Desmond Bane believes in the Magic: “Together, anything is possible”
The Orlando Magic want to take another step forward. Desmond Bane is counting on the strength of the group and the balance in the Eastern Conference to dream of a deep Playoff run
An intermediary summer so far for the Orlando Magic front office. The reason is clear: the second apron is now within sight and, to ease the burden of the luxury tax, the team had to part ways with Moritz Wagner, who was immediately acquired by the Brooklyn Nets.
As a result, the outlook for a team coming off an eighth-place Regular Season finish and an – undoubtedly respectable – first-round exit does not seem to have really changed. Especially in an Eastern Conference ready to welcome back LeBron James, Tyrese Haliburton and, almost officially, Kawhi Leonard.
And yet, in the NBA of recent years, new teams have consistently emerged as title contenders: according to Desmond Bane, that is proof that team cohesion comes before everything else and that, if making predictions in the summer was risky in the past, in the current NBA it has become practically impossible.
I don’t think talent is an issue for us. I think we have a good group of players
Desmond Bane
The real breath of fresh air for the Magic comes from the bench: for Bane, the players’ ability to learn coach Sean Sweeney’s system together will ultimately determine Orlando’s chances, both in the Regular Season and in the Playoffs.
That is especially important because the young coach already knows well what it takes to perform on the biggest stages: the associate head coach of the San Antonio Spurs last season, he is considered one of the architects of the Texans’ defense, which was decisive in their run to the Finals.
It’s about learning together – collectively buying into everything that Coach Sweeney wants from us. I think that’s the key, the step toward starting to build and improve together throughout the season. At that point, anything is possible
Desmond Bane
According to Bane, a team that is not expected to contend can pursue the goal with less pressure than its competitors.
We’ve seen it over the last few seasons, with the Spurs being considered a surprise and then making it to the Finals. The year before that, it happened with the Indiana Pacers. Nothing is like it was 10 years ago, when you knew LeBron was going to play for the title against the Warriors. There’s a lot of balance in the league: there are probably 10 or 11 teams in the East that believe they have a chance to make a run right now, and we’re one of them
Desmond Bane
A leap forward that is not only hoped for, but almost mandatory to finally give credibility to the coexistence on the floor of Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, which has been questioned several times because of spacing issues. It would also bring excitement back to a fan base that has not seen its team reach the second round of the Playoffs since 2010.