3 Paths to a Magic All-Star: Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane

Three potential All-Stars?

That’s what the Orlando Magic see in their roster, and for good reason.

The Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers (Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves) were the only teams last season to have 3 players average 20+ PPG. The Magic feel any of their three stars can be a #1 option on any given night.

The question that remains, though, is which player’s super-powered scoring will be used most by the new ball coach Sean Sweeney next season?

"One of the best parts of the job that I did for 37 seasons...

Somebody might do something that everybody is talking about the next day all around the country

(for) T-Mac... it could literally happen any night." - @steelemagic

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 @SwishTheory pic.twitter.com/6vM9tgVUPm
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) August 11, 2026

3 paths to a Magic All-Star

Orlando celebrates Paolo's shot — Jan 7, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) celebrates his overtime game-winning three point shot against the Brooklyn Nets with guard Desmond Bane (3) and forward Noah Penda (93) and center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) and guard Anthony Black (0) at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Paolo Banchero is a former #1 Pick, a Rookie of the Year, and a 1x All-Star who has posted All-NBA level numbers for long stretches, even if he didn't end up meeting the 65gp minimum to make it.

Franz Wagner, one of the premier defensive and scoring wings, produces at an All-League level every time he steps out onto the court; the problem is, he's missed about half of his total games the last two seasons due to injury.

Desmond Bane stepped into Orlando as their best 3pt shooter from Day 1, quickly finding consistent scoring efficiency as an individual with splashy numbers and marquee moments that could’ve made an All-Star team in his first season donning the blue and white pinstripes if the Magic had a few more tallies in the wins column.

So, what do the paths look like for one of these players making an NBA All-Star team in the 2026-27 NBA season?

Is there a chance Orlando could actually have multiple All-Stars, multiple Top-30 players, next year?

ESPN is betting against all three by not including any in their Top-30 Players next season. If the Magic stay healthy and as competitive as they're capable of, that could come back to haunt them.

NBA Rank continues with No. 50-11 ⤵️

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— ESPN (@espn) September 23, 2026

Ranking De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Reaves over Wagner is almost disrespectful to Wagner.

Alperen Sengun, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Jalen Johnson, Jalen Duren, Deni Avdija all being ranked ahead of all three of Wagner, Banchero, and Bane feels like a stretch.

Cooper Flagg is an all-time great prospect on track to keep leveling up his game in every way, but he didn't surpass Wagner or Banchero in his Rookie season impact; don't rank the hype before the leap.

If Orlando is as competitive as any team in the East next season, at least one player will likely be playing at a Top-30 level, if not two or three.

Banchero takes another mini leap

Banchero fades — May 3, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) shoots on Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) in the first half during game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Spending his summer working on his game with Kevin Durant, getting into his best physical shape possible, and spending time on and off the floor with his teammates to keep building chemistry, Banchero is already addressing some areas needed to make the jump from All-Star to Superstar.

Already a barreling downhill force paint-and-spray 3pt hub who attacks the rack and draws fouls at will, Banchero hopes the new offensive scheme under Sweeney better positions him and his teammates to unlock the final form of this team.

Becoming as mobile as possible helps with defensive versatility and flying up and down the court in transition, while conditioning is vital to best prevent injuries in a full season of NBA basketball as the team’s primary scoring hub, let alone staying fresh for the end of games.

Improving his finishing at the rim and his jump shot efficiency from midrange and beyond, hopefully learning a trick or two from Durant, is the pathway to Banchero improving his scoring efficiency, along with better shot selection decision making to help the team win in other ways on nights where the shot isn’t falling.

Another year of growth for Banchero, directly addressing some areas with room for improvement in his game this summer, motivated to be great in this new system under Sweeney, with a little injury luck from his teammates and himself staying on the floor long enough to show what this group can do together, are all Banchero needs to keep walking down the path towards superstardom.

