Sep 29, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) poses for a picture during Magic-Media Day at AdventHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Desmond Bane's preseason debut should excite Magic fans for what's to come

Originally posted on Orlando Magic on SI
By Matt Hanifan | Last updated Oct 7, 2025 10:27 AM ET

None of the Magic's starters played more than 15 minutes in their preseason opener against the Miami Heat. They got their feet wet, but nothing more.

Yet, how the Magic utilized guard Desmond Bane -- who they acquired in June from the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-player blockbuster -- should excite Magic fans, even after just 13 minutes of action in a ramp-up game where the result doesn't necessarily matter.

Desmond Bane was arguably the Magic's best player in opener:

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

While he did not lead the team in any statistical category, you could argue that the fifth-year guard was the best player when he was on the floor in Puerto Rico.

No, that doesn't mean he will be the best during the regular season. But the 27-year-old is more than capable of taking games over, and how he affected the Magic's offense can't go unnoticed.

He finished with just nine points, six rebounds and three assists on 3-of-7 shooting. We knew that Bane was going to positively impact Orlando as a 3-point marksman. That didn't quite come against Miami, making just one three, though Orlando wasn't afraid to test Bane as a movement shooter.

It seems simple, in principle: Find ways to put your best players in positions to succeed. As a secondary creator who has plenty of shooting gravity, Bane's presence only helps him, but it opens up the floor for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

In this clip above, Bane took advantage on a miscommunication in the pick-and-roll coverage; Norman Powell thought the Heat was switching while Nikola Jovic was playing a higher drop near the level of the screen. If you give Bane any airspace, he'll make you pay way more often than not.

That's not a threat Orlando's had in its offense that it can instantly rely on to generate easy offense.

The 27-year-old made multiple high-level reads, too.

The Magic already had two of the East's top advantage creators in Banchero and Wagner. But you can never have enough good exploiters who know how and when to make the extra pass in those situations.

"We talked about their leadership as a big piece why they're here," head coach Jamahl Mosley said about Bane and Tyus Jones after the game. "But the other side of it is their basketball IQ. Their quick decision-making, wanting to make the right play and making the right play ... That's how they move."

The Magic won't suit up again until Oct. 10 against the Philadelphia. But if there's anything to take away from their preseason opener, it's that Desmond Bane could completely change the complexion of the team's offense if the cards fall into place.