The Orlando Magic have struggled with inconsistency all season, and it all starts with the leadership of Paolo Banchero. Banchero has moments where he looks like a millionaire and he's figuring out how to be a superstar in the association, but there are also some nights where some of his bad habits come to the fore. That's what happened in Sunday night's 106-92 loss to the East-leading Detroit Pistons.
Banchero had 24 points on only 10 field-goal attempts, so he got to the foul line a lot, which is a testament to how aggressive he was in getting to the basket. However, the Magic Stars were more careless than aggressive in some of their plays. They turned the ball over nine times, which is a straight-up death sentence against a Pistons team that tries to physically overwhelm any opponent that comes their way.
after the game, banchero is owned As for some of his missteps, he expressed his frustration at playing below the standards set for himself.
"I thought we had a lot of turnovers. You know, I had a lot of turnovers. Yeah, we gave them a lot of chances. I think it was some bad passes. I was trying to pass it to my teammates when maybe I should have just shot it," Banchero said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.
"Some of them - a trip, a repeated call, just a bad night. Last game, I had no turnovers. This game, I had nine. So, very frustrating."
"I thought we had too many turnovers. You know, I had too many turnovers," #magical Forward Paolo Banchero accounted for Orlando's 19 turnovers, of which he committed nine.
He added: "Last game, I didn't have any turnovers. This game, I had nine. So, very disappointing."
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-Jason Beede (@therealBeede) 2 March 2026
Magical battle for position in the east
If the season ended today, the Magic would once again be fighting for their lives in the play-in tournament. This will be the second consecutive season they have struggled to qualify for the playoffs, and it's a bit disappointing considering how they went out and acquired Desmond Bane in a blockbuster.
Franz Wagner's injury hasn't helped, but overall, the Magic have fallen short of expectations this season with a 31-28 record.