Wagner stays healthy, sees higher usage as playmaker

Franz celebrates — Apr 25, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) reacts after a basket against the Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The analysis isn’t that difficult here for Wagner, because he’s already so elite at his young age, he’s considered one of the best two-way wings in the world.

The defensive impact is elite and the offensive impact is elite, despite having his own areas to continue to grow his game, like speeding up the 3pt shot into a smoother rhythm or finding more consistency from deep in any way he can.

Seeing if his scoring efficiency and shot creation for others stays elite with even more usage and touches is worth exploring, at least on nights with fewer hands on deck where the team needs a clear defacto #1 option to stand up.

Point Wagner is an area worth exploring, where Wagner is on the ball, Banchero is screening or in the dunker spot or spotting up as a connective play-finisher, and Bane is stretching floor along with the other two shooters or play-finishers on the floor. This may be the set that absolutely best balances each's player's strengths and weaknesses into ideal roles for consistent efficient shot creation.

Pairing Wagner with a strong-screen rim-roller like Carter never fails, as the Wagna Carta promises.

Wagner’s main obstacle, of course, is staying healthy enough for long enough to do those things while finally adding some individual accolades to his resume. He isn't responsible for bad injury luck, it doesn't fall on his shoulders if it randomly happens again, and he has done and is doing all he can to prevent further injuries. He sat out the Detroit series after the 3-1 lead for this moment to avoid further longterm injury; his injuries are relatively random and unlucky; he’s fully healthy, he stretches often to stay flexible, and he's motivated to help his team win, to prove this group works together.

Bane is better utilized on and off the ball for team offense

Bane drives — May 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) dribbles the ball against the Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Bane saw one of his most efficient individual scoring seasons last year with about as many driving reps as one could ask him to take, it feels like there’s another level for Bane’s production to reach due to his 3pt shooting prowess.

Bane proved over and over that he’s more than a 3pt shooter — he’s a 3pt sniper who uses that gravity to leverage defenders in space into attacking gaps on drives to the rack. When he has a screen to work with, Bane was one of the most efficient offensive options individually in the league.

But, this Magic offense needs more than his individual production; this team needs new Sweeney to find a way to maximize the offensive scheme for the whole team in a way that balances the shooting gravity of Bane and downhill paint gravity of Bancher and Wagner into the best spacing of all in order to maximize the‘s overall team's scoring efficiency while setting up each individual player to best succeed.

Ideally this Magic offense will look brand new with its best shooters rotating around the arc like a machine around the playmaking feel of Wagner, Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr. in the paint and on the elbows until the ball finds the open man and that open man ideally is Bane, Jalen Suggs, or Anthony Black, or one of the team's most confident 3pt shooters.

Simply finding new ways to set up Bane for a decent look from beyond the arc should be a priority; cranking up Bane’s 3pt volume back to double digits is one clear solution for Orlando's offensive woes, but the problem left to solve is how exactly to do get there, how to leverage this team’s talents in a way to best set up all players and the team for success, to properly motivate the group as a team.

If Bane comes out launching over ten threes per game in a scheme built around Banchero and Wagner pulling defenders one direction while leveraging that into an extra step for Bane in the other direction, then suddenly this Magic offense will look very scary overnight.

For a team whose offense has been built around individual star scoring, the final frontier for that offense to reach is where the sum of its parts become greater as a whole. This team already thrives in areas like downhill driving, free throw drawing, and safe decision making; if this offense can finally add the wildcard of being able to knock down fifteen threes on any given night, suddenly the offense will look as viable and as modern as any, on a team better known for its defense.

If this team builds an elite, balanced 3pt shooting offense paired with its versatile, energetic, aggressive defense where both rank in the Top-12, featuring a roster of multiple potential All-Stars and All-Defensive players, with a rotation of playable depth, they'll show all the ingredients one would need to build a contender.

Orlando being motivated enough in the regular season to earn a Top-3 seed is the path to the Magic seeing 2 or even all 3 stars earning All-Star status. All it takes is the right chef to stir the pot.

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