Following back-to-back first-round exits, Banchero doesn’t want his fourth season to end the same way. “That would be looked at as not a success if we were to get bounced in the first round again,” he said. “Now the mindset is: How can I — how can we — do everything that it takes to make sure that’s not the case?” He’s on board with president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman’s message Thursday that the franchise is entering a “win-now” phase of its roster construction, even if that means altering Orlando’s squad that won 41 games despite only having Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs for six. “Every year since my rookie year, the team’s been different,” Banchero said. “So you know that coming in that next year it is going to be different. It’s just a matter of what’s going to be different. “I’m excited to see because whatever’s being done to help us win more games, I’m excited for,” he added. -via Orlando Sentinel / May 3, 2025