(EDITOR鈥橲 NOTE 鈥� Orlando Magic rookie and No. 1 overall draft pick Paolo Banchero is doing a this season to chronicle This is his third installment. The Magic had the worst record in he league through the first 25 games of his rookie campaign, then won 14 of their next 25 games. He鈥檚 averaging 20.5 points and 6.3 rebounds.)
Everything started to get better when we started to get 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 have gotten healthier. But I think once we got some wins and saw how we were winning, we realized we could sustain it.
Obviously, you have to have a certain level of focus to do it. But we saw in our six-game winning streak, the teams we were beating and the way we were beating them, that it wasn鈥檛 a fluke. I think that just kind of motivated us and it still motivates us. We鈥檝e got places we want to reach and we鈥檝e got to stay focused. But it all changed when we got guys healthy, saw what we鈥檙e supposed to look like and how well we played together.
That just speaks to the guys that we have on this team and the confidence we have in each other 鈥� the confidence we have in ourselves as players. Markelle鈥檚 a No. 1 pick. He鈥檚 not scared of anything. He feels he鈥檚 the best at what he does. Franz Wagner is a star. I mean, look at the leap he鈥檚 taken in in his second year. In my opinion, he鈥檚 the best second-year player in the league. And I鈥檓 a No. 1 pick and I feel the same way about myself as those guys do. We鈥檝e just got guys who aren鈥檛 scared of the moment, aren鈥檛 scared to be great.
We鈥檝e almost matched last season鈥檚 win total already. I wasn鈥檛 here last year, but just talking to the guys who were, you see how much they appreciate where we鈥檙e at right now. When you really think about it, it鈥檚 crazy. It makes me want to be part of the change around here even more. It鈥檚 exciting and it鈥檚 motivating. It makes you want more. And winning makes you want more winning.
The Orlando Magic, around the league, we鈥檝e kind of been not taken seriously. We鈥檝e been looked at as a franchise that鈥檚 struggling. So, we just continue to earn the respect. We鈥檙e going to have to go out and take it. Teams aren鈥檛 just going to give it to us. It鈥檚 fun, though. I like winning games and like seeing the look on other people鈥檚 faces, you know, you can tell they鈥檙e kind of sick when they lose to us. But it鈥檚 lovely. I like it.
We got another big boost when Jonathan Isaac came back. I was in high school when he hurt his knee, my junior year. Which is crazy. We鈥檝e all seen the work he was putting in at the AdventHealth Training Center every day, trying to get back out there after 2-1/2 years. And when he got to play finally, it did a lot for me and the rest of the guys. Most of us had never played with him. Just seeing him get out there was crazy, just really encouraging. When someone鈥檚 out that long, it鈥檚 hard to comprehend them even coming back on the court. To see him actually get out there and be comfortable, making plays, making shots, getting steals, it made me super excited. It was great. It was a special moment to be a part of, and then him hitting his first shot, it was impressive.
I got to catch up recently with my college coach Mike Krzyzewski on his radio show. Coach K, he was in the spotlight for 40 years, so he鈥檚 enjoying retirement, enjoying spending time around his family, watching everything from afar. I hadn鈥檛 talked to him in probably like two months. I didn鈥檛 expect to get the invite to his show so soon, but I definitely wasn鈥檛 going to say no. That鈥檚 my guy. I love him. It was great. He checks in with his NBA guys here and there, lets you know he鈥檚 watching. He鈥檚 always watching. I know that. But he gives you space.
So now we鈥檙e in the second half of the season. We鈥檙e going to play some meaningful games. We鈥檙e playing well right now. We鈥檙e in the mix for the play-in. But we鈥檙e not getting caught up in that, not looking too far ahead, just taking it game by game and having laser focus for each game. We鈥檝e learned that when we do that, we tend to win.
We鈥檙e not there yet, but we鈥檙e trying to get there. We鈥檙e getting there.
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Paolo Banchero, The Associated Press
