Desmond Bane joins a young Magic squad that looks poised to reach a new level this season.
The Orlando Magic saw dramatic improvement in Paolo Banchero’s first two seasons, winning 47 games in 2023-24 after winning 34 the season prior and just 22 in 2021-22.
But the Magic took a step backward last season, even though it was their best defensive season in the last 16 years. They ranked second on that end of the floor, allowing 4.6 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average.
The issue was an offense that ranked in the bottom 10 for the 13th straight season, an astoundingly brutal run of inefficiency.
Magic record and efficiency, last four seasons
| Season | W | L | OffRtg | Rank | DefRtg | Rank | NetRtg | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 22 | 60 | 103.9 | 29 | 112.1 | 19 | -8.1 | 28 |
| 2022-23 | 34 | 48 | 111.3 | 26 | 113.7 | 18 | -2.3 | 24 |
| 2023-24 | 47 | 35 | 112.9 | 22 | 110.8 | 3 | +2.2 | 14 |
| 2024-25 | 41 | 41 | 108.9 | 27 | 109.1 | 2 | -0.2 | 17 |
OffRtg = Points scored per 100 possessions
DefRtg = Points allowed per 100 possessions
NetRtg = Point differential per 100 possessions
Banchero and Franz Wagner had nothing to do with the start of that streak, but they …
1. Need more help on offense.
2. Need to be better shooters themselves.
Enter Desmond Bane, whom the Magic acquired in June for Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, four first-round picks and a pick swap.
Here are some notes and film on how Bane can help the Magic finally climb out of the bottom 10 on offense and compete at the top of the Eastern Conference.
1. Stagnation in Orlando
According to Second Spectrum tracking, the Magic were one of two teams — the Clippers were the other — that ranked in the bottom five in both ball movement and player movement last season …
- Their 308 passes per 24 minutes of possession ranked 27th.
- Their 10.7 miles traveled per 24 minutes of possession ranked 26th.
Combining the regular season and playoffs, Banchero led the league with 19.4 isolations per 100 possessions, according to Second Spectrum. The Magic scored just 0.97 points per chance when a Banchero isolation led directly to a shot, turnover or trip to the line, a rate ranked 40th among 58 players with at least 200 direct isolations.
Wagner (0.86 points per chance) ranked 56th of those 58 players.
The Magic were too willing to stand around when Banchero played one-on-one …
And when teammates did move and got open, he didn’t necessarily find them …
Banchero had an assist rate of 15.3 per 100 possessions used, ranking 36th among 48 players with a usage rate of 25% or higher. The only players in that group with a lower assist rate and a lower true shooting percentage were Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga.
2. Bane on the move
So it would be nice if the Magic could introduce more movement to their offense, and Bane can do that.
The Grizzlies ranked ninth in ball movement and led the league in player movement at 12.2 miles traveled per 24 minutes of possession last season. Bane traveled 2.4 miles for every 24 minutes that the Grizzlies had the ball with him on the floor. That rate was greater than anybody on the Magic.
The Magic set more off-ball screens per 100 possessions for Caldwell-Pope (15.3) than the Grizzlies set for Bane (12.8). But Bane has been the better shooter off the catch, while also offering a lot more off the dribble …
Bane’s season-to-season scoring efficiency (true shooting percentage) has been remarkably consistent (ranging between 58.9% and 60.6%) even though he’s seen huge drops in the percentage of his field goals that have been assisted …
Desmond Bane, season by season
| Season | PPG | TS% | %AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 9.2 | 60.0% | 82.1% |
| 2021-22 | 18.2 | 59.2% | 70.3% |
| 2022-23 | 21.5 | 60.6% | 59.8% |
| 2023-24 | 23.7 | 58.9% | 48.3% |
| 2024-25 | 19.2 | 60.0% | 49.5% |
TS% = PTS / (2 * (FGA + (0.44 * FTA)))
%AST = Percentage of field goals that were assisted
Bane should be a terrific weapon for the Magic. If they get him on the move and detached from his defender, he can take advantage …
3. Getting Banchero off the ball and the Magic in transition
Bane has also become more of a playmaker over the years, seeing a jump in assists per 36 minutes every season he’s been in the league, from 2.8 per 36 as a rookie to 6.0 per 36 last season.
He’s not a high-level passer, but he usually makes the right reads in the pick-and-roll and can hit an open shooter on the opposite side of the floor …
Bane’s playmaking can obviously ease the burden on Banchero and Wagner, while also getting them more opportunities against a rotating defense, rather than one that’s loaded up against them …
Bane also comes from a team that scored 32.8 transition points per game, the most for any team in 21 years of Synergy tracking. He was often the guy pushing the ball up the floor and will do the same for Orlando, which ranked 26th with just 18.8 transition points per game, despite ranking sixth in steals.
If the Magic can get more easy buckets on the break, more movement and more off-the-catch opportunities for Banchero and Wagner, their remarkable streak of inefficiency should come to an end in 2025-26.
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John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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