The Magic Insider

Magic Coach Jamahl Mosley Reveals Thoughts on ROY 'Race'

Paolo Banchero has been dominant all year for the Orlando Magic, and coach Jamahl Mosley sung his praises.

Jeremy Brener

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
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ORLANDO - Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero is putting his finishing touches on his first NBA season, one he hopes will end in him being crowned the Rookie of the Year.

If Banchero is given the award, he'll definitely deserve it. His 19.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game rank among the best in his rookie class. He's looking to become just the sixth rookie in NBA history to average in the last 50 seasons to average 20/6/3 throughout the year.

While Banchero has had some competition creep up in the last month or so, most notably Oklahoma City Thunder wing Jalen Williams, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley doesn't think his rookie has any competition.

"With all due respect, I don't necessarily think it's a race," Mosley said ahead of Friday's game. "The kid has done a great job of impacting winning. Being able to create a different style of play throughout the entire year."

Banchero responded after Mosley's pregame comments with 30 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three blocks in a win against the Washington Wizards ... numbers that haven't been accomplished by a rookie in over 20 seasons, according to StatMuse. Banchero scored 30 points for the sixth time this season, while the rest of the rookie class has six games combined altogether.

Banchero's competitors will continue to challenge him for the Rookie of the Year spot, but the Magic power forward is in the driver's seat ... even if nobody else is in the car with him.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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