How Desmond Bane can UNLOCK the Orlando Magic Offense

How Desmond Bane can UNLOCK the Orlando Magic Offense

All [Music] right, joining me now from the Orlando Magic, Desmond Bane. Desmond, how you doing today, man? Man, blessed, excited, excited to be on the show. I appreciate you joining me today, man. Orlando, of course, made a massive change this off seasonason, and that’s acquiring you. Uh, I’m I’m curious of entering the team this season and your your time in the past with Memphis. What what was your assessment of this Magic roster from the outside and how does your presence on the team change it? I I think they um have a unique roster. Um you know, the size that they have on this roster is is unreal. Um I mean, you look at Jaylen Suggs a big guard, Anthony Black’s a bigger guard. Um and then next to them, you have 610 wings and and forwards. So, um, they it’s it’s no secret to to why they were such a good defensive team. Um, and now it’s about converting on those stops, you know, and and getting out in transition is something that Fran just did extremely well in Euro basket. Um, something that I’ve done well throughout my career. Jaylen Suggs likes to run. So, I think that that it’s going to look a lot different this year um on the offensive end, but, you know, a whole lot of the, you know, same things that you’ve seen defensively. Um, I’m I’m super excited. The guys are are really good guys. Um, the organization just bred on good people. So, seems like we got a chance to do something special. Two years ago, you attempted a careerhigh 8.6 three-pointers per game. And then last year, you were down to 6.1, which was your lowest since your rookie season. So, your three-point rate has fluctuated kind of a lot over your career with different systems and whatnot over the years in Memphis. Do you expect to be, you know, shooting possibly a careerhigh amount of threes for the Magic this year? Because that’s what’s missing is three-point shooting. Would you expect to maybe be cracking eight, nine threes a game this year? Yeah, I mean, I think I think that’s the goal. Um, we we’ve been playing and scrimmaging over the last two weeks and um it’s it’s very apparent what they what they want from me. You know, they they want me to shoot threes. They want me to be aggressive and score the ball and um play make. So, every time I I turn down a shot or they feel like I can get a shot off, um they’re they’re letting me know about it. So, they I think that um that I’ll definitely be at career numbers as far as attempts go. I mean, last year Orlando’s bottom 10 in three-point percentage and three-point attempts. And they add you, they draft Chase Richardson. And of course, I think the underrated, overlooked signing in all this is Taius Jones. Tyus Jones has been over 40% from three last three seasons. He’s not just elite assist turnover ratio guy as a point guard. He’s also an elite spot up shooter. So, I mean that from my perspective, I think like maybe adding one more shooter would be nice, but the additions that have been made, I feel like Taius Jones has been kind of overlooked in all of this personally. And you played with him before. So, what does Taius Jones add to the Orlando Magic? Man, I mean, you hit on it from from a lot of things he does on the court, but I mean, in the locker room, he’s going to be fantastic as well. I mean, we we called him Stones um in Memphis, you know, because of some of the big shots he makes, but he’s also, you know, like a rock, a rock to a team, you know, a guy that people can lean on. You know, exactly what you’re getting from Taius. Like, he’s never too cool to to hang out and crack jokes or whatever, but whenever you’re on court, it’s um super serious. So, he’s he’s going to be huge for us. Um, and help, you know, guys like Jay, guys like Jaylen, Anthony Black, um, all those guys really show them the ropes and and what it’s like to to have longevity in this league as a point guard. When it gets reported that the Magic gave up, four first swap KCP, Cole Anthony for you, there was a lot of reaction on social media. Some Magic fans like, “Yes, this is exactly what we needed.” Some Memphis Grizzlies fans are like, “Oh, wow. We lost Desmond Bane. This sucks.” And then a lot of other fans are like, “Wow, the Magic gave up that much for Desmond Bane.” I think personally I think a lot of people don’t know how good you actually are as a player and also how you fit in the Magic, but there are a lot of people who were surprised. What was your reaction to the reaction when some people are like, “Wow, the Magic gave up that much for him.” Yeah, I mean I it it really doesn’t move me one way or another. um you know to when I had talks with Jeff um you know kind of similar to to some of the stuff you’re saying like he feels like like I was one of the missing pieces um to get them over the top and you know if if if that’s the case then those four first round picks would fall to the end of the draft you know as it is. So um it’s it’s my job to go out there and and win basketball games and and prove the decision right and and that’s what that’s what we’re going to do. I mean, you’ve