Orlando Magic Star Paolo Banchero Getting Better From 3-Point Land

Paolo Banchero is fueling the Orlando Magic's strong start with his 3-point shooting.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 23, 2023

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Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic is off to its best start in 12 years with a 10-5 record, but there's one metric the team hasn't performed well in ... 3-point shooting.

But an exception to that has been Paolo Banchero, the reigning Rookie of the Year, who hit a clutch 3-point shot to take the lead late in Wednesday night's win against the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

"I've always been a good shooter so just believing in it and then taking the right ones too -- the ones that are in rhythm, the ones that feel good," Banchero said via Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. And when I do take them, shooting it with confidence. There's no wavering. Every shot I shoot, I think it's going in. So, that's just the mentality and I've been shooting it well."

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) shoots the ball against Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) during the first quarter at Amway Center. — Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) shoots the ball against Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) during the first quarter at Amway Center / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Banchero has been shooting it well, and it's been a major improvement in his game. Last season, Banchero shot under 30 percent from downtown. But in 15 games so far this season, that number has jumped to 45.5 percent, which ranks 15th in the entire league.

The Magic does need to improve as a team in that department, but if Banchero leads the way, Orlando could take its hot start and turn into one of the Eastern Conference's true threats.

Banchero and the Magic is back in action on Black Friday in the team's final In-Season Tournament game against the Boston Celtics at home. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET from the Amway Center.

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Published Nov 23, 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.