Orlando Magic are playing their best basketball despite Paolo Banchero being sidelined | NBA on NBC

>> IT LEADING THE TEAM IN ASSISTS AND STEALS SO FAR THIS SEASON. SO THE MAGIC HAVE WON 11 OF THEIR LAST 15 GAMES. PUSHED THEM UP TO SIXTH IN THE EAST. JUST A GAME AND A HALF OUT OF SECOND CHICAGO. YEAH, THAT 5-0 START. DISTANT MEMORY NOW. NOW BELOW 500 FOR THE FIRST TIME ALL SEASON DOWN TO TENTHS IN THE CONFERENCE. SCAL T-MAC AHMED FARIED HERE. ALL RIGHT SCAL. SO THIS ORLANDO MAGIC TEAM I’M STARTING TO GET THE FEELING YOU’RE STARTING TO FEEL THIS ORLANDO MAGIC TEAM. BUT I WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH ARE YOU FEELING THIS TEAM RIGHT NOW. >> I THINK THEY’RE THE BEST TEAM IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE. >> WAIT A SECOND. >> HOLD ON. BECAUSE I KNOW BECAUSE I JUST SAW CLEVELAND LAST NIGHT ACTUALLY. AND THEY’RE MISSING SOMETHING. AND ORLANDO ISN’T. THEY’RE BIG. THEY’RE PHYSICAL. THEY HAVE YOUNG GUYS. THEY YOU SAID TALKED ABOUT JALEN SUGGS. THEY HAVE EVERYTHING YOU WANT AND THEY’RE DOING IT ALL WITHOUT BANCHERO. IF YOU LOOK AT SINCE BANCHERO HAS BEEN OUT NUMBER 1 IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE IN NET RATING. SO I’M NOT A STAR PLAYER. I WAS A ROLE PLAYER THAT FILLED IN. BUT WHEN YOU’RE A STAR AND YOU’RE WATCHING THESE GUYS PLAY THE BEST BASKETBALL, THEY HAVE ASPIRATIONS. WHEN THEY WENT OUT AND TRADED FOR FIRST ROUND PICKS FOR DESMOND BANE AND YOU KNOW, TATUM’S OUT OF THE OUT OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE THIS YEAR. THEY HAVE TO BE THINKING GO TO THE FINALS. SO YOU HAVE A STAR PLAYER IN BANCHERO AND HE’S A BONA FIDE STAR. HE’S SITTING THERE AND HE’S WATCHING THIS AND HE’S WATCHING THEIR TEAM PLAY THE BEST BASKETBALL OF THEIR SEASON. >> YEAH, WELL, FOR ME, BEING THAT STAR PLAYER THAT’S OUT AND WATCHING MY TEAM, FIRST OF ALL, I WAS A STAR PLAYER AND NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH MY TEAM WIN. WHILE I WAS SITTING OUT THAT AMOUNT OF GAMES. SO REFUSED TO DO THAT. SO. BUT, BUT BUT I’M LOOKING AT THIS AND, AND A LOT OF YOU KNOW, CHATTER IS AROUND THIS BECAUSE THEY WASN’T PLAYING GREAT BASKETBALL WHEN PAOLO WAS IN THERE. AND NOW THEY ARE. AND I THINK AS A PLAYER YOU COULD LOOK AT THAT, HEAR THE CHATTER AND THINK THAT’S A THREAT TO YOU. BUT ACTUALLY THAT SHOULD BE ENCOURAGING TO PAOLO BECAUSE HE’S A VERY SMART BASKETBALL PLAYER. HE’S A HE’S A GREAT BASKETBALL PLAYER. AND WHEN HE COMES BACK, THAT LOW DOESN’T HAVE TO BE HEAVY FOR HIM. RIGHT? HE CAN COME IN AND REALLY JUST CONCENTRATE ON GIVING MORE ON THE DEFENSIVE END. RIGHT. BEING A FACILITATOR, BECAUSE WHAT YOU DON’T WANT TO DO IS COME BACK AND INTERRUPT WHAT THESE GUYS HAVE GOING ON WITH HOLDING THE BALL BEING A BALL STOPPER. >> SO I’VE GOT A LOT OF QUESTIONS FOR BOTH OF YOU RIGHT NOW. TMAC STARTING WITH STARTING WITH YOU JUST WITH PAOLO, IS THERE A WAY THAT THEY’RE PLAYING RIGHT NOW WITHOUT HIM? THAT IS MORE BENEFICIAL, MORE SUITED TO THEIR TALENT? AND SO WHEN HE COMES IN, WELL, HE HAS TO FIT IN TOHATEVER THEY HAVE FOUND OUT WITHOUT HIM. >> HE SHOULD FIT IN. THAT’S THAT’S EXACTLY. AND THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING. HE SHOULD JUST COME. ONE THING YOU COULD DO THAT WILL NOT DISRUPT FLOW IS DEFENSIVE INTENSITY. AND BE A BALL MOVER. RIGHT. AND BE A FACILITATOR. THAT’S WHAT HE CAN DO ON THE OFFENSIVE END. HE GOING TO BE FINE COMING BACK, INTEGRATING BECAUSE