The Locked On NBA Top 100 is here. The Orlando Magic are well represented, but still coming a bit under the radar. Were they underrated?

They will not be for long. Paolo Banchero is knocking on the door of being a top-20 player in the league. Franz Wagner is still somehow overlooked despite his own flirtations with stardom. And Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs are among the elite role players in the league.

Will the Magic defy expectations and continue their rise this season?

0:00 Intro: Locked On NBA Top 100 rankings

5:07 Paolo Banchero already a top 20 NBA player

14:51 Franz Wagner criminally underrated at #35

20:58 Desmond Bane acquisition transforms Magic's outlook

26:34 Jalen Suggs' defensive impact and future potential

31:09 Winning will change perceptions of Magic players

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We have released the Locked on NBA Top 100 list ahead of the 2025-26 season. Paolo Banchero came in at No. 23, certainly within striking range of the elite of the NBA. Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham cracked the top 20 at No. 15. Are these rankings fair? What is in store for two of the brightest stars in the NBA?

Ku Khahil of Locked On Pistons joins the show to break down where Cunningham has improved to launch into the top 20 and where Banchero still needs work.

Will either take the next step and help their teams advance in the Eastern Conference?

0:00 Intro: Locked On NBA Top 100 released

5:01 Cade Cunningham's ranking and improvement

10:12 Paolo Banchero's development and challenges

15:16 Franz Wagner's impact and underrated status

21:55 Comparing Paolo and Franz's playing styles

28:40 Eastern Conference landscape and team expectations

34:26 Magic and Pistons' potential in upcoming season

38:50 Closing thoughts on Magic and Pistons' outlook

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Dwight Howard had his moment in the sun as he was enshrined into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame.

Howard's legacy has gone under some reappraisal for the event. All the past arguments used against him have given way to an appreciation for what he contributed to the game and his stellar career.

Howard truly changed the game and earned his place among the sport's best.

Meanwhile, in EuroBasket, both Germany and Georgia won to advance to the quarterfinals. Both Franz Wagner and Goga Bitadze are learning critical lessons in these elimination games that will help them when they return to the Orlando Magic for the playoffs.

0:00 Dwight Howard enters Hall of Fame

5:37 Howard's impact and legacy reappraised

11:49 EuroBasket upsets and Germany's struggles

16:58 Importance of pressure situations in basketball

23:36 Goga Bitadze's performance for Georgia

28:43 Growth moments for Bitadze in clutch

31:47 Upcoming Locked On NBA Top 100 list

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Pablo Torre broke a crazy potential scandal involving Kawhi Leonard, the Los Angeles Clippers, Steve Ballmer and some suspicious money. NBA Squad breaks down all that we know, what this could mean for the league and much more!

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NBA expansion is still a few years away. But doing the exercise of figuring out who to protect in a hypothetical expansion draft gives clues on what matters for the Orlando Magic as they continue to grow and build their roster.

Cheap players and youth will matter. And that is why this becomes a critical season for Goga Bitadze. He must make himself indispensable or else he becomes a luxury the Magic may not be able to afford for much longer.

0:00 Intro: Mock expansion draft for Orlando Magic

5:12 Protecting key players and valuing cheap contracts

10:50 Goga Bitadze: Luxury the Magic can't afford

16:58 Bitadze's consistency issues and future with Magic

20:34 EuroBasket group play ends, knockout rounds begin

25:41 Analyzing teams' chances in EuroBasket tournament

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The NBA All-Star Game is due for another shakeup with a Team USA vs. Team World format in the making. This should open the door for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to make the All-Star Game this season.

But is the All-Star Game still relevant in today's NBA landscape? It really is nothing more than an honorific. One that the Magic are deserving this season, even if the game no longer matters.

0:00 Intro: New NBA All-Star Game format

5:05 Franz Wagner's path to All-Star selection

10:16 Paolo Banchero's All-Star Game chances

14:53 Rant on All-Star Game's diminishing importance

20:30 Franz Wagner's stellar Eurobasket performance

25:36 Challenges ahead for Germany in knockout rounds

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Paolo Banchero is not quite ready for an MVP run yet. . . but he also is not that far off.

Banchero is a dark horse to win the MVP this year. And a season that vaults his team into title contention will go a long way to raising his profile and making him a future award winner.

Meanwhile, coach Jamahl Mosley is the betting favorite to win Coach of the Year this season. That is really a statement of the Orlando Magic exceeding expectations and entering contention this season. It is a sign of the pressure he and the team are under to take the next step.

0:00 Intro: Awards discussion for Orlando Magic

5:45 Paolo Banchero's MVP potential and stats

10:51 Jamahl Mosley as Coach of the Year favorite

16:32 Pressure on Mosley to deliver results

21:39 EuroBasket update: Germany and Georgia

26:16 Goga Bitadze's surprising 3-point shooting

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Franz Wagner is starting to find his 3-point shot in EuroBasket. He is doing that by shooting fewer threes. For him, less might be more from deep.

That is at least how it works with Germany, considering all the 3-point shooters they have on their roster. That is what the Orlando Magic are hoping to see with the addition of Desmond Bane, too.

The 3-point burden on Wagner should be much less, allowing him to do what he does best and limiting this weakness from deep.

Wagner is not the only one shining from deep. Goga Bitadze is also hitting threes for his national team in EuroBasket. That is an interesting addition to his game and an intriguing development as he tries to secure his spot with the Magic.

0:00 Franz Wagner's shooting improvement

5:39 Less pressure on Franz to take threes

15:55 Goga Bitadze showing three-point potential

26:18 Importance of big men spacing the floor

28:50 EuroBasket standings update for Germany and Georgia

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