What the Magic’s Hot Stretch Means for Paolo Banchero | NBA on Prime

What the Magic’s Hot Stretch Means for Paolo Banchero | NBA on Prime

Once again, we welcome in the Ringers, Zack Low. Still awake. There he is. Still awake. Still going. Look great. Zack, you look great. Zack, we’re so happy that you are here with us. It’s been a wild night in the East starting with the Magic who clinched the one seed. How are they finding success without Paulo? Yes, it’s getting interesting. Six and two since Bera went down with an injury. Court looks a little bit more open. The ball’s popping a little bit more. Anthony Black leveling up. He had a monster game tonight. That was an awesome game, by the way. Orlando, Detroit. Jaylen Suggs never been better. Doing a little bit more with the ball. I think we’d all agree the Magic ceiling is much higher with Bero. They need Berror to hit that ceiling. But, you know, what does he have to change about his game if anything to fit into what the Magic are doing without him? Desmond Bane had another monster game tonight. He’s leveled up without Ber. And then the team they’re playing, the Heat. They also are reintegrating an all-star level player. Tyler Hero is back into an offense that Eric Spolstra UD can talk about this completely reinvented over the offseason. That fit has been super smooth so far. I can’t wait to see these two teams play each other. I I know Blake wants to hit Berrow. Like what what are you seeing the Magic do without Bero? And then I want to hear you D just wax poetic about Spo and the Heat and how this Tyler Herro thing is going to work. Yeah, I mean, listen, I I I love Ben Carroll’s game. I thought I think he’s been brilliant for most of his career. I do think this is an opportunity to sort of sit, watch games, and look and see what’s happening on the floor in front of you. Right? They’ve added Bane. Their offense is a little bit different this year, and it’s it’s an opportunity for him as a player and a leader of the team to say, “Hey, you know what? I may have to sacrifice this part of my game, or I may have to look at this a little bit more.” And if you do that, when you come back, your teammates notice that. They appreciate you sacrificing a part of your game for the betterment of the team. So this is a huge moment I think for Berrow to see this, admit it and and move on and help the team be better from it and his teammates to also notice that as well. I think this is about the evolution of Paulo, right? He showed up in the playoffs. He came to play. He proved that he’s a plays under the spotlight. But I think when you watch the team play or you watch the way the league is going, you got to make quick decisions. You got to play on the move. You got to create space. You got to create opportunities for your teammates. You got to be a little bit more unpredictable. So, I think it’s really important for them to see the this evolution from Paulo because he is he’s he’s an incredible talent that’s going to really take your team places in the playoffs. You couldn’t go without him. But, like you said, BG, he gets to sit on the side, watch the way they’re playing, the pace, the space, quick decisions, everyone’s getting touches, everyone’s playing better. When he slides in and can take that evol evolution, I think they’re going to be a terrific team. Yeah. I think this isn’t all just on Po, right? Like like there was moments when Fron Vagner wasn’t playing as well. Bane had a slow start. So by no means can we sit here and be like, “Oh, Paulo has to change everything. It’s his fault.” It’s not. But you have seen that this works, right? And so you said it, you hit the nail. Small sample, right? We’ve been playing with three weeks. So like you got to give guys a half a season season to figure this stuff out. 100%. Yeah. And UD, he wanted to hear you wax poetic about spo. kind of clear out 10 toes down. This is all you. I mean, for for the Miami Heat right now is unfortunately that the two games that Tyler has been back, Norman’s only played one of those games. So, they haven’t had a chance to get in the gym and play together full full strength. But, I think the good thing about this team offensively is that they don’t run any plays and that the ball finds energy. So, as long as you’re getting up and down the floor, you’re playing with energy, you’re playing with pace, the ball is going to find you. That’s just the karma of the game. And then when they get into a situation where they got to run some atto’s spo get those guys in the right situation. We’ve seen how great of a mastermind he is is in those spe in those specific situations. Defensively, you take out a guy like Pella Larson who was hellified on defense for you. He Pella was great. I mean, how many charges he took, those different things that he do, but you got Bam back who can anchor your defense. You got Khalil back who can be an anchor on your defense. So, I’m looking for those guys to get some more time out there on the court to kind of figure it out and work it out. But the ball finds energy. So, nobody’s going to be left out if worse all all us fails. Run hard and you’ll get the damn ball. Run hard or you’ll get the ball. Zack, we got to chat. Our darlings in the East. The Raptors are rolling. Did you see this coming? I don’t think anybody saw this coming at this level. And this game, Raptors, Knicks, we came into the season in the East. It was Knicks, Cavs, and everyone else. Well, look what happened. Atlanta beat the Cavs tonight, and the Knicks are going on the road to play Toronto in the Emirates Cup because Toronto is the higher seed. This might be the most open conference in the modern history of the NBA. There’s three and a half games separating ninth and second right now. And you look at Detroit, they’re still on top despite a two-game losing streak. Atlanta won, Cleveland lost. And I I guess I you know I’m interested in Steve his perspective on a the Raptors Canada’s team, but also do we expect the East to stay this open or do you guys think we zoom forward 40 games, 30 games and it does turn out New York and Cleveland are the class of the East? Because I got to tell you, Detroit feels real and the East feels there for the taking for a lot of teams and a lot of teams like the Pistons that have stuff to trade if they want to go for it. The Heat too. UD’s heat too. Yeah, I can’t decide if this is what we’re looking at for the rest of the year or not. You know, there’s a lot of kind of variables right now. There’s a lot of fouls, pace is up, different things are happening around. Everyone seems to have injuries almost every night. So, it’s really hard to get a gauge, but the reality is I’m not sure those three factors are going to change. So, I think what we’re seeing is probably starting to emerge as something that could last the rest of the season. Toronto’s been a big surprise, the greatest Canadian basketball team on the planet. Um, you know, that I think we look at their team and we say kind of clunky starting lineup. You know, there’s guys that all kind of want the ball, need the ball. How are they going to fit together? Coaching staff’s done a good job tinkering. Balls moved a little more, gotten to different principles, different actions, trying to play fast. Defensively, they’ve been, I think, disruptive is one way to put it. And then you look at their bench, got productivity from their bench, which has been outstanding. So, uh, it’s kind of fun to see the Raptors back in it with a team that was everyone was kind of sleeping on. Here they are giving Canada something to cheer about and they’re in the uh in the quarterfinals. Zach, don’t go too far. We have another conference to discuss. So, we’ll be bringing you right back. Dirk is surprised you’re awake. Looking good, Z. I’m doing fine. I’m doing fine. I’m not that old. I’m not that old. South Beach hours. I’m Taylor Rooks with NBA on Prime. Thanks so much for watching. Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button to see interviews with your favorite players. Experience the most exciting moments from around the league and see what the NBA on Prime crew is up to all season long. And remember, you can hang out with us live each week during the NBA season only on Prime.

Zach Lowe joins NBA on Prime’s Blake Griffin, Udonis Haslem, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Taylor Rooks to discuss the Orlando Magic’s recent hot stretch without Paolo Banchero and what it means for him once he returns. The crew breaks down how the Magic have found success with expanded roles for their supporting cast, what Paolo can learn from watching this run, and how Orlando can keep the momentum going once Banchero returns to the lineup.

They also discuss the Toronto Raptors, one of the NBA’s early surprises. The Nightcap panel examines what’s driving Toronto’s strong start, how they continue to pick up unexpected wins, and why their current level of play is sustainable over the full season.

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