THEY ARE PLAYING SO GREAT THAT HE UNDERSTANDS. HE’S A VERY, VERY SMART BASKETBALL PLAYER THAT I DON’T HAVE TO DO MUCH. I COULD JUST COME IN AND FILL MY SPOTS RIGHT THE FIRST FEW GAMES, JUST FILL IT OUT A LITTLE BIT AND THEN BE THAT CLOSER THAT THEY’RE GOING TO NEED, THEY’RE GOING TO NEED HIM TO BE A CLOSER FOR THIS TEAM TO REACH THE HEIGHTS THEY WANT TO REACH. >> BUT YOU THINK HE HAS TO BE A DIFFERENT PLAYER WHEN HE COMES BACK? >> ABSOLUTELY. HE HAS TO BE A DIFFERENT PLAYER. >> WELL, ORLANDO LAST YEAR, LAST IN THE NBA IN PACE THIS YEAR. FIRST OR NOT FIRST I GUESS THEY’RE TOP FIVE IN PACE. SO BECAUSE BECAUSE THEY’RE PLAYING SO DIFFERENT PAOLO HAD A LOT TO DO WITH THEM PLAYING SLOW. HE LIKES TO GET THE BALL IN HIS SPOTS, TAKE HIS TIME, GET TO HIS SPOT AND HE DOESN’T DRAW DOUBLE TEAMS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. PEOPLE ARE ALL LIVING WITH THE FACT OF HIM SHOOTING A STEP BACK, 15 FOOTER OR A PULL UP, HE DOESN’T REALLY ATTACK THE RIM LIKE THAT. HE DOESN’T SHOOT THE PULL UP THREE. SO WHERE DOES HE FIT? HE JUST SCORE THAT FINDS HIS SPOTS AND HE CAN SCORE FROM THEM. BUT THAT DOESN’T CAUSE THE DEFENSE TO ROTATE. RIGHT NOW WHAT YOU SEE IS THESE GUYS ATTACKING, GETTING TO THE RIM, PUSHING THE BALL LATE, KICK OUT TO AN ANTHONY BLACK IN THE CORNER. AND THAT’S HOW THAT’S VERY DIFFERENT THAN THE WAY THAT THEY PLAYED BEFORE. >> THAT’S A VERY GREAT POINT. SO IF YOU’RE GOING TO BE A BALL STOPPER LIKE YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO PULL GRAVITY, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO PULL DEFENSE TOWARDS YOU TO WHERE THAT DEFENSE COMES TOWARDS YOU. YOU MAKE A PLAY OUT OF THAT, AND THAT’S HOW YOU REALLY BE A FACILITATOR AND, YOU KNOW, ELEVATE YOUR TEAM TO TO NEW HEIGHTS. YOU CAN’T COME BACK AND HOLD THE BALL AND THE DEFENSE STAYS HOME AND YOU’RE TAKING LONG CONTESTED SHOTS. AND IT’S JUST ABOUT YOU LIKE THIS TEAM IS PLAYING AT A GREAT PACE TO WHERE

Are the Orlando Magic the best team in the Eastern Conference? NBA Showtime breaks down how their high level of play in the absence of Paolo Banchero and what his return will mean for the team. #NBCSports #NBAonNBC #OrlandoMagic
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Orlando Magic are playing their best basketball despite Paolo Banchero being sidelined | NBA on NBC
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17 comments

  2. I’ll say get Lauri for him you already swung for the fences with bane get Lauri and something else for Banchero you get a ready to win now player in the wide open eastern conference

  3. Paolo gonna fit seemlessly when he returns, i hate the narrative they're tryna push. lets wait to see how he performs, you guys already underestimated the team. stop tryna justify your previous thoughts about them now with the back handed compliments of Paolo fitting in with the team success.

  7. It's not out of the question for Orlando to win the Eastern Conference this season. They have the talent and have playoff experience. Maybe the only teams with an edge are Detroit and the Knicks but neither is that far ahead.

  9. I watch Paolo the last 2 years passing the ball to wide open guy that missed wide open shots. This is a different team and you can add 4 assist a game to his already 6. This guy is gonna be a 20-10-10 guy if this team keeps playing like this.

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