Banchero played 35 minutes and scored 27 points and had nine rebounds and five assists. Not since LeBron James in his debut has a number 1 pick delivered in this magnitude on his debut.
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The Orlando Magic have a potential world beater on their roster and his name is Paolo Banchero. The 2022 number one draft pick made his NBA debut in the game against the Detroit Pistons and he had some impressive numbers.
Banchero played 35 minutes and scored 27 points and had nine rebounds and five assists. Not since LeBron James in 2003 has a number 1 pick delivered in this magnitude on his debut. The result however was not something Banchero would have wanted as the Magic lost 113-109 to the Pistons but it was a memorable game nonetheless.
Bachero started the game at power forward and dominated the paint as though he was a seasoned professional. During his time at Duke, he was regarded as someone who was a great scorer and was a facilitator who had the ability to pick out great plays. There were concerns about his shooting from beyond the arc and that was evident today as he did not even attempt a three pointer.
He was however good on the glass as he recorded nine rebounds, seven of which were defensive and two offensive. He also dished out five assists and given that this was just his debut, things will improve as the season progresses. Paolo blocked the ball twice and showed that he was just as good on the defensive side of things.
Of the 27 points that he scored, he attempted a total of 18 field goals and made 11 of them and ended the game with a field goal percentage of 61.1. He also made five free throws of the seven that he attempted and had a free throw percentage of 71.4.
| Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Field Goals Made | Free Throws Made |
| 35 | 27 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 5 |
Banchero is in elite company on one more front. Since 1969, there have been only three number 1 picks that have scored more than 25 points and had more than 5 rebounds or assists. Kareem Abdul Jabbar was the first one to do it. LeBron James did it in 2003 and now Banchero has joined that company.
If history repeats itself, then the NBA has another gem on its hands and potentially the face of the league as LeBron approaches the twilight of his career.
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