Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Desmond Bane is proving to be exactly what the Magic needed

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated Dec 10, 2025 1:33 PM ET

Brought to Orlando to help elevate the Magic's contender status ahead of the 2025-26 season, Desmond Bane is starting to deliver on the expectations that followed him from Memphis.

Bane is making sure one of the most underrated moves from the summer is paying off in a big way. Bane's emergence has coincided with the Magic (15-10) winning.

On Tuesday night, Bane matched his season-high offensive output, scoring 37 points to lead Orlando to the NBA Cup East semifinals.

His second 37-point performance of the month allowed Orlando to defeat the in-state rival Miami Heat 117-108.

Bane was acquired in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and four unprotected first-round picks in an effort to fix the Magic's biggest weakness from last season - three-point shooting.

DESMOND BANE DID HIS THING FOR ORLANDO:

37 PTS (15 in 4Q)
6 REB
5 AST
6 3PM

The Magic will play the winner of NYK/TOR in the @emirates NBA Cup Semifinals on Saturday pic.twitter.com/FC569HWryF
— NBA (@NBA) December 10, 2025

A career 40.7 percent shooter from long range, Bane has been putting his skills on display as of late. In contrast, the Magic are coming off a season in which they ranked last in overall three-point percentage at 31.8.

Against Miami, Bane connected on 14-of-24 shots from the field (58.3 percent) and was 6-for-9 from three. Bane even added six rebounds and five assists to complete the exact same stat line he posted when he recorded 37 points in a 125-120 win over the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 1.

Bane now has surpassed double-digits in scoring in four of his five games played in December and is averaging 19.0 points, 4.4 boards and 4.5 assists per game through 25 games so far this season.

Now that Bane has been hitting his stride, the Magic are benefiting and rocketing up the conference standings. They have now won seven of their last 10 games and are firmly positioned in the playoff picture as the No. 4 seed.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

More must-reads: