Bane’s Buzzer-Beater Gives Orlando the Sharpshooter It Was Missing
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ORLANDO, Fla. — When Desmond Bane curled off a screen and drilled a twisting three-pointer over Portland rookie Toumani Camara at the horn on Nov. 10, the Orlando Magic celebrated as if the postseason had just been clinched. The shot erased a blown 13-point fourth-quarter lead, delivered Bane’s first career game-winner and offered an early return on the franchise’s offseason gamble.
In July, Orlando sent Memphis four unprotected first-round picks, a first-round swap, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony to obtain the 27-year-old guard. Club president Jeff Weltman called the price “heavy” but said the organization is “betting on ourselves” with a player entering his prime who complements cornerstones Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
The opening stretch
The Magic stumbled to a 1-4 start, but Bane’s buzzer-beater has coincided with steadier play. Orlando has won six of its past nine and sits at 7-7 after Sunday’s 117-113 overtime loss in Houston, a game Banchero and Jalen Suggs missed with groin injuries while Wagner scored 29 and Bane added 26.
Bane began the season 9-for-35 from deep (25.7%), yet he is 8-for-20 since the Portland finish. Overall, he is averaging 16.5 points on 31.3% three-point shooting. Last season with Memphis he averaged 19 points and hit 39% from long range, numbers no Orlando wing has matched since Hedo Türkoğlu in 2007-08.
Leadership on display
Teammates say Bane’s influence extends beyond shooting. During a heated training-camp scrimmage, Bane and former Grizzlies teammate Tyus Jones pulled the roster into a huddle to stress constant competitiveness. “You’re a dog every day or you’re not,” Suggs recalled Bane saying.
Bane’s edge surfaced again on Nov. 4 in Atlanta when he committed a flagrant foul on Onyeka Okongwu, was assessed a technical and was ejected. “We say no layups,” Bane explained, acknowledging he cannot afford similar exits but hoping to jolt the group’s intensity.
Addressing long-standing weaknesses
Orlando ranked last in the NBA in three-point percentage a season ago (31.8%) and shot just 26.3% in its first-round defeat to Boston. Bane’s presence is intended to prevent defenses from loading up on Banchero, who led last postseason with 17 isolations per game and was double-teamed on 8% of them.
Head coach Jamahl Mosley has pushed for quicker pace — the Magic have moved from 30th to 22nd in that category — yet the transition has come with slippage. Turnovers (15.9 per game) bothered Mosley after a Nov. 9 loss to Boston in which he repeatedly noted 17 giveaways for 29 Celtics points.
Early returns and remaining questions
With injuries limiting Banchero, Wagner and Suggs to just 97 combined minutes together last season, cohesion remains a work in progress. Bane has handled some point-guard duties while Suggs ramps up following knee surgery, averaging seven assists over a recent four-game span. Still, a Western Conference executive told ESPN the roster could use a dedicated facilitator, saying Bane “needs shots created for him, either off star players or through a system.”
For now, Orlando is content watching its new trio take shape. “When me and him run action together, I get cleaner looks,” Banchero said of Bane. “Teams have to make a decision. It hasn’t been like that much in the past.”
The Magic have not advanced beyond the first round since 2011. They are banking that the shooter who stunned Portland — and the leadership he brings — can change that trajectory.
Source: ESPN
