Paolo Banchero did not mince words after his team’s unceremonious exit from the postseason.
The Orlando Magic star did all he could Sunday in Game 7 of his team’s first-round against the Detroit Pistons. Banchero poured in a game-high 38 points on 14/25 shooting with 9 rebounds and 6 assists, but it wasn’t enough in the 116-94 loss at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.
Banchero was a sullen figure during his postgame press conference. He gave a candid answer when asked whether or not this Magic team, as currently constructed, is good enough to succeed at the next level.
“I can’t really answer that. I want to say yes, but we haven’t been out of the first round, so if you’re going off the last three years, the answer is no,” Banchero replied.
“The nice answer would be yes, but honestly speaking, I can’t say that we’re good enough to be in the Finals or Eastern Finals, because the last three years, we’ve had the same result.”
The Magic on Sunday became the 15th team in NBA history to lose a series after leading 3-1. One could argue that the team already overachieved, given that they took the East’s No. 1 seed to the brink of elimination.
However, Orlando’s performances in Games 6 and 7 did not exactly evoke confidence in the team moving forward. The Magic led Game 6 by as many as 24 points, but had arguably the worst second half in NBA postseason history to lose by double figures. Game 7 was a good, old-fashioned blowout loss.
It’s hard to imagine the Magic not making some changes this offseason. There have long been rumors about a rift between Banchero and head coach Jamahl Mosley. At this point, Mosley may have the hottest seat among all the coaches in the NBA.
