Kendrick Perkins slaps Paolo Bunchero with ‘biggest disappointment’ reality
The The Orlando Magic have been a huge disappointment this year, they are currently 28-25 as they prepare to return from the All-Star break. The Magic pushed all of their chips into the middle of the standings during the offseason with a trade to the Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Banebut for now they don’t have much to show for it.
One of the big culprits in Magic’s downfall was the gameplay Paolo Bancherowho has regressed significantly so far this season.
Most recently, the former NBA big man Kendrick Perkins went on ESPN’s NBA Today to hit Buncher with a sharp label.
“I’m going to go a little further and say Paolo Banchero was the biggest disappointment as a player,” Perkins told ESPN’s NBA on X, formerly Twitter.
While Banchero still has plenty of natural talent, many fans have grown weary of his poor shot selection, occasional defensive lapses and general lack of improvement from his first year.
This, combined with frequent injury concerns for the Magic, especially fellow role player Franz Wagner, has left Orlando currently in playoff position in the East, well below what most pundits are projecting it to be at this point in the season.
Of course, there’s still plenty of time for Orlando to turn things around, and it’s not out of the question that Banchero could improve his basketball IQ and decision-making as his career progresses. For now, though, he’s just hoping to avoid following the career trajectory of players like Ja Morant, who also had early-stage accolades before slowly fading into obscurity.
Either way, the Magic will next hit the floor Thursday night when they begin their West Coast road trip against the Sacramento Kings in what will be their first game after the All-Star break. Tipoff is set for 10:00 PM ET.
2026-02-18 23:20:00
