The Paolo/Franz Era

During the Paolo/Franz era that debuted in 2023, Orlando has struggled with scoring, rebounding, and 3 point/free throw shooting which is mainly why they've yet to win a round. They also haven't had a starting level natural primary ball handler and passer that can space the floor. These problems have resulted in stagnation in crucial playoff moments. And as good as their defense is, it isn't as effective as it should be considering how many rebounds they gave up to the Pistons during their latest series. After 3 1st round exits, they can't continue to bank on suspect shooters from beyond the arc to significantly outperform their normal averages. In their 2024 game 7 and this year's game 6, they weren't able to maintain hot starts because they regressed to the mean. Because of Franz being unavailable during the past 3 games, much of their offense was Paolo trying to force his way to the rim or mid range for free throws (in a non foul baiting way) or create enough space for a jumper. There wasn't much else to rely on, especially with how bad Bane (the other threatening self creator) was inside the 3 point line vs Detroit. Randomness dominated their non-Paolo centric possessions. Anyway, Suggs can't be a starter. He brings no notable scoring, shooting, or passing skills despite being listed as the "point guard" and loves taking contested threes the moment he catches the ball as if he's Steph. His defense doesn't make up for his detrimental offense. And Carter needs to be replaced for a better rebounder and overall shooting big.

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You likely wont agree with everything and that's ok because nobody agrees with every opinion, regardless of the subject. Just know that I tried my best to be objective as possible.

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