The Orlando Magic are led by a duo that doesn’t fit together. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are two young and talented wings. Internally, there was probably hope they’d grow into the next Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, at least as far as their on-court success together.
Unfortunately, their games don’t complement each other. Their individual skill sets don’t translate to a winning partnership.
Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Doc Rivers thought his former franchise would pick between them this offseason.
“This summer, I was shocked they didn’t do anything. I just thought that they would move one,” said Rivers in a recent appearance on the Bill Simmons Podcast.
Neither player shoots the ball well enough. And it’s too easy for whoever’s guarding one of them to switch onto the other. It minimizes the impact of working them in tandem.
“Players don’t fit sometimes,” said Rivers. “It’s a team that doesn’t fit.”
Should the Magic Keep Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner?
According to the head coach of the Boston Celtics‘ 2008 title team, the answer is Banchero.
“I like the way Franz plays better than the way Paolo plays,” said Rivers. “Because he’s a downhill, quick-decision player. I just think Paolo — he’s just more skilled. He can do more things.”
In his first four years in the league, the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft averaged 22.3 points and 7.4 rebounds, including 1.1 offensive rebounds. He also dished out 4.8 assists and swiped nearly 1.0 steals per game.
He is a good shooter from the mid-range, a spot where he can use his size and strength to score consistently. The former All-Star has also grown as a facilitator. And he gets to the free-throw line. He’s averaging 7.7 attempts per contest for his career.
However, as talented as he is, the soon-to-be 24-year-old must make strides from beyond the arc. He’s a career 31.8 percent three-point shooter on 4.4 attempts. At least he’s not shying away from those.
The Magic need more from Paolo Banchero
Last year was a concerning one for Banchero. There wasn’t enough progress. Desmond Bane’s arrival and Anthony Black’s breakout should have elevated a team that took a home run swing to acquire Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies. Instead, they had to fight out of the play-in tournament, then suffered a first-round exit.
To Rivers’ point, it reinforced that the Magic’s two best players don’t fit together. To be fair, as he pointed out, both burgeoning wings have also dealt with injuries. That includes both suffering oblique tears nearly a month apart in the 2024-25 campaign.
That’s an uncommon injury for a basketball player. Orlando’s star wings dealing with that in the same season is Buzzard’s luck.
The Magic want Sean Sweeney to make this star tandem work
That’s why they hired him to replace their previous head coach, Jamahl Mosley. If they have to pivot, so be it. But Sweeney has a history of helping premier young players ascend.
Sweeney worked with Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio. Earlier in his career, he worked closely with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP credited his former assistant coach with sharpening his killer instinct on the court.
“I love that dude. My relationship with Sweeney — it’s more than basketball. He’s one of my best friends,” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic in 2018. “The killer mentality — he definitely helped me with that. It definitely comes from me and my family and the way I grew up, but having Coach Sweeney for those years, he really helped me as a player and as a person off the court.”
However, instead of Orlando breaking up its current duo to reunite these two, the Magic chose patience. They want to see what Sweeney can do for Banchero and Wagner. The early returns aren’t inspiring for a club that’s 2-6 to begin the 2026-27 campaign. Perhaps they’ll find their footing. If not, Rivers has made his choice on which of the two they should move forward with.
Doc Rivers Weighs In on Magic’s Paolo Banchero-Franz Wagner Coexistence Challenge