Orlando Magic: Paolo Banchero Reaches Magic Johnson Territory in Crushing Game 7 Loss to Cleveland Cavaliers

Banchero ended his season with a marvelous performance for Orlando, finishing with a team-high 38 points on 10-of-28 shooting, to go along with 16 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and a block, while also going 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.

The 21-year-old turned in such a wonderful effort that we actually have not seen this type of production in a season-deciding Game 7 since the great Magic Johnson pulled a similar feat for the Los Angeles Lakers back in 1980:

That’s pretty wild, and as the above tweet says, the future is definitely bright for Banchero in Orlando.

In the end, however, it was Donovan Mitchell who one-upped his younger counterpart in this one. The Cavs superstar exploded for a game-high 39 points, with nine rebounds and five assists to lead Cleveland to the second round for the first time since the LeBron James era.

As for Banchero, he will look back on this season with regret, no doubt. At the same time, however, there’s no denying that this was another breakout year for the second-year power forward as he proved to the entire basketball world that he is indeed a bona fide superstar.