Photo for Headline Surfer / TOP: Orlando Magic's 1-2 punch in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner is shown. LEFT: Magic Foursome: Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane & Jalen Suggs are all ranked in Bleacher Report's Top 100 NBA players for the 2025-26 season.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Magic superstar Paolo Banchero is tied for 19th among the top 100 NBA players for the 2025-26 season as compiled by Bleacher Report.
Banchero, tied with Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers, at No. 19, is joined by three teammates in the Top 100: Franz Wagner ranked 32nd, Desmond Bane at 43rd, and Jalen Suggs at 63rd.
Here is Bleacher Report's Top 25-ranked NBA players:
1. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets;
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder;
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks;
4. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers;
5. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors;
6. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs;
7. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves;
8. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers;
9. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers;
10. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks,
11. Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets;
12. Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks;
13. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons;
14. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers;
15. Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder;
16. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns;
17. Jimmy Butler, Golden State Warriors;
18. Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks;
19. Tie: Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic;
19. Tie: Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers;
21. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
22. Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets;
23. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks;
24. James Harden, LA Clippers;
25. Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers.
Two former Orlando Magic players are in the Top 100 ranking:
50. Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets (traded in 2021);
85. Nikola Vučević, Chicago Bulls (traded in 2021).
B-R's overall Top 100:
The Top 100 Players for the 2025-26 NBA Season, Ranked
B-R Profile: Paolo Banchero, tied for 19th:
2024-25 Stats: 25.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.8 APG, 0.6 BPG, 0.8 SPG, 45.2 FG%, 32.0 3PT%
Age: 22
The pressure is on Paolo Banchero to make the leap from rising star to bona fide All-NBA talent after signing a five-year, $239 million max rookie extension in July. If he cracks an All-NBA team, that deal jumps to a $287 million supermax, underscoring just how much Orlando is betting on him.
After briefly losing his grip as the Magic's clear offensive centerpiece last season, partly because of lingering effects from an oblique injury and partly due to Franz Wagner's continued rise, Banchero enters 2025-26 with something to prove. With Boston's roster gutted and Desmond Bane arriving to provide much-needed spacing, Orlando has a real shot at contending in the East. Bane's shooting should free up Banchero as both a creator and scorer.
Still, there's room for growth. Banchero upped his three-point attempts last season but remains a career 32 percent shooter from deep, and Orlando's
net rating was 1.5 points worse with him on the floor. Even so, the 22-year-old 2022 No. 1 overall pick remains an impressive athlete and playmaker at the 4. Fully healthy, he'll have every opportunity to prove he's ready for the next tier.
—Jason Dunbar
Highest Rank: 8; Lowest Rank: 37.
B-R Profile: Franz Wagner, ranked 32nd:
2024-25 Stats: 24.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 4.7 APG, 0.4 BPG, 1.3 SPG, 46.3 FG%, 29.5 3PT%
Age: 24
Franz Wagner has quietly become one of the NBA's premier young wings and a foundational piece in Orlando's rise. At 24, he's chasing his first All-Star berth and looks poised to get there if his outside shot rebounds.
After hitting 35.8 percent from three over his first two seasons, Wagner has slipped to 28.9 percent the past two—an area that could swing both his ceiling and the Magic's offense. While Paolo Banchero sat for 34 games last season with an oblique injury, Wagner showed he could carry primary-option duties in flashes. Now healthy, his blend of size, strength, and versatility at 6'10" gives Orlando a rare two-way force who can guard multiple positions and run the floor alongside new addition Desmond Bane.
—Jason Dunbar
Highest Rank: 21; Lowest Rank: 44.
B-R Profile: Desmond Bane, ranked 43rd:
2024-25 Stats: 19.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 5.3 APG, 0.4 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 48.4 FG%, 39.2 3PT%
Age: 27
Trade acquisition Desmond Bane will bring some much-needed spacing in support of frontcourt stars Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. The Magic were last in three-point percentage and three-point makes in 2024-25, making Bane's fit easy to see. He's a career 41 percent shooter from deep and has posted at least 19 points per game in each of the past three seasons.
Banes' value, though, extends beyond scoring. The guard adds defensive toughness, strong rebounding and quick decision-making, all traits that could help Orlando push the pace after
finishing last in that category a year ago. It's no coincidence he helped drive Memphis to a No. 1 ranking in transition play. His presence should free up Jamahl Mosley's offense and instill more rhythm into the Magic's young core. And his demeanor and willingness to do whatever's needed make him an ideal fit for this defensive-minded group in an increasingly wide-open Eastern Conference.
—Jason Dunbar
Highest Rank: 36; Lowest Rank: 50.
B-R Profile: Jalen Suggs, ranked 63rd:
2024-25 Stats: 16.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, 0.9 BPG, 1.5 SPG, 41.0 FG%, 31.4 3PT%
Age: 24
Jalen Suggs remains one of the league's premier perimeter defenders, even as injuries continue to cloud his ceiling. The 24-year-old guard underwent arthroscopic surgery in March to remove a cartilage fragment from his left knee and missed the rest of the year. He appeared in only 35 games last season and has cleared 50 games just twice in his four-year career.
When healthy, Suggs anchors the Magic's backcourt defense. He finished 10th in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2023-24 and earned All-Defensive Second Team honors, fueled by his physical on-ball pressure and anticipation.
His defensive box plus/minus of 1.3 last season nearly matched his 1.6 mark from the year before, showing his impact remained steady despite the limited action.
Offensively, he still needs to improve as a shooter. The strides he made in 2023-24 seem to be erased after his three-point hit rate fell from 39.7 percent to a dismal 31.4 percent last year. As Orlando looks to push the pace while maintaining its physical defensive style, his ability to ignite transition opportunities from stops remains invaluable.
—Jason Dunbar
Highest Rank: 55; Lowest Rank: Unranked
Previous related Orlando Magic Coverage:
Orlando Magic looking great in training camp in preparation for promising upcoming season / Published: Fri, 10/03/2025 - 17:52
Orlando Magic & Memphis Grizzlies to play limited number of regular-season games in Berlin and London in 2026; part of 3-year slate of NBA games In Europe / Published: Wed, 08/13/2025 - 15:01
Orlando Magic sign forward Jamal Cain to a two-way contract / Published: Tue, 07/29/2025 - 03:48
Paolo Banchero signs richest contract in Orlando Magic history: $239 million / Published: Sat, 07/12/2025 - 04:44
Orlando Magic select guard Jase Richardson with 25th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft; Cooper Flagg of Duke goes No. 1 overall to the Dallas Mavericks / Published: Thu, 06/26/2025 - 02:13
Orlando Magic get Desmond Bane in trade with Memphis Grizzlies; give up Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, and a boatload of draft picks / Published: Tue, 06/17/2025 - 02:13
Orlando Magic look to upcoming NBA Draft to get roster help for Paolo Banchero & Franz Wagner / Published: Fri, 06/13/2025 - 16:24
About the Byline Writer:
Henry Frederick is an award-winning journalist who launched Headline Surfer in 2008. The site serves the greater Daytona Beach, Sanford, and Orlando areas along the I-4 corridor and beyond via HeadlineSurfer.com in Lake Mary, Florida. Frederick earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in Orlando in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade, and before that, the same beat with The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. He's also worked as a city editor and city hall reporter for two dailies. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz & the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. Assisting Henry Frederick with Headline Surfer is Sera King, who writes about the weather and feature stories, takes photos, shoots video, and occasionally draws editorial cartoons. • Bio: https://henryfrederick.com/.
