Paolo Banchero makes bold claim, puts Celtics and Magic in same category
By Jack Simone
The Boston Celtics are the team everyone will be chasing next year. That’s what happens when you win an NBA Championship. The target is set firmly on your back.
That goes for every team in the league, but teams in the Eastern Conference will be focusing on them way more than anyone else. Because if an East team wants to make the Finals, they have to go through Boston.
Paolo Banchero puts Magic on same level as Celtics, Knicks, and 76ers
Some teams have already started loading up. The New York Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges this summer, and the Philadelphia 76ers signed Paul George in free agency. But they aren’t the only teams looking to improve this summer.
Fresh off their first playoff appearance since 2020, the Orlando Magic added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency this summer. Led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, they will be looking to take some serious steps this season.
During a recent interview on First Take, Banchero spoke highly of the Magic. He’s very confident in his team. After Stephen A. Smith listed off the recent moves of the Celtics, Knicks, and 76ers, Banchero put the Magic on the same level as all of those squads. (H/t ClutchPoints)
"We feel like we're right there with all those teams [Celtics, Knicks, Sixers],” Banchero said.
He even said that he thinks the Magic will have a chance to win the Eastern Conference.
“We got better this year. I got better... I think we should easily be a top 4, top 3 team and have a chance to win the East."
Banchero is coming off an impressive sophomore season. He averaged 22.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while shooting 45.5% from the floor and 33.9% from behind the three-point line.
It would be a huge step forward if the Magic were to take down the Celtics and make the Finals in the upcoming season. That said, Bnachero is still only 21 years old, and Wagner is 22. They have plenty of time to grow and improve.
If anything, they should be using the Celtics as an example—two young, star forwards hoping to climb up the ranks in the Eastern Conference. Banchero and Wagner should be trying to become the next Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
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