Eyes will be on Paolo Banchero this season, and rightfully so. The 23-year-old forward will need a big year for the Magic to be successful.
To do that, Banchero must have better offensive production. His career scoring average in the regular season is 22.3 points per game.
Banchero had only one regular season in which he averaged above 23 points per game: 2024-25. However, he only played in 46 games.
Banchero's shooting percentages will play a big role in furthering his offensive success.
While he isn't off to a strong start in the preseason, it isn't something that fans should panic over.
Banchero's shooting struggles early in preseason
In Orlando's 122-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Banchero played 15 minutes. He shot 2-for-7 from the field (28.6%) and 0-for-2 from three.
Banchero continued to struggle against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. He shot just 1-for-10 from the field (10%) and 1-for-3 from deep.
Across the two games, Banchero is shooting 17.6% from the field and 20% from beyond the arc.
Both are nowhere near ideal for Banchero in preseason, raising concerns for different reasons.
Across his four regular seasons, he is a 44.9% career shooter from the field. His preseason shooting percentage is well below that number.
In his past four preseasons, Banchero never shot below 33% from the field.
Banchero will need to pick it up for the remainder of preseason. If he doesn't, he will need to make sure he starts off efficiently in the regular season. Banchero must make sure this doesn't signify a drop in offensive efficiency early in the season.
As for his 3-point shooting, this is a big area Banchero needed to grow in this offseason.
Improving his accuracy from deep will make his offensive game more dynamic, which will help open up looks inside as well. His 3-point field goal percentage so far does not bode well for improvement.
Why fans shouldn't panic
At the end of the day, it's preseason. These games cannot be treated like regular-season performances from Banchero.
His career field goal percentage in the regular season shows that his preseason shooting isn't a point of concern yet.
While it would be better to see better shooting from beyond the arc, he could turn it around once the regular season begins. Fans should wait to see how well he knocks down the 3-ball at the start of the season before judging his ceiling in this aspect.
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