Hawks avoid costly Blue Devil mistake Magic fell victim to

Paolo Banchero was one of the most heralded prospects coming out of college.

The former Duke Blue Devil played one of the most eye-popping freshman seasons in NCAA history, throwing down just as many emphatic dunks as he set his teammates up for. The future looked bright as day for the young 6'10 point forward sensation.

A year or two ago, the jury was still out on Banchero, and it very well may still be. Despite his down year, the Magic's franchise cornerstone is still a mere 23 years young. Many GMs have heard stories of players re-vitalizing their careers, taking that next step, adding that extra skill to excel in the league far beyond the levels at which they had previously exhibited.

This season has gone about as poorly as one could have imagined for Banchero. To go alongside the Magic's extremely disappointing standing as the 7th seed in the East since pushing their chips "all in" to acquire Desmond Bane this offseason, Banchero's efficiency has mysteriously tapered off.

Banchero's 31% efficiency on over 200 pull-up jumpers attempted represents a gargantuan divot between himself and the rest of the league. The second-worst metric in the NBA is 9% higher, at a respectable 40% from the floor.

As a result, Banchero has earned the dubious nickname "PBnoJ" amongst his critics. Amongst all this chaos, Atlanta is likely laughing from a safe distance as their Duke product is a realm away from Banchero's shortcomings.

The Magic wish they had done what Atlanta achieved with Jalen Johnson

It's truly a tale of two cities with the two young Blue Devils. While Banchero has struggled to excel at the next level beyond what he was expected to do, Jalen Johnson represents a stark contrast.

Johnson's game has improved year after year in the league, adding skills each offseason that complement his existing strengths. He built muscle, he became more efficient from range, and perhaps most importantly, he became an excellent maestro, precisely what Banchero was thought to have the ability to become.

Atlanta wisely extended Johnson to an absolute steal of a contract in October of 2024 worth $150M over five years (at a flat rate, to boot). Even at the time, the contract was viewed as a bargain, providing a clear direction for the franchise without putting Atlanta in a difficult position with the salary cap.

Other stars have received extensions worth up to $70M/yr, over double what Jalen is earning on his current deal. One such star is Banchero himself, whom the Magic blundered their way into handing out a 5-year, $239M extension this summer. A deal worth up to $54M in 2030-2031, they clearly saw him as their future.

Atlanta succeeded where Orlando fell short. They played their cards well, bought into talent when they should have, and didn't overpay (both on the contract itself and on the moves to surround their centerpiece). Atlanta has been patient, a supreme juxtaposition to Orlando's multi-pick buy-in with Desmond Bane.

Time will tell how Johnson and Banchero will compare multiple seasons from now, but at present, Atlanta's Duke-centered team appears to be faring far better than others.