On Monday, Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero signed a max rookie extension with the franchise that will keep with the franchise long term, as reported by Shams Charania of ESPN. While this sort of move has appeared inevitable for quite some time now, it was still a testament to just how quickly Banchero has climbed the NBA ranks during his time with the Magic.
Recently, former NBA All-Star point guard Jeff Teague took to his own Club 520 podcast with a hot take about Banchero as it relates to his young star counterpart, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama.
“The reason I say (Banchero's) better than Wemby is because Wemby ain’t really done nothing. We just like Wemby because he’s like a freak,” said Teague.
Teague also mentioned that “(Wembanyama is) a phenomenal player but I’m going to go with what I see.”
In the quote, Teague was referencing Wembanyama's injury history, which outside of last year's blood clot which sidelined him in February, hasn't really been much of a concern.
Meanwhile, Banchero hasn't necessarily been a picture of health thus far during his time with the league. In fact, last year, the Magic were arguably hit harder by the injury bug than any other team in the league, with Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs all missing significant time, among others.
A big season for the Magic
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Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) shoots the ball against the Boston Celtics in the second quarter during game four of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center.
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images.
The Magic enter the 2025-26 season with the highest expectations they've had since the days that Dwight Howard wore the blue and white in the late 2000s.
The Eastern Conference landscape would appear to be wide open at the current juncture with several players, including Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, out likely for all of next season due to injury.
The Magic pushed all of their chips to the center of the table by going out and acquiring Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane earlier this summer, which should help alleviate the team's one glaring weakness: their perimeter shooting, which was worst in the league in 2024-25.
It remains to be seen if Bane alone can remedy this issue, but if he does, watch out for the Magic.