Something has changed in Orlando, and it isn’t just the scoreboard. After another middling 41–41 season and a first-round exit, the Magic opened this preseason differently: confident, connected, and, according to their star, actually enjoying being together. That shift matters. NBA GMs just voted Orlando the most likely team to improve (47% in the 2025–26 GM Survey), and Paolo Banchero insists the reason that number feels real is simple: chemistry.

On SiriusXM NBA Radio’s Orlando Magic Season Preview with Sarah Kustok (aired Oct. 10, 2025), Banchero didn’t point to Xs and Os or a single new piece of hardware. He pointed to people. “ Winners throughout the locker room ,” he said. “ Everybody is very friendly with each other and talkative on and off the court. I think it carries over

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