The Orlando Magic are heading into their first-round NBA playoff series against the Boston Celtics as heavy underdogs, and if they’re going to have any chance at pulling off a historic upset, Paolo Banchero needs to deliver an all-time performance.

Banchero, who was selected by the Magic with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is a rising star. He averaged 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this season.

The 22-year-old forward has tremendous size, length and athleticism at 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds.

Banchero is a legit centerpiece for Orlando. They’ve had a few in the franchise’s 36-year history, including Penny Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and most recently Dwight Howard. Banchero is talented enough to join that group, but winning is the only way to do it.

One way for the Magic to have a chance at making this series versus the Celtics a long one is to slow the game down. Part of that is getting to the free throw line, and Banchero’s 8.4 attempts in the regular season ranked fourth-most in the league. And since the All-Star break he’s been averaging 9.2 free throw attempts per game. Banchero is great at using his quickness and strength to get to the rim, draw contact and finish.

The Magic are a great defensive team. They ranked No. 2 in defensive rating and play very physical on that end of the floor. But defense alone won’t give them a chance to win this series. They have to score at a much higher rate than they did in the regular season. Boston scored the eighth-most points at 116.3 per game. Orlando ranked 28th with 105.4 points per game.

If the Magic are going to close that 10-point gap, Banchero has to take his game to another level. And it’s possible he could get there. Just look at the Magic’s first-round series against the Cavaliers last season.

It was Banchero’s first time in the playoffs, and he didn’t look rattled at all. He averaged 27 points, 8.6 rebounds and four assists per game in the series. His best performance came in Game 7 at Cleveland, where he scored 38 points with 16 rebounds and three steals. Unfortunately for the Magic, their other four starters shot a combined 9-for-42 and they lost 106-94.

Banchero won’t just be asked to lead the offense for the Magic. He needs to be a stopper on defense, too.

The one head-to-head matchup where the Celtics played the Magic at full strength this season came on Jan. 17 at TD Garden. The C’s won by 27, but Banchero excelled defensively. He spent most of his time guarding Jayson Tatum and limited the Celtics superstar to four points on 1-for-4 shooting in that matchup. Tatum shot 11-for-17 against other Magic players in that game. Overall, Celtics players shot 1-for-9 that night when Banchero was the primary defender.

It’s probably a little too early for the Magic to make a statement in the playoffs. This is a really young team, and the Celtics have a distinct advantage in playoff experience, talent, depth and coaching. This should be a short series.

But the Magic play hard. They don’t quit. Banchero is going to be a superstar in the very near future. He has the potential to make this a five- or six-game series if he dominates at both ends of the floor.