always kind of been a prove it guy. Like in high school, you weren’t recruited by top colleges and you you go 30th, a first round pick is an honor, but 30th, you’re not a lottery guy. And then now this is happening with the trade. This is kind of the norm for you and your basketball career. Is a great spot to be in, you know? I mean, in Memphis, we started winning and um you know, I kind of felt like we expected to win um you know, and it’s it’s super hard to win in this league. Um, so, so it’s it’s good to be, you know, have that mindset of, of prove it, you know, and, uh, you know, really really pour that into the guys. So, when I look at the Magic roster, it’s, you know, Paulo and Fron and Jaylen Suggs, Wendell Carter, Tristan D Silva. Hey, he’s a monster, too. Great. Euro basket. Oh, Wendell Carter. Tristan played great, too. But Wendell’s gonna be he’s gonna be the X factor for us. You’ll see. You’ll see. Why do you say that as an X factor? If you if you look at like the fives, modern day five in in uh the NBA, I mean, Dell can switch one through five. Um he’s making great decisions in the pocket on his roles. He’s finishing strong around the rim, shooting threes. Um just be about staying healthy, staying confident, but I think he’s a guy that can really open everything up for us. I mean, you mentioned his role as a versatile big man on defenseman on offense as well with his passing ability out of DHO, short roll passing and everything like that. I mean, I think that’s where like when I look at you, I’m like, okay, Fran and Paulo can run pick and roll as 6’10 dudes. Wendell Carter can play different roles offensively and you as somebody with your size, you can run pick and roll, you can be a spot-up guy, you can come off screens, you can even set screens for that matter as well cuz you’re so strong. I feel like like there’s just so much potential versatility. What has your role looked like in some of these, you know, early practices you’ve guys had? Is is there a versatility there where you’re plugged and played into maybe more spaces than you’ve ever been before? I’m doing everything. I mean, I think you hit it on the head like get it off the rebound and go. I’m playing hit and chase. I’m coming off of offball screens. I’m playing pick and roll. Um, there’s really no limitation to to what I do on this team and in this offense. Um, and kind of touching on that point you were talking about with Wendell, like the best years that I feel like I had at Memphis was playing alongside somebody like Steven Adams, like who can screen, who’s smart, can pass. So now I can leverage my cutting, um, you know, and all those things. And now I feel like I’m in a position to be able to do that again. And, and with you, it’s interesting because I feel like with the Magic, there’s so much potential for twoman actions. Obviously with pick and rolls with you know Paulo screening for Fron or you screening for Paulo just so many different combinations them screening for you and so on but with like DHOs’s as well it’s interesting when you when you look at Jamal Mosley in the four years he’s coached the Magic his first year coaching Orlando they rank second in the NBA in handoffs per game that has fallen each season from 12th to 20th to 24th and I don’t think that’s unsurprising because of the lack of shooting that’s been on the team but I think with the personnel there’s so much potential for installing some of that stuff which I think were his early intentions with the offense you know and do do you kind of see some of that like with playing with with with Paulo playing with Fron playing with Wendell Carter with those DHOs with you kind of coming through because in your career you’ve shot all over 40% from three out of dribble handoffs you obviously can get to the rim as well it just feels like something that can work on paper very very natural for me I mean you know one of the things that that I’ve kind struggle with in my career is like when you have the like perimeter defenders like OKC that crawl up in the ball and now I’m asked to initiate offense or come off a pick and roll with you know aggressive defenders. Um but when it’s when I’m playing at DHO now that kind of takes that out of the equation and I’m getting an advantage off of leveraging my shot and my cutting. Um but we’ve uh we’ve been drilling a lot of that. you know, it’s early. Um, so we’re not like full practice or nothing along those lines, but with a little bit of structure that we’ve been given, DHOs are definitely um in the cards. I mean, it’s going to be different obviously, especially compared to last year in Memphis, cuz that was like a system unlike anything. Like there weren’t a lot of handoffs and pick and rolls or anything like that. What was your reaction when that system was initially installed last season? Yeah, during training camp, I was like, man, it here is crazy. um you know like we’ll see if it works type of thing. Like I don’t think anybody was just surefire gung-ho on it. But um once we started playing like it was evident that it works, you know. I mean like you play with space um continuous movement. Um I mean a