The Magic are figuring out what it takes
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Orlando Magic rookie and No. 1 overall draft pick Paolo Banchero is journaling with The Associated Press this season to chronicle his first year in the NBA. This is his third installment. The Magic had the worst record in the league through the first 25 games of his rookie campaign, then won 14 of his next 25. He is averaging 20.5 points and 6.3 bounces.)
Everything started to get better when we started getting healthy.
We went 5-20 in our first 25 games, then 14-11 in the next 25 games, and a lot of that was about health. Getting Markelle Fultz back was a big help. And many other guys have become healthier. But I think when we got some wins and saw how we were winning, we realized we could keep it going.
Obviously, you need to have a certain level of focus to do this. But we saw in our six-game winning streak, the teams we were beating and the way we were beating them, that it wasn’t a fluke. I think that motivated us and still motivates us. We have places we want to get to and we have to stay focused. But everything changed when we got the guys healthy, saw what we needed to be and how well we played together.
That just speaks to the guys we have on this team and the confidence we have in each other — the confidence we have in ourselves as players. Markelle is the No. 1 pick. She’s not afraid of anything. He feels the best at what he does. Franz Wagner is a star. I mean, look at the jump he’s made in his second year. In my opinion, he is the best second year player in the league. And I’m one of the #1 picks and I feel the same way about myself as these guys. We just have guys who aren’t afraid of the moment, aren’t afraid of being big.
We almost matched last season’s win total. I wasn’t here last year, but just talking to the guys who were there, you can see how much they appreciate where we are right now. When you really think about it, it’s crazy. It makes me even more eager to be a part of the change here. It’s exciting and it’s motivating. It makes you want more. And winning makes you want to win more.
The Orlando Magic, across the league, haven’t taken us seriously. We’ve been seen as a struggling franchise. So we continue to earn respect. We’ll have to go out and get him. Teams won’t just give it to us. It’s fun, though. I like to win games and I like to see the look on other people’s faces, you know, you can tell they’re a bit sick when they lose to us. But it’s lovely. I like.
We got another big boost when Jonathan Isaac returned. I was in high school when I hurt my knee, my freshman year. Which is crazy. We all saw the work he did at the AdventHealth Training Center every day, trying to get back there after 2-1/2 years. And when he finally got to play, he did a lot for me and the rest of the guys. Most of us had never played with him. Just watching him go out there was crazy, really encouraging. When someone is out for that long, it’s hard to understand even when they’re back on the court. To see him really come out and be comfortable, making plays, making shots, making steals, I was really excited. It was fine. It was a special moment to be a part of, and then he hit his first shot, it was awesome.
I recently got to catch up with my college coach Mike Krzyzewski on his radio show. Coach K, he was in the spotlight for 40 years, so he’s enjoying retirement, enjoying spending time with his family, watching it all from afar. I hadn’t spoken to him in almost two months. He didn’t expect to be invited to his show so soon, but he definitely wasn’t going to say no. This is my boy. I love him. It was fine. He checks in with his NBA guys here and there, lets you know he’s watching. He’s always watching. I know that. But he gives you space.
So now we’re in the second half of the season. We’re going to play some meaningful games. We are playing well right now. We’re in the mix for the play-in. But we’re not caught up in that, not looking too far ahead, just taking it game by game and having a laser focus for each game. We’ve learned that when we do that, we tend to win.
We’re not there yet, but we’re trying to get there. we get there
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