DETROIT — The frustration was written all over Paolo Banchero's face. After a season filled with highs and lows, the Orlando Magic's playoff run came to a bitter end Sunday in a Game 7 loss to the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. What stings even more? The Magic once held a commanding 3-1 series lead.

For Banchero, this marks the third straight year Orlando has exited the playoffs in the first round. When asked if he believes this team has what it takes to finally break through, the star forward didn't hold back.

"I can't really answer that," Banchero said after dropping a game-high 38 points. "I want to say yes, but we haven't been out of the first round. If you're going off the last three years, the answer is no. The nice answer would be yes, but honestly, I can't say we're good enough to be in the Finals or Eastern Conference Finals because we've had the same result three years in a row."

The collapse was sudden. After building a 24-point lead in Game 6 at home, Orlando let it slip away, forcing a decisive Game 7 in Detroit. Things looked promising early — the game was tied at 45-45 with under three minutes left in the second quarter. Then everything unraveled. The Magic were outscored 71-49 the rest of the way, losing by 22 points.

Guard Desmond Bane pointed to a critical factor: rebounding. "In the games we won, we controlled the glass, and in the ones we lost, we didn't," Bane explained. "They turned up the pressure, and that was an adjustment they made throughout the series."

The numbers don't lie. Orlando went 0-4 when they were out-rebounded by Detroit. In Game 7, the Pistons held a 41-33 edge on the boards.

Bane also highlighted the absence of Franz Wagner, who was sidelined for the final three games. "Missing Franz is a big piece of what we do on both sides of the ball," Bane said. "But we still had our chances to close this thing out."

Through the first four games, Wagner averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.7 steals per game — and he was the primary defender against Detroit's top scorer. Without him, the Magic's momentum shifted dramatically.

As the offseason begins, Banchero's message is clear: good isn't good enough anymore. "We've got to be better," he said. And for a team that's been knocking on the door, the time for change is now.