Paolo Banchero ‘Surprised’ Magic Called on NBA Draft Night

Banchero was pretty sure he was going to end up with the Houston Rockets before the NBA Draft.

HOUSTON — Paolo Banchero is a member of the Orlando Magic … but even he didn’t expect to get the call from Orlando on draft night. He had come to terms with the idea of him being with the Houston Rockets until the Magic shocked the NBA world.

Banchero is an early favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors following an impressive outing during the 2022 NBA Summer League tournament. He led the Magic to a 2-0 record before the franchise prematurely ended his run in Las Vegas after averaging 20.0 points on 40.7 percent shooting, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds.

Banchero's play inside the Thomas & Mack Center vindicated his selection as the top overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft. But Banchero was close to falling to the Houston Rockets with the No. 3 pick prior to Orlando shifting course.

"That’s kind of where my mind was at [in Houston], and I was fine with it,” Banchero said during an interview with Yahoo Sports. "I was a little surprised they [Magic] called. Again, my mind was in Houston."

A source told Inside the Rockets in May that Houston's top draft target was Banchero, and the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year winner envisioned himself fitting well next to Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr.

"Those are two extremely skilled and talented players," Banchero told reporters before the draft on June 17. "I've known them for a while — Kevin since high school. Both guys are unselfish, and they want to win. If [Houston] were to add me to their core, it would elevate the team and myself."

The Rockets decided on a significant contingency plan with the draft selection of Jabari Smith Jr. with the No. 3 overall pick. Smith has appeared in all four of Houston's summer league games averaging 15.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks.

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