“He can dominate like Jokic can, but he’s more athletic.” Dwight Howard’s faith in Paolo Banchero had him rooting for the Orlando Magic despite their 103-86 loss against the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of Playoffs Round 1. Well, Banchero’s 36 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists in Game 1 surely made him a trustworthy choice. Furthermore, there was a complication for the Celtics on which Howard was partly basing his support for the Magic.

The issue in discussion was the uncertainty around Jayson Tatum playing Game 2 against the Magic. For those who missed it, the Celtics guard suffered a bone bruise in his right wrist in Game 1. No wonder Dwight Howard was so hopeful for the $3.2 billion franchise that is the Magic, ahead of Game 2. However, not all of it was based just on Tatum’s injury.

“Paolo, you doing your thing, so you safe. You ain’t on the chopping block yet now. But Magic, I’m about to start saying, come on, now… I know it’s the first game… It’s a little jitters from the playoffs just getting started or whatever. But, hey, now, y’all gotta step it up now. I’m putting everything on the line for the Magic,” D12 said on his Above The Rim Podcast.

While Dwight Howard held firm, his co-hosts weren’t buying into the Magic’s chances. They acknowledged the impact of Tatum’s injury, but let’s just say they were leaning heavily toward the defending champs, even hinting at the possibility of a clean sweep. And that didn’t sit right with Howard.

“Y’all sleeping on my Magic. I’m gonna tell you why they need Tatum. Paolo gonna go up again for 40… The first game, it was a little jitters. You gotta give the Magic, these younger guys, they got a chance to feel this playoff atmosphere. So I’m gonna give that one game to him. But this game coming out, I see a lot better effort from the bigs. They’re gonna be more aggressive. Paolo’s gonna continue to be aggressive, and they don’t have an answer for him…”

And guess what? The big man wasn’t far off. Paolo lit up Game 2 with another stellar outing—32 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. The only problem? It still wasn’t enough. The Magic couldn’t capitalize on Jayson Tatum’s absence the way D12 had envisioned.

Boston took Game 2 as well, 109-100, leaving Howard—and plenty of Magic fans—frustrated at what could’ve been. The bigger question is, will Dwight Howard still place faith in Orlando now that they stand a 2-0 deficit? Well, we know he’s not giving up on Paolo Banchero, at least. Not when he has compared the 22-year-old All-Star to a Denver Nuggets superstar.

Dwight Howard compared Paolo Banchero with Nikola Jokic

While the Orlando Magic were getting ready to take on the mighty Celtics in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, one voice from the past was rallying behind them. None other than Dwight Howard. That’s right, the Magic legend had plenty to say about the team’s growth and the young core.

“The Orlando Magic are a year-and-a-half away,” Howard told DJ Siddiqi from RG. “They need just a little cleanup with maybe a vet or two. A vet for the big man and a good vet for the forwards and the wings.” If you’re a Magic fan, hearing that from a franchise icon has to feel like validation for all the recent patience.

Howard, however, didn’t stop there—he gave major props to Paolo Banchero, comparing him to none other than Jokic. “Paolo is a big boy,” he said. “He can dominate like a Jokic can, but he’s more athletic.” Well, the Siberian basketball star has a statistical edge over Paolo in the regular season, but in the playoffs so far, Banchero has scored higher than Jokic. The only difference? The Clippers are tied in their series while the Magic have given a big blow to Dwight Howard’s hopes for the team’s future this postseason.