Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero expressed confidence in his team during a recent appearance on ESPN’s First Take, saying the Magic are ready to compete against the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
“We feel like we’re right in that position,” Banchero said. “We’re right up there with all of those (elite teams in the East). I remember last year we started the season as a top-two, top-three seed and everybody thought it was a fluke. Everybody thought we were a play-in team and we were going to fall off the top of the East. We finished strong, got the No. 5 seed and really had a chance to get the No. 2 seed at the end of the season,” Banchero said. “We were right in that position last year. This year we’ve gotten better. I’ve gotten better, everybody’s gotten better. We’ve got some new pieces that will help us a lot. We’re going to turn some heads. We could easily be a top-four, top-three team and have a chance to win the East.”
The Magic young star said he feels a responsibility to help Orlando, the team that selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, win at the highest level.
“Orlando took a chance on me in the draft and I’m forever grateful for that.” “I was like, ‘I’m not going to let it go.'” Banchero said during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take.“I have love and respect for them because nobody knew I’d be No. 1. I didn’t know I’d be No. 1 either. So they trusted me and took that chance to make me No. 1. After that, I felt it was my job to help them reach heights that they hadn’t reached for a long time…We’re going to take a (big) leap next year and take it up a level, step by step. But we’re not going to stop anytime soon. We want to keep going and eventually win a championship.”
