NBA Power Rankings: Paolo Banchero Lifting Magic?

The Orlando Magic is 2-1 in January so far. Where does that put the team in this week's power rankings?

Jeremy Brener | Jan 9, 2023

NBA Power Rankings: Paolo Banchero Lifting Magic? /

ORLANDO - Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero is enjoying arguably his best stretch yet as an NBA player.

Banchero has been red-hot since the new year, averaging 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists on .474/.381/.818 splits.

The potential Rookie of the Year's efforts have pushed the Magic up one spot in Sports Illustrated's latest power rankings.

"Paolo Banchero powered the Magic to two more wins last week to continue their ascent in the East," SI writes. "The No. 1 pick went for a team-high 25 points in double-digit victories over the Thunder at home and Warriors on the road and he finished with 30 in a loss to the Grizzlies at the Amway Center. Winning at the Chase Center has been a rarity for road teams this year, but Banchero and Franz Wagner led the way against an undermanned Golden State team to kick off a five-game West Coast road trip."

The Magic sits in 13th in the Eastern Conference, but is only four games back of the 10th-place Atlanta Hawks for a spot in the play-in tournament.

Banchero hopes to help the Magic continue its winning ways with games this week against the Sacramento Kings (Mon.), Portland Trail Blazers (Tue.), Utah Jazz (Fri.) and Denver Nuggets (Sun.).

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Published Jan 9, 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.