustainable. I think last year, especially, I felt like we were pretty stagnant. Des is going to help a lot in making us a more difficult team to defend and also making some situations a little easier for Paolo and me”.
Franz Wagner
Not long after a bothersome Mosley finished his comments, Banchero was asked about playing with a new offensive system, how different it is from years past, and whether the increased pace of play contributed to the turnovers.“Seventeen turnovers for 29 points,” a frustrated Mosley repeated seven different times about his team’s turnovers during his postgame press conference.
Jamahl Mosley
Mosley clarified that it is not a new offensive. Instead, he has emphasized focusing on running after stops to take advantage of the Magic’s elite defense, quick decisions, and ball movement to create easier scoring opportunities and prevent defenses from loading up against Banchero and Wagner. Bane played in a similar style in Memphis, which has influenced the team to try to bring the ball up the half-court faster, Mosley said. Okay, Mosley can see the impact of Bane.“Umm… yeah… I mean… I don’t know about that,” Banchero said.
Paolo Banchero
Orlando’s three-point shooting is still a work in progress. The Magic currently rank 23rd in the league, shooting 33.9% from beyond the arc. Banchero is shooting 25% (11 of 44) and Wagner is making 35.7% from three, up from 29.5% last season. Tristan da Silva has emerged as a three-point option, shooting 40.6% so far. Playing faster, integrating an important player like Bane and still trying to develop cohesion between Banchero, Wagner, and Suggs requires patience: the three played a total of only 97 minutes in six games together last season due to injuries. Bane has played as a point guard, initiating offensive plays, while Suggs is improving his game after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Bane averaged seven assists during a recent four-game stretch against Boston twice, Portland, and New York. But an executive from the Western Conference says that Bane and the Magic can use a passing point guard to create easier shots, explaining that Suggs is more of an excellent 3-and-D shooting guard in the mold of Luguentz Dort. Only 61.9% of Bane’s three-pointers this season have come from assists, which is on pace to be the second-lowest mark in his six-year career, according to ESPN Research.“The matchups are totally different now,” Mosley told ESPN. “Now you have these weapons… Now they have to defend every position respectfully the right way. There’s nowhere to hide their defenders.”
Jamahl Mosley
Right after Bane scored the winning shot against Portland, the executive sent a text message: “Wow”. Banchero knew it was only a matter of time.“The idea was that they needed shots and he provided that in Memphis,” the executive said about Bane. “But he’s the type of player who needs shots created for him, either from star players or through a system. Orlando’s problems weren’t really about shooting. It was more the lack of a point guard.”
Western Conference Executive
“He’s the right fit for the team,” Banchero said. “[Shooting] is just a little bit of what he can do… He’s a really underrated passer and an underrated leader as well. It’s his voice. I know when me and him are in the action together, I definitely get a lot cleaner looks, teams have to make a decision. It hasn’t been like that a lot in the past. I’ve noticed that. He just fits… it’s only going to get better.”
Paolo Banchero
