Trae Young, NBA world react to Paolo Banchero, Magic’s Game 7 loss to Cavs

Even former players decided to give Banchero his flowers. Damien Wilkins, who played in the league for 10 seasons, claimed that “Banchero doesn’t get talked about enough.”

Kendrick Perkins also chimed in, commending the Magic and saying that the team has “one” in their rising star.

Of course, there was bound to be praise from Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley. Following the Game 7 loss, Mosley labeled his franchise player as “special.”

“(He’s) special,” Mosley said, per ClutchPoints via the Magic X account. “There’s a reason why he’s an All-Star, there’s a reason why he’ll be All-NBA. Big moments, he never shies away from ’em. (He) never backed down, (he) wanted every ounce of whatever they were throwing at him.”

This season, Banchero averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, ending the Magic’s three-year playoff drought. In the seven-game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 21-year-old elevated his play by tallying 27 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists a game.

Sunday also cemented Banchero as the player with the most first-half points (24 points) in a Game 7 by anyone aged 21 or younger.

The Magic end their campaign with a heartbreaking loss

Regardless of the praise, Banchero would have surely wanted to take home his first playoff series. However, that’ll have to wait, since Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers had their way on Sunday.

During the first half, it seemed like the game was over with, as the Magic amassed an 18-point lead. It would all come crashing down, unfortunately. By halftime, their cushion was reduced to 10 points. And in the third quarter, the momentum fully shifted.

The Cavs outscored the Magic 33-15, and once the final 12 minutes ensued, Orlando found themselves down by eight. They would not catch up, as Cleveland managed to keep their distance until the final buzzer.

While Paolo Banchero played the game of his life, his supporting cast was relatively quiet. The second-highest scorer was Wendell Carter Jr., who tallied 13 points. Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs combined for just 3-of-28 shooting from the field.

Nevertheless, this season was a major improvement compared to previous ones. The Magic managed to finish their regular season as the fifth seed with Banchero at the helm. The last time the team played a seven-game series, Dwight Howard was still the face of the franchise. And speaking of Superman, he also posted a tweet that showed love for his former team.

It may be over for now, but the Magic have a bright future ahead of them. The team has an average age of 24.3 years, so one can arguably expect that they’ll be back for another promising run next season.