The Magic are having their best start in 12 years and Paolo Banchero’s three-point shooting has improved out of sight.
The rest of the Orlando team haven’t been quite up to scratch in the three-pointer department, but Banchero has been super impressive from beyond the arc.
The reigning Rookie of the Year hit a clutch three to take the lead in Wednesday night’s 124-119 win against the defending champions the Nuggets.
“I’ve always been a good shooter so just believing in it and then taking the right ones too — the ones that are in rhythm, the ones that feel good,” Banchero said, via the Orlando Sentinel. And when I do take them, shooting it with confidence. There’s no wavering. Every shot I shoot, I think it’s going in. So, that’s just the mentality and I’ve been shooting it well.”
There is no denying his shooting has vastly improved, since Banchero shot less than 30 percent from downtown last season.
In the 15 games he’s played so far in 2023-24, that number has shot to 45.5 percent – which ranks him 15th in the league.
“That’s always been a priority for me, Banchero told NBA.com.“Getting my shot better. More consistent. Put in a lot of work over the summer. Watched a lot of film on that too, watching some of my better shooting stretches through my rookie year and then some of my slumps, and thinking “What do I notice that’s different? What can I adjust?””
The Magic are one of the NBA’s youngest teams, with nine players aged 24 or under and Banchero pinpointed the difference-maker coming into this season compared to last.
“I think everyone has raised the level of their seriousness and commitment,” Banchero said. “Not saying it wasn’t like that last year, but I think everyone being back and being healthy, that’s having some motivation to be in the playoffs and compete in the East. You can just feel the elevated sense of urgency. It’s been good so far and we’ve been battling. Obviously, we’ve got some stuff to clean up but I think the effort has been there every day.”
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