Paolo Banchero's Message to Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks

The East is stacked right now. Of course, we got the reigning NBA Champions, Boston Celtics. However, there are quite a few teams who could challenge for their crown next season.

The Philadelphia 76ers have added Paul George this summer while making several other smart signings as well. The New York Knicks have gotten better too.

Those three teams are being considered by most as the leading candidates to top the Eastern Conference next season. But there are others with a ton of potential as well.

The Orlando Magic certainly have to be considered as one such team. They have been on the rise for a while and added a proven winner like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to their ranks this summer. His quality and experience could help them take the next step and contend.

Paolo Banchero recently appeared on ESPN's First Take and when Stephen A. Smith mentioned how the Magic were not getting the attention that teams like the Celtics, Knicks and 76ers are, the 21-year-old said: "Man, we feel like we're right there. We're right there with all those teams. I remember last year, we started the year off as a top-three, top-two seed and everybody thought it was a fluke. Everybody thought we were going to be a play-in team and drop out the top of the East. But we finished strong and got the fifth seed and had a chance to really grab the two seed at the end of the season. We were right there last year. We got better this year. Like I said, I got better, all of us got better. We got some new pieces that are going to help a lot. We're trying to make some noise. We should easily be a top-four, top-three team, and have a chance to win the East. "

The Magic are certainly an interesting team in the East right now and are probably not getting the attention that they deserve.

Perhaps it is because they do not have a superstar on their roster like Paul George, Joel Embiid or Jayson Tatum. Maybe it is because they are not an iconic franchise like the Celtics, Knicks or 76ers.

Whatever maybe the case, one simply cannot overlook the talent that the Magic have on their hands right now. On their day, they can give any team a run for their money.

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