lot of guys were flourishing in it, you know, being able to play at multiple different spots. Um it’s it’s a very very very versatile offense um that a lot of teams started to pick up on like throughout the season like they started cutting and started doing different things um you know whether it was out of their pick and rolls or whatnot but um yeah Nola was was definitely on to something with uh with some of those offensive principles. You feel like there’s anything you learned that could be that’s like made an impression on you moving forward in your career from him? Yeah. or anything in that system, that whole experience last year because obviously there’s a lot of ups and downs like a coach gets fired last year, right? Including Noah. But is there anything that you take forward in your career? Yeah, I think that that I learned that I can be good in in just about any system like I mean I I came back from my oblique injury and I struggled early on and then um once I kind of got in shape and got my legs under me like I was playing very efficient basketball like had munch shooting over 50% and 40% from three. Um, so like just my adaptability like come in, okay, I’m a spot shooter and then like you said, I’m playing off of DHO’s and then J goes down and misses some time and now I’m primary creator, primary scorer and last year, you know, it’s just like get in where you fit in type of thing. like whether I’m passing, rebounding, scoring, um just just adding layers to my game. So, I feel like I’m in a position to be successful wherever I’m wherever I land. I feel like when I look at the Magic roster this year, there’s everything’s there. Like all the role players, the the upside pieces, and I I think the the swing piece though, I still think it comes down to like what version of Paulo Bancerero are the Magic going to get? Is it going to be more of like the up and down and consistent inefficient scoring during the season or like just pure dominance beginning of last season before the injury or during the playoffs when he was like unstoppable 40 plus% from three elite from mid-range getting anywhere he wanted on the court? I feel like from my perspective that Paulo is the guy who determines your ceiling this year from like championship contenders or just a really good team that takes a big step. Um but I think Ben Caro taking that step moving forward uh is key to that this season. Have you practiced with him so far as well? Yeah, we we just had a team many camp um in Vegas. Uh so so everybody was there. We went to the fight um really good just to get around everybody. But me and P we spent a lot of time together. Um had really good conversations at the dinner we was at. Um whether it’s recovery sessions or whatever, like we had very good conversations. And he’s going to be a monster. I mean, he uh and the thing that I like about him a lot is he like he’s very selfless. Like he uh he just wants to win and um feel like that’s rare uh around like, you know, number one picks, young Allstars. Like everybody’s still trying to make a name for themselves and and chase chase chase chase. But um he understands that, you know, winning comes first and if we win, all that stuff will take care of itself. So, I expect a big season out of him and I think he expects a big season out of himself and u more than anything I can just feel the the hunger um you know that he has coming into this season. So, I’m I’m super excited to get around him and um you know happy to be able to complement his skill set. I mean he got a taste you know like sometimes you go to the playoffs for the first time and you experience that on that stage and also he’s really good. He played his best he ever has in the playoffs. It’s probably kind of uh instill some confidence as well, like okay, I can do this on this stage. And you build on that moving forward and your career. I mean, I mean, with you like at this stage, you signed a $200 million contract. You’re you’ve traded for four first round picks. That’s a that is an honor. It shows how you’re valued by another team. You’ve had great success in your career so far, even though, you know, you’re still chasing a championship as well. How would like high school Desmond Bane react to all the success you’ve had? probably wouldn’t believe it. Um, you know, like I tell this story all the time, like once I got to TCU, like it was like my my I made it moment. You know what I’m saying? Like where I come from, like people don’t make it that far, you know? So that I wasn’t even thinking about the NBA like overseas, you know, was a potential, but I wasn’t even thinking about it. and um you know work my way into the door and and never you know change my work habits or um you know who I was and you know this thing’s just kind of taken off. So it’s uh it’s cool to look back and see how far and like see the journey and stuff like that. But you know now now we’re here and it’s it’s time to to really stamp it like you said get that championship. You weren’t even thinking NBA when you went to college like that that hadn’t entered your mind yet? No, no, no. Like it was like it was like play as a junior, you