Paolo Banchero hints at unintended consequence of Magic playing fast

Coming off two-straight seasons of being a top-3 defense, the Orlando Magic's defense is off to an underwhelming start through nearly one week of action.

Orlando entered the season wanting to play faster offensively, hoping to climb out of the depths of what has been one of the NBA's worst offenses the last three seasons. Through four games, they have played at the 8th-fastest pace, but their inefficient offense has continued while their defense has plateaued.

After Monday's loss -- the team's third-straight loss -- to the Philadelphia 76ers, star forward Paolo Banchero discussed one of the unintended consequences of the team's new up-tempo look.

"Definitely not what we're used to," Banchero said after the 12-point loss when asked about the team's defense, according to the Orlando Sentinel's Jason Beede. "(It) Hasn't been very good, giving up a lot of points. But that's kind of what you give up when you speed the pace up. Teams are able to get out and run, and it causes crossmatches and miscommunications. ... So, we've got to figure it out."

Magic must clean up issues defensively:

Magic 76ers — Oct 27, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) dribbles past Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe had their way against Orlando on Monday, combining to score 69 of the team's 136 points -- including 43 by Maxey, his second 40-point game of the season up to this point.

"Give them credit," head coach Jamahl Mosley said after the game, according to Beede. "They've got some guards that can go out and attack, get downhill and space the floor. But we do have to be better mixing in how physical we are with defending without fouling.

"Tyrese Maxey was able to get loose. I think that's a big key [to] it."

Heading into Monday, no opponent had scored over 125 points against the Magic since Feb. 13, 2024. Moreover, Orlando had just nine games when the opponent scored 120-plus points last season; that's happened twice already this season.

To add insult to injury, you'd have to go back to Mosley's first season in 2021-22 to find a regular season game where the Magic's defensive rating was north of 137. All in all, their defense isn't good right now, which must continue if they want to make noise in an otherwise open East.

Magic must clean up issues defensively:

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