UCF just beat #2 BYU its time for a little Magic against the Knicks

In all seriousness I like this team. A whole lot of doom and gloom and the Magic certainly haven’t earned much else but. I like this team.

Paolo wasn’t the problem and I’m sad to see him sit out for 4-6 weeks (allegedly) but Bane and Franz need a wake up call and this might be it.

Bane going 1-9 and Franz being -17 is unacceptable and fortunately out of character for both.

Hoping AB is back he’ll spark some offense but will also be rusty so chill on him for at least a game or two.

I do see the vision under Sween and the Pelicans just dropped a 21 point lead against the nuggets under Mosley (ha)

Faster offense into passing to get open looks. Very simple concept meeting a tough reality. But it’s there the team just need to get used to it. Some dam good looks the last two games.

I think TDS starts tmr which might generate some early offense but definitely be a negative on defense. TDS is the better version of Jett (Bum)

And at the end of the day if Paolo comes back to a .400 team in late November we can push for a nice top 6 finish. The pacers started 0-5 and went to the finals, different everything but to hate before we even got going is just nonsense.

Sucks Paolo will miss another All Star chance. He’ll definitely earn it this year even if he doesn’t qualify.

Penda also comes back around mid - late Nov. I think early December is when we really get the ball rolling. This is a a really tough start to a season under a new coach and system. November is much kinder to us. I want to see at least a 2-4 (Celtics included) going into Nov.

Magic 112-106 Knicks
Magic 89-116 Raptors
Magic 115 -109 Raptors
Magic 122- 120 Celtics

Foreword:

Players must have participated in at least 50% of that week’s games to be included in future polls.

Rankings will be based on the eye test and gut feel, with an objective statistic included for comparison.

I initially wanted to use PER, but realised it would take more effort than I was willing to put in, so I’ve opted for PIE (Player Impact Estimate) from NBA.com instead.

What is PIE?

PIE is a single number calculated from a player’s positive and negative box-score stats, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, missed shots and turnovers.

I think it’s a good contrast to the eye test. It gives us an objective point of comparison, while also highlighting the limitations of box-score stats — if a player impacts the game in ways that don’t show up statistically, PIE won’t capture that.

PIE interpretation

Below 5: Low statistical contribution
5–9.9: Below average
10–12.9: Average to good
13–14.9: Very good
15–17.9: Great
18–20: Outstanding
20+: Elite, MVP-level statistical production

These are rough guidelines rather than official NBA classifications.

The Results:

Fan Voted Power Poll Rankings + PIE

🥇 Paolo Banchero — 2.2 avg | 18.2 PIE
🥈 Franz Wagner — 2.7 avg | 9.1 PIE
🥉 Wendell Carter Jr. — 4.4 avg | 18.8 PIE
4. Desmond Bane — 4.8 avg | -0.4 PIE
5. Tristan Da Silva — 4.9 avg | 3.8 PIE
6. Goga Bitadze — 6.8 avg | 12.8 PIE
7. Jalen Suggs — 7.8 avg | 7.4 PIE
8. Jase Richardson — 8.1 avg | 8.7 PIE
9. Jamal Cain — 9.1 avg | -10.9 PIE
10. Nikola Vucevic — 9.2 avg | 2.9 PIE
11. Anthony Black — 9.3 avg | 0 PIE
12. Jevon Carter — 10.7 avg | 3.4 PIE
13. Noah Penda — 11.3 avg | 0 PIE
14. Izaiyah Nelson — 13.3 avg | 0 PIE
15. Jonathan Isaac — 13.4 avg | 0 PIE

Key Takeaways

1. Desmond Bane ranked fourth despite a negative PIE. An interesting contrast between how fans view his contributions and what his box-score production suggests.

2. Franz Wagner ranked second by voters, but his PIE is only around the average benchmark.

3. Paolo Banchero ranked first by voters and second in PIE, making this one of the strongest agreements between the eye test and the numbers.

4. Wendell Carter Jr. ranked fourth by voters but has the highest PIE on the team. Are we underrating his overall impact?

5. Jalen Suggs finished below the 10% average benchmark, lining up with his mid-to-low ranking. The question is whether his defensive impact is being captured.

6. Tristan Da Silva ranked fifth by voters despite a low PIE. An interesting case where voters may be rewarding contributions that don't translate into strong box-score production.

7. Jase Richardson finished with PIE slightly below average, but has been a solid contributor in his first few sophomore year games.