LISTEN: Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero Describes Playing 'Powerful' LeBron James

LeBron James was the only player Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero may have been starstruck by while playing his first NBA season.

Jeremy Brener | May 3, 2023

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - Very little fazed Orlando Magic No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero in his rookie season.

Banchero's confidence and belief from him and his teammates helped his campaign towards Rookie of the Year while averaging 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists. During the season, Banchero felt he belonged in the league and he wasn't ever starstruck by his opposition, except for a game in late December against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

"Everybody was there to see him," Banchero said on The Woj Pod. "I didn't really realize how powerful his stardom was until you get up close and personal."

Banchero put up arguably his worst performance of the season against the Lakers that night, scoring four points in 22 minutes while battling foul trouble. Meanwhile, King James shined with a game-high 28 points in the Lakers' 129-110 victory.

Banchero's rookie season performance as a whole has been described to that of James, who posted averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 2003-04, eerily similar numbers to that of the Magic power forward.

Banchero hopes that he can be more like LeBron next season as he is in the thick of things in a second-round playoff series against the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

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Published May 3, 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.