Magic PF Paolo Banchero More 'Motivated' Than He's Ever Been

Paolo Banchero is the Rookie of the Year, but the Orlando Magic forward is more motivated than ever to get his team back to the postseason.

Jeremy Brener | May 25, 2023

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero has proven why he was the No. 1 pick.

After leading all rookies in scoring and becoming the Rookie of the Year, Banchero solidified himself as a mainstay in the NBA ... and yet, he finds himself even more motivated than he was coming into the league.

“I think this is the most motivated I’ve been heading into a summer,” Banchero said to SLAM Magazine. “And I think a lot of guys on the team would say the same. I think we all kind of have that same mentality where next year is the year where we kind of put ourselves in that conversation of being one of the better teams in the East, and then in the League.”

Banchero is slowly establishing himself as a leader for the Magic and the team will follow his lead. The addition of Banchero's impact on both ends propelled Orlando from 22 wins the year prior to a 34-48 mark this season. While the 12-win jump marked the largest in the Eastern Conference, the Magic fell just short of the postseason for the third consecutive year.

Now, Orlando hopes Banchero's motivation for greatness will help push the Magic out of its playoff drought in a year from now.

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Published May 25, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.