(EDITORS NOTE – Orlando Magic rookie and #1 draft pick Paolo Banchero makes a Periodical Diary with The Associated Press this season to chronicle his freshman year in the NBA. This is his third episode. The Magic had the worst record in the league in the first 25 games of their rookie campaign and then went on to win 14 of their next 25 games. He averages 20.5 points and 6.3 rebounds.)
Everything started to get better when we started getting healthy.
We were 5-20 in our first 25 games, then 14-11 in our next 25 games, and a lot of that was about health. Getting Markelle Fultz back was a huge help. And a lot of other guys got healthier. But I think once we got some wins and saw us win, we realized we could keep it going.
Of course, you have to have a certain level of concentration for this. But we saw in our six-game winning streak, the teams we beat and the way we beat them, that it wasn’t a fluke. I think that kind of motivated us and still motivates us. We have places we want to go and we have to stay focused. But everything changed as we got the guys healthy, saw how we were supposed to look and how well we played together.
That just speaks to the guys we have on this team and the confidence we have in each other – the confidence we have in ourselves as players. Markelle is number 1. He’s not afraid of anything. He feels like he is the best at what he does. Franz Wagner is a star. I mean, look at the leap he made in his sophomore year. In my opinion he is the best second-year player in the league. And I’m a #1 pick and I feel the same way about myself as these guys do. We just have guys who aren’t afraid of the moment, who aren’t afraid to be great.
We’ve almost reached last season’s winning total. I wasn’t here last year but when I talk to the guys who were there you can see how much they appreciate where we’re at. If you really think about it, it’s crazy. It makes me even happier to be part of the change here. It’s exciting and it motivates. It makes you want more. And winning makes you want to win more.
The Orlando Magic, around the league, we were kind of not taken seriously. We were seen as a franchise in trouble. So we just keep earning the respect. We have to go out and take it. Teams won’t just give it to us. But it’s fun. I like winning games and I like seeing the look on other people’s faces, you know, you can tell they’re kind of sick when they lose to us. But its nice. I like this.
We got another big boost when Jonathan Isaac came back. I was in high school when he injured his knee, my junior year. which is crazy We all saw the work he put in every day at the AdventHealth Training Center as he tried to get out of there after 2 1/2 years. And when he finally got to play it did a lot for me and the rest of the guys. Most of us had never played with him. Seeing him come out of there was crazy, just really encouraging. When someone’s been out for so long, it’s hard to understand them even getting back on the pitch. Seeing him actually come out and be comfortable making plays, making shots, getting steals got me really excited. It was great. It was a special moment to be a part of and then he hit his first shot, it was impressive.
I recently caught up with my college coach Mike Krzyzewski on his radio show. Coach K, he’s been in the spotlight for 40 years so he’s enjoying his retirement, enjoying spending time with his family and watching it all from afar. I hadn’t spoken to him in probably two months. I wasn’t expecting to get the invite to his show so soon, but I definitely wouldn’t say no. That’s my type. I love him. It was great. He checks in with his NBA boys here and there and lets you know he’s watching. He’s always watching. I know that. But he gives you space.
So now we’re in the second half of the season. We will play some meaningful games. We’re playing well. We’re in the mix for the play-in. But we don’t jump into it, don’t look too far ahead, just take it game by game and have a laser focus for every game. We’ve learned that when we do, we tend to win.
We’re not there yet, but we’re trying to get there. We’re getting there.
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