Paolo Banchero came into the play-in finale with plenty to answer for.

The former first overall pick had struggled in the Orlando Magic’s previous play-in loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-22 shooting and missing all five of his attempts from beyond the arc. 

For a 23-year-old former Rookie of the Year, one-time All-Star, and the player this Magic franchise has pinned its future on, criticism was always going to come in droves following a performance like that. Truth be told, Banchero has yet to fully live up to the weight of those expectations yet, which made his response against the Charlotte Hornets all the more important.

The 6-foot-10 forward responded to adversity like a star, finishing with 25 points, five rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a block in Orlando’s 121–90 demolition of the Hornets, securing the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. More importantly, he set the tone for the Magic from the very start. Banchero scored 12 points in the opening quarter on 5-for-7 shooting, attacking the basket with force and helping Orlando seize control before Charlotte could ever settle in.

The Magic ripped off runs of 10–0 and 13–0 in the first quarter, forcing four turnovers and blocking two shots while shooting a blistering 16-of-24 from the field. By the end of the period, they had built a 38–16 lead and the game was effectively over. Charlotte, which had convincingly won their regular season series 3–1, had no answer once Orlando established its physicality.

The final winning margin of 31 points was the largest by any team in a play-in game since the format was introduced in 2021. That alone says plenty, but the manner by which Orlando won made it even more meaningful. This looked like the version of the Magic that many expected to see for longer stretches this season—big, physical, defensive-minded, and capable of turning up the pressure to generate easy offense.

This version of the team had been increasingly harder to find late in the regular season. Orlando was pushing for the fourth seed in mid-March before stumbling to a 7–8 finish that dropped it to seventh. A five-game losing streak in the second half of March had even pushed the Magic as low as 10th place.

The Magic now move on to face the top-seeded Detroit Pistons on the road in the first round following a one-day break. Orlando will be the underdog, and Detroit has been the better team all season long. Still, both teams are young and play with an old school brand of physicality, which gives this series an added layer of unpredictability.

Banchero has not fully justified the hype that followed him into the league just yet. Performances like this, though, are a strong place to start.