Magic Need the Desmond Bane They Got Against Raptors

Orlando made a blockbuster trade in the offseason, and it might start paying off.

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane reacts after a three-point basket against the Toronto Raptors. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Orlando Magic shooting guard Desmond Bane is coming off of arguably his best performance with his new team in a 130-120 win against the Toronto Raptors.

Bane made a season-high seven 3-pointers on 10 attempts and dropped 32 points in a big win that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for him. Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley expressed his excitement for Bane's performance after the game.

“I love it for him. Love that for him, and he understood the coverages, where guys were on him, getting to a shot. But I think, you know, he was shooting close to 10 (three-point attempts) last year in Memphis, and I think that's when he’s at his best clip. And for us to be able to continue to find him in situations says a lot about our guys, and him being able to let that thing go, is huge," Mosley said.

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane shoots the ball over Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Bane Shines in Big Win For Magic

Someone who knows Desmond Bane very well is Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic, who was an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies while Bane was on the team. Rajakovic also gave Bane his flowers after the game.

“That’s the beauty of the NBA, right? On any given night a team can get hot and shoot the ball. Obviously, we knew that Desmond Bane, he’s a really good shooter. Tonight, he was seven for 10 from the three-point line. That was a big, big thing during the game," Rajakovic said.

“He did a great job there of playmaking, getting to his spots on the floor, shooting three, shooting his mid-range shots. He played a great game.”

There is a reason why Bane was acquired for four first-round picks last summer and this is why. Bane has the ability to take over games, like he did against the Raptors, and it can lead to winning basketball. The Magic wouldn't have won the game against the Raptors last year because they didn't have someone that can get hot like Bane from deep.

The team made 17 threes as a whole, but Bane was responsible for nearly half of those. It's a positive sign to see that Bane is making these threes at a high clip, even though he has not been able to reach his career averages so far this season in Orlando.

This could be a sign that Bane is getting more comfortable and catching fire as the team heads into the second half of the season.