Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero Joins LeBron James in Record Book After Debut vs. Pistons

Paolo Banchero, the Orlando Magic's No. 1 overall pick, proved why he was the top selection in his first NBA game. He did something no one has done since LeBron James.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 20, 2022

Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero Joins LeBron James in Record Book After Debut vs. Pistons /

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is flying away from the midwest on the wrong side of a 113-109 defeat to the Detroit Pistons, and it spoiled No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero's debut.

Banchero scored 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the loss, becoming the first player to record a 25-5-5 stat line in a debut since LeBron James in 2003. Despite the accomplishment, Banchero wasn't satisfied.

"It means a lot," Banchero said. "Obviously would have liked to win, but I just wanted to play hard and play for the team."

Even though Banchero dazzled, the former Duke Blue Devil felt he could have played even better in the loss.

"I felt like I left a lot of points up on the board," Banchero said. "I missed three layups. I miss some shots I felt like I could have made... I wasn't disappointed with the way I played. I thought I played hard... and I thought we played hard. It was a positive showing for us, but obviously we would have liked to get the win."

It took a little while for Banchero to gain his footing, but once he did, he locked in and proved to be extremely valuable for the Magic.

"As he got comfortable, the game slowed down for him a little bit," coach Jamahl Mosley said. "He registered how they were playing him. So his ability to make plays down the stretch was huge."

Banchero made a very strong opening argument for his Rookie of the Year case, for which he is the favorite, but it's clear that even though that may be a goal for the No. 1 overall pick, he has bigger fish to fry.

Banchero and the Magic are back in action Friday against the Atlanta Hawks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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Published Oct 20, 2022

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.