Why Magic PF Paolo Banchero Isn't a Superstar ... Yet

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is a really good player, but there's something holding him back from becoming great.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 7, 2023

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - Paolo Banchero is coming off one of the best rookie seasons in recent history.

The Orlando Magic forward dazzled in his rookie year, averaging just over 20 points per game and establishing himself as a player to look out for as he enters his prime.

However, Banchero still has a hurdle to jump over on his road to superstardom.

"Banchero already has a 20-point-per-game season to his name, and he showed some point forward chops," Bleacher Report writes. "But like plenty of other young players, he was inaccurate from the outside in Year 1."

Out of 149 qualified players who made 82 or more threes, Banchero ranked dead last in percentage with 29.8 percent. In the month of February, Banchero made just a single attempt from distance on 33 attempts, good for a miniscule three percent.

That stretch definitely brings down his average, but it doesn't change the fact that Banchero was a poor 3-point shooter in his rookie season.

The low 3-point percentage doesn't spell immediate doom for Banchero, considering the fact that All-Stars Ja Morant, LeBron James, Pascal Siakam and De'Aaron Fox were among the bottom-10 in the statistic.

However, if Banchero can add a consistent 3-point shot to his already impressive bag of tricks, he could catapult into the next tier of NBA stars.

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Published Aug 7, 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.