Paolo Banchero turns ice-cold start into triple-double for red-hot Magic
Paolo Banchero missed his first 10 shots during Thursday night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. He made nine of his next 10 on his way to his second career triple-double.
Banchero finished with a 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. That last number is the most significant one for an Orlando team that's won 18 of their last 23 games. In those games, Banchero has upped his assists to 6.3 per game, one more than his season average of 5.3. He's also making 40% of his threes since the hot streak began.
The increased playmaking and shotmaking has allowed Orlando to unleash some defense-heavy, offensively-challenged lineups around Banchero. Jalen Suggs has emerged as one of the NBA's best defensive guards, but he's only getting 2.6 assists per game. Jonathan Isaac is great on defense, but doesn't pass or score. Rookie Anthony Black has great size, but he's not much of a passer yet.
But when a team's power forward can lead the team in assists, they can live with limited passing at the guard and wing spots. It also lets Orlando play extremely big, with Banchero flanked by 6-foot-10 Franz Wagner at small forward, plus the 6-foot-5 Suggs and the 6-foot-7 Black.
That's how a team that makes the fewest three-pointers in the league is poised to host a first-round playoff series if the standings hold. Whatever deficiencies the Magic roster might have, Orlando's 21-year-old All-Star is overcoming a lot of them. Even when he starts the game ice-cold, his well-rounded game is keeping his team hot.
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