Magic No. 1 Pick Paolo Banchero Wins December Rookie of the Month

Paolo Banchero helped lead the Orlando Magic to a winning record in December.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 3, 2023

Magic No. 1 Pick Paolo Banchero Wins December Rookie of the Month /

ORLANDO - Paolo Banchero is taking home some hardware to put in his trophy case.

The NBA announced today that the Orlando Magic top pick has been named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December.

Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month.

After No. 6 pick Bennedict Mathurin won the award for the Indiana Pacers for October/November, Banchero is evening the score in December.

Last month, the Magic went 8-7, much in part due to Banchero's heroics. He averaged 19.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists - no other rookie was even close. Mathurin's stats came up second, with averages of 14.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

Even though Banchero struggled during the final week of the month with some of his worst performances of his young NBA career, the top pick from Duke is establishing himself as one of the young phenoms in the league.

With his numbers in December, Banchero is separating himself from the pack as he remains the favorite to take home the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award.

Banchero hopes to keep the momentum going in January when he returns to the floor Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Amway Center.

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Published Jan 3, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.