The Magic Insider

As Magic's Banchero Learns More of Himself, Takeovers Are Business as Usual

Orlando Magic All-Star forward Paolo Banchero scored 50 points and was an assist shy of a triple-double, putting his team on his back in a 119-115 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Mason Williams

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) dunks the ball against the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter at Kia Center.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) dunks the ball against the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter at Kia Center. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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ORLANDO – After a historic night that saw Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero score 50 points, the third-year star was asked when he knew he had it going.

Was it when he made his first four shots, three of them a result of going right at Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam? How about when he punished Indiana for switching the smaller Andrew Nembhard onto him, scored, and pointed in Nembhard's face to let him know about it on the way back down the floor? Or when Pacers coach Rick Carlisle furiously motioned his hands for his defense to press Banchero on the perimeter to no avail?

According to Banchero, none of the above.

"Probably when I made my first five free throws," Banchero said. On a night when he reached the half-century mark on the scoreboard, he ultimately missed seven free ones at the stripe. "Obviously, that came back to bite me, but yeah, I think I felt it pretty early."

His postgame demeanor was calm – a night-and-day difference from the screaming and flexing just minutes earlier. He nearly appeared bored, as if his career-high night was business as usual.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) reacts after dunking the ball
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) reacts after dunking the ball against the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter at Kia Center. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

During his TV interview postgame, Banchero said he felt like he was working out in back in Seattle during the first half. In the Magic's interview room with reporters, he admitted that he was unaware of his point total in the first half (37, which tied a franchise record). Rather, "it just felt good," he said. "I was just out there hooping."

Maybe the nights won't always be this caliber. But for a player on a superstar track – a word used too loosely in the NBA but warranted here – these takeovers are the ones to get used to. When a player so in control of themselves and what's happening around them knows they're going to determine the outcome and how they'll do it, then does it. Year Three Paolo Banchero has that power.

He doesn't turn 22 for another two weeks. In just his 156th career regular-season game, Banchero put up numbers that haven't been accomplished in the NBA since he was a child:

  • Second-youngest player in NBA history to record at least 50 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game. Only LeBron James, in 2005, was younger (20).
  • Banchero's 37-point first half tied a Magic franchise record with Tracy McGrady from 2003.
  • Banchero joined McGrady (four times), Nick Anderson and Shaquille O'Neal as the only Magic players to score 50 or more points in a game.

"When you get to see legendary things in person, it is actually so great," guard Jalen Suggs said, whose 25 points complemented Banchero's big night. "To be around him every day and watch his work ethic, see how he's impacted this organization, and our growth, it's so dope."

"It was one of those games where you're just watching and you're coaching, but you're sitting there just enjoying his process and watching a great player perform," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. "He was an artist out there and obviously [made] tough shots, put the team on his back with guys down, then guys stepped up and stepped in and joined the party."

It wasn't just Banchero's scoring, which Orlando needed every bit of to scratch past Indiana and arrive at 3-1 before a five-game road trip. With Franz Wagner battling illness and leaving the game after just 11 minutes, the reliance on Banchero increased. He took a tougher defensive assignment, matching up with Pacers leading scorer Siakam.

After an 8-of-11 start, Siakam made two of his final seven shots in the final quarter. Orlando's defense flipped the script between the third and fourth periods, surrendering 39 points and then just 17.

"He's making the right play, trying to do the right thing, trying to get his teammates involved," Mosley said. "I'll keep saying it. Great players make those around them great as well."

"Obviously his offensive game is special," Suggs said. "He has one of the most special bags in the league. But he plays winning basketball and he wants to win basketball games. That's what I think makes him special and why I love to play with him. It's never about personal accolades or stats. He wants to do whatever needs to be done to win.

"Tonight," Suggs continued, "it was a 50-ball."

Earlier this year, Mosley said his cornerstone forward is doing what the game calls of him. Banchero has shown a variety of ways to impact outcomes, shapeshifting from a wrecking ball who can bully his way anywhere on the court to a defensive stopper and willing playmaker. Teams game-plan for him, then are forced to adjust when he overcomes it. Sometimes, they still don't have answers. Indiana had 50 problems to contend with Monday night.

But for a 21-year-old who's still slowing things down, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Because Banchero is still learning how to be great and what all that allows him to be. His career is setting up for plenty more of these moments.

"I felt like I put up two sub-par performances in the last two games," Banchero said. "I wasn't happy after the Memphis game. I knew that this was a big game – not only for us, but for Indiana as well. I just knew ... with Franz being out, I had to be extra aggressive coming in.

"I think the game is slowing down. I'm just learning more and more about myself as I keep going. I keep having to remind myself that I'm still very young, very early in my career. I'm still learning."

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

  • NBA ELITE REACT TO PAOLO'S 50: Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero scored 50 points in a dramatic comeback win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Basketball fans across the country — and the world — took notice. CLICK HERE
  • MAGIC-PACERS RECAP: Behind 50 points from All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, the Orlando Magic outlasted the Indiana Pacers 119-115 on Monday night. CLICK HERE
  • MAGIC'S MATURITY CAUSES TEAM TO LOOK IN MIRROR: The Orlando Magic are mature enough to realize when they don't meet expectations, as in Saturday night's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The learning curve continues Monday night. CLICK HERE
  • MAGIC'S 2024-25 SCHEDULE: See the complete slate for the Orlando Magic in 2024-25 and all the details – dates, locations, TV, tip times and more – that you need to know. CLICK HERE

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