Doc Rivers Compliments Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero

Doc Rivers sees a bright future ahead for Magic rookie Paolo Banchero.

The Orlando Magic might not be ready to compete for an NBA title just yet, but they have been building a talented young team over the last few years.

Over the offseason, Orlando garnered the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. With their selection, they snagged Duke product Paolo Banchero, who played just 39 games with the Blue Devils in 2021-2022.

Selecting Banchero was the obvious move for Orlando, who received praise by taking on the young 20-year-old NCAA star. So far, that pick has paid off.

In 12 games with the Magic, Banchero has averaged just under 35 minutes on the floor for Orlando. During that time, Banchero has put up 23 points per game while knocking down 46 percent of his shots. He’s also averaged four assists and eight rebounds per game.

The rookie suffered a setback in early November, which took him off the floor for seven games. When the Sixers paid a visit to the Magic on Friday, Banchero returned to the court. Following the matchup, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers praised the rookie standout for what he brings to the table at his former organization.

“He’s tough,” Rivers said regarding Banchero. “I mean, he’s physical — he’s a specimen.”

With Joel Embiid out for the night and not able to protect the paint, Doc Rivers relied on the veteran power forward PJ Tucker to put his defense to work against Banchero. Although Tucker couldn’t finish the matchup, as he missed the entire fourth quarter due to a sore ankle, Rivers used the veteran’s defense on a player as talented as Banchero to explain just how valuable Tucker is despite his lack of scoring this season.

“(Paolo is) used to overpowering people,” Rivers continued. “That’s why PJ was so good. You don’t overpower PJ. That’s just not gonna happen. I thought that was great, and Tobias did more of that in the second half. But he is going to be a special player.”

Banchero and the Magic are set to take on the Sixers for a second-straight matchup on Sunday night. In the first outing, Banchero scored 19 points while collecting four rebounds in 35 minutes. He’ll draw a matchup against Tucker once again as the banged-up veteran forward was cleared for action on Sunday.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.