NBA
NBA analyst Kirk Goldsberry had heavy criticism for Orlando’s all-star Paolo Banchero
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated18 minutes ago on October 29, 2025
After starting the season with a win, the Orlando Magic have lost three straight. The team is 1-3 heading into a matchup on Wednesday evening vs. the Pistons.
To begin the 2025-26 season, all-star PF Paolo Banchero is struggling with his shooting efficiency. Recently, NBA analyst Kirk Goldsberry was on the Zach Lowe Show. They discussed a variety of topics, one of them being the struggles of Orlando’s Paolo Banchero. Kirk Golsberry claimed that at times, Paolo Banchero reminds him of long-time Hawks PF Josh Smith.
Is Kirk Goldsberry being overcritical of Magic’s Paolo Banchero?
NBA analyst Kirk Goldsberry says Paolo Banchero reminds him of former NBA player Josh Smith 😬
“I’m going to raise the red flag over Paolo Banchero Island. This is such a key moment for him, and I hesitate to admit this — but at times, he reminds me of Josh Smith. He’s made… pic.twitter.com/oreJZGd1Di
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 28, 2025
Paolo Banchero’s 2025-26 campaign with the Magic is his fourth professional season. He was voted Rookie of the Year in 2022-23 and a first-time all-star in 2023-24. While Banchero has had individual success to begin his career, NBA analyst Kirk Golsberry stated some flaws of the young PF. Goldsberry was recently on the Zach Lowe Show and said that Banchero has a “jump-shooting problem.”
During the 2024-25 season, Paolo Banchero was one of the 62 most active jump shooters in the NBA. Of those 62 players, he ranked 60th in efficiency. It makes sense why Banchero is taking the most shots per game for Orlando. He’s their top player and needs to have the most touches. However, Kirk Goldsberry has noted how inefficient Paolo Banchero has been to start the 2025-26 season.
The 22-year-old has made just five of his 27 jump shots to begin the 2025-26 season, according to Kirk Golsberry. When speaking with Zach Lowe, Goldsberry said that at times, Paolo Banchero reminds him of long-time Hawks PF Josh Smith. He called this a “red flag” for Banhero at a critical time in his career.
Banchero is shooting under .400% from the field through the first four games of the season. On top of that, he is shooting an abysmal .188% from beyond the arc. Additionally, Kirk Goldsberry said some of his advanced metrics are not trending in the right direction. Not what Magic fans wanted to hear about their all-star PF. It’s still early in the year, and Banchero has the opportunity to try and get out of his shooting slump. The Magic are on the road Wednesday evening to face Cade Cunningham and the Pistons.
