A loss on November 4 to the Atlanta Hawks dropped the Orlando Magic to 2-6 for the season, but one moment in the third quarter of that game seems to have turned around their season.
Leading the charge in this transformation is the player responsible for that play. Desmond Bane has made a significant improvement in his game since he was ejected after committing a hard foul on Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu and throwing the ball at him afterwards. If this was meant to serve as a wake-up call for his teammates, they have appeared to have taken heed of the message.
The loss to the Hawks dropped the Magic to 2-6, but since Bane was ejected they have improved with a 4-2 record and he’s been the catalyst.
He’s boosted his scoring average from 12.8 points per game on 41.3 field goal shooting with 4.3 assists per game to 20.2 points per game on 47 percent FG shooting and 6.7 assists per game. He’s been the Magic’s second best player behind Franz Wagner with a major jump in efficiency, usage, shot creating and overall impact. Arguably, he’s become their most reliable late-game shot creator. All this with star Paolo Banchero out with injury as well.
Bane’s minutes have risen dramatically, from 29.2 minutes pre-ejection to 37.8, and he’s rewarding coach Jamahl Mosley’s trust. He’s posted four games since with 22+ points, three games of seven or more assists, and multiple strong plus/minus outings. His playmaking has taken a huge leap while his turnovers stayed flat even with the increased minutes and usage.
This isn’t just a nice little run of games, it appears as if Mosley has shifted to feature Bane as a primary initiator. He’s scoring efficiently even with the increased usage, and the Magic are now closing games with the ball in his hands.
Earlier in the season, Bane had three games under 10 points. Since the ejection? Zero. Even better, the Magic are now 4-2 for the season when he scores 20 or more points.
Even his long range shooting has improved since the ejection, with Bane shooting 32.1 percent from beyond the arc and just two games with multiple made threes to open the season. After Nov. 4, he’s been shooting 37.9 percent and has multiple threes in four of the six games since. He’s shooting more confidently on set threes and off-screen actions, with fewer dribble pull-up shots and more clean catch-and-shoot situations.
He’s also drawing fouls again, which is important for an offense that clearly misses Banchero. Orlando needed a guard who can generate free throws and this new and improved Bane is getting downhill repeatedly, something that earlier this season looked muted.
It was a significant investment to acquire Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies during the offseason, but it seems like they’ve secured a reliable playmaker who’s managing the pace of the game, rather than just a sharpshooter.
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