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Paolo Banchero Update

The buzz is building about the former Blue Devil

By JD King
/ new
Memphis Grizzlies v Orlando Magic
ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 11: Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic grabs the rebound during the game against the Orlando Magicon October 11, 2022 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images

We’re still in the preseason, so it’s hard to know just how well former Blue Devil Paolo Banchero will do in his freshman year.

Uh, he’s done at Duke so better make that in his rookie year. Hey, he’s still 19, right?

Anyway, while we can’t know what will come, Banchero is making a solid impression. Check the third video below. He’s handling the faster pace of the league just fine. If anything, he looks like a big guard, sort of a taller Mitch Richmond or, for Duke fans, Trevor Keels.

He appears to be far ahead of the curve and could become something rare. Leave Rookie of the Year out of it for now. What’s even rarer than that is a rookie who steps in and immediately becomes the best player on his team - and is acknowledged as such by his older teammates.

He’s not there - not yet - but Banchero is in position to set the Magic up for the near future. And that’s going to be fun to watch.

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