The Magic Looked Like They Meant Business… Then the Season Started

Josh Smith Comparisons? It’s Getting Dark for Banchero

The world is going on with the Orlando Magic.

I mean it — in the preseason, they didn’t look unbeatable, but they looked really damn good. Now? Four games into the regular season and it’s the complete opposite.

Paolo Banchero out here doing step-back threes from 30 feet, and it’s getting so bad reporters are calling him the second coming of Josh Smith.

NBA analyst Kirk Goldsberry says Paolo Banchero reminds him of former NBA player Josh Smith:

“I’m going to raise the red flag over Paolo Banchero Island. This is such a key moment for him, and I hesitate to admit this — but at times, he reminds me of Josh Smith. He’s made just five of his 27 jump shots this year, and I’m not cherry-picking. I love Paolo — he’s a huge part of the future of American basketball — but last season, among the 62 most active jump shooters in the NBA, he ranked 60th in efficiency. He has a jump-shooting problem, and as the team’s most active scorer, that’s an issue. Some of the advanced numbers aren’t trending in the right direction, and this start to the season has cemented in my mind that he might not be improving at this key phase of his career.”

Now don’t get it twisted — Josh Smith was a damn good player. But that’s not what you want to hear about your franchise guy in Year 3.

It’s getting rough when your franchise superstar is shooting 5-for-27 on jumpers and ranking 60th out of 62 in jump-shot efficiency last year.

You know how hard it is to be that inefficient?

That’s like trying to miss.

The Vibes Are Collapsing — On Defense First

Let’s talk about what really matters: the defense.

Orlando gave up 121 to Miami. Then 136 to Philly. The Sixers didn’t even have Embiid or Paul George.

Tyrese Maxey went Super Saiyan with 43 points. Rookie VJ Edgecombe dropped 26. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 25.

“We just didn’t execute to finish,” Desmond Bane said. “That’s on me.”

Nah, bro. That’s on the whole squad. Orlando let Philly shoot 57% from the field, got beat 21–11 in the final stretch, and turned the ball over 12 times. That’s not execution — that’s a meltdown.

“It causes crossmatches and miscommunications and stuff like that,” Paolo said when asked about the Magic’s defense.

STUFF LIKE THAT?

Bro, what?

Orlando was able to hold opponents under 120 points in 73 of 82 games last season, but they’ve looked like afar cry from their past year especially defensively. Now you’ve done it once in four games. And yeah, speeding up the pace comes with trade-offs, but this isn’t a “learning curve” issue. It’s a red flag.

You can’t play fast if your defense turns into a layup line.

Franz Is Doing EverythinG!

The fact that you got Franz Wagner again grinding his hardest to make an All-Star team, and with this type of play, it ain’t gonna happen.

And I always tell people:

“You know it’s a damn good NBA when Franz Wagner isn’t even on the All-Star team and he’s putting up 20 points like it’s f**King clockwork.”

He’s averaging 22.5 PPG on 55.7% shooting, dragging this team through the mud.

And for what?

So Maxey can torch the entire rotation while everyone gets cooked on defense?

“Mosley’s Gotta Go” – No He Doesn’t

Now a lot of people are complaining:

“Jamahl Mosley’s gotta go.”
“They need a fiery head coach.”
“Fourth quarter execution is garbage.”

Chill out. It’s been five games. The fact y’all are even talking about this is insane.

Mosley just took this team to the playoffs last year as  one of the youngest cores in the league.

You know how I know?

Mosley threw rookie Noah Penda into the first quarter of a Sixers road game — and he delivered.

“He can guard multiple positions. He does a great job crashing the glass… knocked down the corner three,” Mosley said. “Those were the first points of his NBA career, which I thought was pretty awesome.”

Penda scored 3 points, grabbed a board, played 7 minutes — and had the entire coaching staff show his tape to the group the next day.

That’s not a broken team.

That’s a squad still building.

Numbers Don’t Lie (Even If They Hurt)

They don’t really have a legit starting point guard. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Tyus Jones is a really great point guard, but I don’t know if he’s still considered a starter at this point.

The fact that you have him — and his numbers look this bad — isn’t encouraging. He’s averaging 1.5 points in 17 minutes on 21.4% shooting. Hasn’t made a three all season.

But I’m not panicking. I’m secure with Tyus. I know he’s a damn good floor general. Pass-first, offense-setter, smart player.

I just don’t know what switch flipped from last season to this one, but he’s gotta get it together quick.

Because this offense is 25th in the league. And the defense is falling apart.

Magic Record: 1–3

Off Rtg: 109.4 (25th)

Def Rtg: 115.1 (16th)

Net Rtg: -5.8 (23rd)

Opponent PPG: 119.5 (18th)

3PT %: 29.1% (30th — dead last)

Even with strong rebounding and decent pace, this team is trending in the wrong direction. Fast.

Final Word: This Ain’t a Panic Button. But It Is a Check Engine Light.

The Magic don’t suck. They just look lost. And that’s different.

They’ve got the talent — Paolo, Franz, Suggs, even Anthony Black off the bench. But you can’t fake urgency in the East. Not when teams like Indiana, Philly, and Atlanta are all coming out hungry.

Fix the defense.

Find your damn point guard.

Stop pretending Paolo is Prime Harden with these step-backs.

Because right now? This team needs a get-right game, fast.