know, like I I mean I I committed to TCU two weeks before I graduated high school, you know? So it wasn’t like u oh you’re, you know, sought after or whatever. I I was like, “Oh, I’m a roster filler.” Like kind of questioning whether or not I was even good enough to play high major basketball cuz that was my only high major offer I had. So it was just more so like I’m in a Big 12 like bright lights, you know? um star struck if you will. Wow. So So it wasn’t really until your junior year that you first kind of had the NBA dream enter your mind. It wasn’t like when you were 10 10 11 years old or wasn’t that dream as a as a little kid at all? I mean I I always wanted to but I I’m realistic. You know what I’m saying? Like I’m I’m realistic. Like I thought that was like impossible, you know? I never met anybody that had done it or even came came close, you know? So, you ever tell your I know your great-grandparents helped raise you. Did you ever talk to them about it when you were a kid? Uh oh, yeah. I mean, I would I would like I grew up with a basketball like my grandma used to tell uh this story all the time. Like uh like Mike, I’m sure you’ve seen that movie. Like I told her, I don’t want to like I was three or four years old when I watched it and I said I don’t want to play for the YMCA anymore. I want to play in the NBA. You know what I’m saying? So, like it’s it’s been in my heart forever, but you know, dream big and who knows what’ll happen type of thing. What’s one of the best lessons they taught you as a kid? Probably just uh respect, you know, like treat everybody the way you want to be treated. Like, it’s cliche, but like uh they they really live by that. And um you know, I’ve been around super talented guys like that just couldn’t put it together off the court or with the way they handle themselves or the way they treat others. And um you know, it’ll it’ll get you a long way, open some doors, at least give you opportunities. Did Did you know being raised by two people so much older than you kind of change your perspective on life and approach to life? Because it’s very different than like a lot of peers, of course. 100%. I mean, you come home every day and they’re either taking care of the yard or playing on a computer, like reading a book, like very very simple life, you know, like and it was filled with love, like family, always coming to cookouts on the weekends and stuff like that. So, like you said, it really put things into perspective and um taught me what was important um you know, in life and it’s kept me grounded through the NBA. you know, in the NBA you can lose yourself, you know, and and everything that that comes with it, but um you know, they set the foundation for me. I mean, you’re married yourself now with two kids, right? Yeah. It’s crazy, right? It’s crazy. How’ fatherhood change you? Uh man, it it took the I’m not going to lie, like I love basketball more than anything in the world besides my family and my kids, you know? like before like I had outlets but it was hard to really let let myself be involved in those outlets like when I’m struggling or whatever just because like I didn’t love those outlets as much as basketball you know what I’m saying but uh like my family’s kind of kind of giving me that like you said perspective um it just puts everything in place like my kids are forever might play 10 more years in the NBA or whatever it’s called but um you know they my kids and my families forever. Yeah. And now if you have like a two for 111 shooting performance, you go home and you get a little kid running up to your leg, right? Yeah. Exactly. It’s like, all right, get back in the gym tomorrow and try it again the next day, you know? It’s not like I’m can’t sleep that night, you know? Yeah. There’s there’s bigger and bigger and better things in life. But Desmond, uh, best of luck this season, Orlando. I’m excited for you, man. And I mean, you you know, I liked you pre-draft. I think I had your 19th or 20th on my board and it’s cool to see you somehow someway. We We kept slipping, man. We kept slipping. We kept slipping. You You and You and them other folks had my hopes up, man. That I was going into teens, man. Oh, man. Yeah. I’ve I’ve made a I’ve had a lot of misses in my career ranking players, but I’m happy I had you ranked top 20. And yet that was too low. I should have had you ranked higher. I’m not I’m not too bright, am I? Thank you. Thank you so much for joining me today, Desmond. Appreciate it. Appreciate it, bro.

Kevin O’Connor is joined by Desmond Bane to break down his move to Orlando and what he brings to the team on both ends of the floor. Bane shares his perspective on the Magic’s defensive versatility and the keys to their offensive system. Hear why Wendell Carter could be the team’s X-factor and how Bane’s journey from overlooked prospect to NBA difference-maker fuels his game.

0:00 – Intro
0:20 – Assessment of Orlando Magic
3:39 – Bane’s reaction to his trade
6:16 – Desmond’s role in Orlando’s offense
9:11 – Lessons learned from Memphis system
13:36 – Bane’s childhood NBA dreams

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