PAOLO Banchero

Last season, Banchero played 72 games and averaged 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks in 34.7 minutes. He shot 45.9 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from three and 77.5 percent from the line, with a true shooting mark of 56.6 percent. His usage rate sat at 27.4 percent, among the highest on the roster, confirming his role as Orlando's go-to scorer. Those numbers came while wearing the Magic jersey all season, so there's no adjustment needed for a team change heading into 2026-27.

Banchero's last season didn't end with the regular season. Orlando went through a playoff series against Detroit that stretched to at least five games. He had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in a win on April 25, then 25 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists in a win two days later on April 27. The next game, April 29, he erupted for 45 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in 40.8 minutes, though the Magic lost that one. He followed with 17 points and 10 assists combined with 6 assists in another loss on May 1, then 38 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in 41.9 minutes in a May 3 loss that closed out the stretch shown here.

Banchero is not on the injury report right now. There's no injury history logged for him, which lines up with the heavy minutes he's already logging early in 2026-27 — he played 26.4 minutes against Miami and 27.7 against Cleveland in the win, both solid workloads for mid-October. For a Magic team that needs him on the floor every night, a clean health report is the best news they could ask for this early in the season.

Banchero is a 23-year-old forward out of Duke, listed at 6-10 and 250 pounds. He wears No. 5 for Orlando and is entering his fourth NBA season. He's been with the Magic his entire career to this point, and last season's usage rate and scoring totals confirm he's the focal point of the offense as Orlando heads deeper into 2026-27.