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YouTube Gold: Paolo Banchero Is Still Killing It

The rookie out of Duke is on his way to greatness.

By JD King
/ new
Toronto Raptors v Orlando Magic
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 09: Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic dunks the ball in the second half of a game against the Toronto Raptors at Amway Center on December 09, 2022 in Orlando, Florida.
Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

At this point, even though it’s still early, it’s hard to see anyone else getting Rookie of the Year other than former Blue Devil Paolo Banchero.

He’s already having an historical season. He’s had, according to NBA on ESPN, 20+ points in 15 of his first 20 games. The last two players to do that were Michael Jordan in 1984-84 and Zion Williamson in 2019-20.

Drafts are usually a crap shoot. You might get a high pick and take a guy who, for whatever reason.

You might also get the #1 pick and then find that, again for whatever reason, he doesn’t live up to expectations.

That certainly hasn’t happened for Orlando.

Banchero looks like an experienced veteran already. Just barely 20, he’s scoring 21.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 3.7 apg.

More importantly, he’s giving Orlando a tremendous player to build around.

Check out his highlights from Friday’s game against Toronto. The guy keeps getting better.

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