Matt Calkins: Why Magic star Paolo Banchero could become a Seattle legend

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Apr 12, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

SEATTLE — Is it Brandon Roy? Jamal Crawford? Might Nate Robinson be in the mix?

If we’re talking about the best basketball player to come out of Seattle, those aren’t names you can ignore.

But if this question were asked five years from now, there might be a definitive answer. One Paolo Banchero. Have you seen what this guy is doing?

It’s been a bit of a tricky season for the Magic forward given the injury he suffered in October. An oblique tear sidelined him for nearly two and a half months, perhaps causing some fans to forget about the 50 points he scored two nights before going down.

So there was no All-Star appearance for the 6-foot-10 Banchero. No chatter about the O’Dea High product appearing in MVP voting.

But as Orlando sits seventh in the Eastern Conference standings heading into the final game of the season Sunday — thanks in part to the five-game winning streak it’s riding — Paolo’s contributions can’t be ignored. With 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, he’s living up to every ounce of expectations in his third year in the NBA. Might even be surpassing them.

You never know how a first overall pick is going to pan out in the league. Banchero wasn’t a no-doubt No. 1 the way a LeBron James or Victor Wembanyama was.

There was some debate as to whether it was going to be him or Chet Holmgren out of Gonzaga. But the Magic took him with the top selection, and with Holmgren injured, Paolo cruised to the Rookie of the Year award in 2023.

Then, he got better.

A 20.0 points-per-game average jumped to 22.6 in Year 2. His .427 field-goal percentage and .298 3-point percentage jumped to .455 and .339, respectively. More importantly, the Magic went from 34-48 to 47-35. But this was all happening in the 58th most-populous city in the country, so how many people took note? How many people in a random mall in America would recognize Banchero’s mug if you showed it to them on your phone?

A relatively small amount, likely. But maybe they should start paying attention.

Since the All-Star break, Banchero is averaging 29.0 points per game. That’s fourth in the NBA behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic. The Magic are 41-40, but when your best player has missed 35 games, a dip in record is to be expected.

But heading into the final game of the season — which Banchero may or may not play in due to an ankle issue — Orlando is sneaking up as a team that could pull off a first-round upset if it makes it past the play-in round. This is Paolo’s doing. Is it going too far to suggest that he could be the greatest player to come out of the Emerald City?

This is a basketball town, after all. One that has garnered national attention on the high-school level while regularly producing NBA talent. Not yet mentioned are names such as Spencer Hawes or Dejounte Murray or Jason Terry. But I’m not sure this town has produced a legend.

Great as Roy was in his first three years in Portland, knee problems derailed a promising career. Prolific as Crawford — who suited up in 20 different NBA seasons — was, he never made an All-Star team. Mesmerizing as Robinson’s athletic ability was, the most points he ever averaged in an NBA season was 13.2.

If you want to extend this to King County, you can throw out a name such as Zach Lavine, a two-time dunk contest winner who’s averaging 23.4 points per game this season. Or if you want to extend it to the Seattle-Tacoma market, you can’t deny Tacoma-born Husky legend Isaiah Thomas. Both of those guys made All-Star teams, but I’m not sure they’re future Hall of Famers. Banchero’s numbers are starting to reflect someone Springfield-bound. Of course, he’ll need the wins to match.

I mentioned earlier that not having your best player for 35 games is going to impact your record. What I didn’t mention is that Orlando actually played better without him. Make of that what you will. Inter Miami also played better with Lionel Messi out last season. Messi still won MLS MVP despite missing 15 games.

The fact is, the Magic are rolling right now and Banchero is playing top-tier hoops. You might want to get used to reading that sentence.

____