Paolo Banchero Rising to the Occasion After Struggles

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is quieting his critics following his performance against the Washington Wizards.

After struggling with nine turnovers in a loss earlier in the week against the Detroit Pistons, Banchero responded with 37 points in one of his best games of the season in a win against the Washington Wizards.

“Yeah, we challenged him early just because we knew the size was going to be an advantage. So, him being able to get out and get early seals, we knew that was going to be something for us. They were going to collapse, and he did a great job challenging before the game to try to get five or six early, easy steals," Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said in his postgame press conference.

"I think he ended up with five tonight. But that puts so much pressure on the defense, when he’s down there and these guys have to collapse, and now he’s able to make the right play or finish at the rim.”

Banchero's Aggression Pays Off For Magic

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero grabs the rebound during the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Banchero proved how he can completely take over games, which the Magic need more of in order to win contests, especially with Franz Wagner and others on the sidelines.

“Yeah, you know, just wanted to be aggressive. They were showing me single coverage, so I thought I could just take advantage of that," Banchero said postgame.

Banchero's aggression doesn't just change his game, but it also affects his teammates in a positive way.

“I think it’s huge. I mean, we talked about it, you know, against Detroit in the first half; we touched the paint a lot and in the second half, we didn’t. So, that was something that we stressed and kind of like I told the guys... it’s something that we’ve got to be better about," Bane said after the Wizards game.

"You know, talking about during the game, if we feel like we haven’t gotten to the paint a couple of times, ‘hey, let’s make sure we touch the paint before we let one go.’ You know, make sure we’re getting a good look. I thought we were really intentional getting there tonight and that’s got to be our M.O. I mean, we scored 126 points. That’s good basketball.”

If Banchero can continue to play with dominance, the Magic will be in a great position to stack wins and move up out of the Play-In spots in the Eastern Conference standings.