Cold blood in the veins of the 21-year-old young man. Paolo Banchero presented himself for the first time on the free throw line 30 seconds from the end to equalize on the Nuggets floor. What he did. Then with 10 seconds left, the Magic interior had the opportunity to give Orlando a two-point lead. What he also did, at the same time offering victory to his team ahead of the reigning champions.
A victory all the more resounding as the Magic, who do not travel particularly well, were up to 18 points behind at the start of the second half. The reigning rookie of the year ended with a great evening, both collective and individual.
The member of the last American selection spent a good part of his match on the penalty line (15/19), but also touched everything in the game to sign his first career triple-double: 32 points (8/ 21 shots including 1/4 from distance), 11 assists, 10 rebounds and 3 interceptions.
“ He is special, more than special. I've seen a lot of special players in this league, and he's one of them. He hasn't even scratched the surface of what he can do. But the most important thing is that he does things the right way and guides his team to try to find ways to win. We've said it from the start, he'll find a way “, praises his coach Jamahl Mosley.
A decimated Magic
While his team was deprived of an army of players (Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Wendell Carter Jr., Joe Ingles, Jonathan Isaac, Goga Bitadze and Franz Wagner!), Paolo Banchero sees in this victory “ the power of positive energy and pushing each other “. Before the meeting, his teammates, his coach and he said to each other: “ We're going to accept the result, whatever it is, but we're not going to give in and let these guys crush us. »
“ We kept telling each other during the game, we made a run in the second half and once we did, we came together knowing we had a chance », Reports the power forward who suspected that he would be targeted by the Nuggets defense, after his 43-point outing earlier in the week in Sacramento.
“ I tried to get others involved quickly and let the game come to me. I also missed a lot of easy shots. I finished with 32 points, which is great, but I think I could have played better. But I didn't care, I thought about doing whatever it took to stay in the game », continues the one who is progressing in statistical areas this season.
So much so that Cole Anthony sees in him “ what you would call an enduring superstar. I already knew that, I think he's just waking everyone up right now. »
| Paolo Banchero | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2022-23 | ENT | 72 | 34 | 42.7 | 29.8 | 73.8 | 1.2 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 20.0 |
| 2023-24 | ENT | 34 | 35 | 46.5 | 37.9 | 70.4 | 1.3 | 5.8 | 7.1 | 4.7 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 22.4 |
| Total | 106 | 34 | 44.0 | 32.4 | 72.7 | 1.2 | 5.8 | 7.0 | 4.1 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 20.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
