Magic All-Star Paolo Banchero Receives High Praise From Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau

Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero is putting more and more people on notice to the great season that he has been having.

Paolo Banchero will be representing the Orlando Magic at All-Star weekend starting tonight with the Rising Stars Challenge.

In the Magic's last game before the All-Star break against the New York Knicks, Banchero had yet another great performance in what is becoming a habit for him. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau talked about how hard Banchero is to guard in his postgame interview.

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"He’s an All-Star so you’ve got to guard a guy like that with your team," Thibodeau said. "When he made his threes, that was a big thing I think for him. But he’s a load to deal with. He gets into the paint, he’s big, he’s strong and he has a good mix of shots. He’s a guy that’s difficult to speed up. I thought he played a great game for them."

He finished the game with 36 points and shot an absurd 15-20 from the field, as well as a great 6-10 from beyond the arc. He also tallied up six rebounds and five assists, as he did everything on the night for the Magic.

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If Banchero can continue to knock down his shots at a clip like that, especially from the three-point line, teams are going to have a much harder time trying to guard him. The young forward is only improving, and it should make Magic fans excited for what he and the rest of the team has in store for the future.

Banchero will represent the Magic in the Rising Stars Challenge tonight when he and the rest of Team Tamika take on Team Jalen in the semifinal round. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.