ATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 04: Desmond Bane #3 of the Orlando Magic drives against Zaccharie Risacher #10 of the Atlanta Hawks during the first quarter at State Farm Arena on November 04, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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With the Eastern Conference wide open, the Orlando Magic went all-in this summer. They sent the Memphis Grizzlies four first-round draft picks, plus a pick swap, to acquire Desmond Bane.
The move gave Orlando a core quintet of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and Bane. It also addressed a primary problem plaguing the team’s offense: a lack of reliable shooters.
Understandably, the latter received much of the attention surrounding the move, at least from an on-court perspective compared to the discourse about the price paid to facilitate the deal.
Bane’s a career 40.7 percent three-point shooter on a high volume of 6.2 attempts. However, this season, as he acclimates to his new environment, he’s converting on just 33.3 percent of the 4.9 shots he’s hoisting from behind the arc.
Luckily for the Magic, he’s showcasing a less heralded and much-improved aspect of what he brings to the table. The sixth-year guard is third on the team in drives, attacking downhill 10.4 times per game. He’s producing 6.4 points and nearly an assist per contest in these scenarios, per NBA.com.
Desmond Bane’s driving elevating Magic’s offense
Before a recent game against the Boston Celtics, Orlando’s head coach, Jamahl Mosley, outlined to Forbes both the root of why Bane is driving so frequently and what it is doing to boost his team’s offense.
“Well, you know, how teams are playing him, they’re top locking him, not letting him come off a pin down, so his ability to get the ball in the pick-and-roll and make plays is very good for us right now,” explained Mosley.
The Magic haven’t had good fortune on the health front. They’ve played games without their top-two centers, Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze. Paolo Banchero has missed time. And Jalen Suggs, who underwent season-ending arthroscopic knee surgery in March, has missed matchups for maintenance reasons.
Bane showcasing his ability to be more dynamic offensively than given credit for has helped Orlando navigate a turbulent start to the campaign. The Magic are 11-8. While that places them seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, meaning they’d be in the play-in tournament if the season ended today, they’re just three games behind the Toronto Raptors, who currently occupy the two seed.
Orlando has won seven of its last 10 tilts. Desmond Bane is a central figure in that. He’s demonstrating what he can when another member of the team’s core quartet, like Banchero, is out. Simultaneously, it’s giving a glimpse into why the Magic can make a run in a wide-open Eastern Conference if that group is intact when the playoffs arrive.