Desmond Bain will love Paolo Bunchero’s accolade of being a ‘real marksman’.

The Orlando Magic grow at the right time, and one of the biggest reason is guard Desmond Bane. After his latest explosion of points in the NBA Cup quarterfinal win against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, teammates Paolo Banchero offered high praise perfectly capturing Bane’s influence. The 37-point performance gave Orlando a crucial 117-108 victory and cemented a spot in the NBA Cup semifinals.

After the game, Banchero asked Swish Theory’s Ryan Kaminsky, who took to his X (formerly known as Twitter) account to share the exchange on Bane’s growing offensive role and how it makes his job easier with Franz Wagner on the sidelines. His response quickly became one of the biggest stories of the night.

“He’s more than a shooter… he’s a real shooter, just a player.

He hit 6 3-pointers tonight, but had 37 points against Detroit without hitting a 3-pointer.

It’s not just his shooting, but scoring in general.

You just give such a player the ball, it’s not very difficult. It comes to that.

He’s stuck on 37, hopefully we can get him a 40-ball soon.”

I asked Paolo Bunchero how it feels to have Desmond Bain as a relief valve in the offense now, especially in games where Franz has dropped compared to previous seasons

“He’s more than a shooter… he’s a real shooter, just a player.

He hit 6 3-pointers tonight but had 37 PTS… pic.twitter.com/iUN0KNGIoC

— Ryan Kaminsky NBA (@beyondtheRK) December 10, 2025

Buncher’s comments showed growing confidence in the locker room as the Magic continue to climb the NBA Cup field. Bain scored well from every level, giving Magic a permanent option when they tighten games late. His work from the arc against the Heat came just days after going 37 without a triple, proving he can attack in multiple ways. The growth reflects the offensive arsenal the former Memphis Grizzlies guard possesses, and makes him tougher to guard now that teams have played 20 to 25 games and scouting reports have gotten sharper.

With Wagner still out, the Magic are leaning on Bain to carry more of the load, and his recent play shows he’s fulfilling that requirement. The group now prepares for a semifinal matchup with the New York Knicks, a chance to strengthen their streak in the league’s new tournament and build on the momentum they found behind Bain’s rise.