Ringer's Top 100: Banchero (No. 29) Is NBA 'Star in the Making'

The Orlando Magic's triumvirate of Paolo Banchero (29), Franz Wagner (58), Jalen Suggs (73) are ranked among the NBA's top 100 players.

Apr 25, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) shoots the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the second quarter of game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kia Center. / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — Few players did more to raise their profile in the 2023-24 season than Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero did in his second year as a pro.

NBA watchers have noticed. The Ringer has ranked its top 100 players in the league and Banchero is No. 29.

"Star in the making who can influence the game in too many ways to count," The Ringer wrote. "Paolo’s first postseason laid out a tidy blueprint for his future success. Banchero was a force at times against Cleveland’s sturdy defense, bruising his way to 30 points or more three times and averaging a robust 27 points, 8.6 rebounds, and four assists over seven games."

Three Magic players ranked in the Ringer's top 100: Banchero, Franz Wagner (58), and Jalen Suggs (73).

Wagner, 22, a 6-foot-10 small forward who averaged almost 20 points a game, is a "workhorse wing with the all-around game to support a star or become one himself," the Ringer said.

Suggs, 23, voted second-team All-Defense last season, "isn't the most talented player in Orlando," the Ringer said, "but his ability to torture his defensive assignment with relentless ball pressure is indispensable on a young, ascending team that wreaks havoc, creates turnovers, and electroshocks the game's rhythm with its physicality."

Banchero was the fifth-youngest player to make the list. Only Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, 20, ranked higher at No. 17.

The 6-foot-10 All-Star has joined many short lists in just his second season as a pro:

• Third No. 1 overall pick since LeBron James and Hall of Fame point guard Oscar Robertson to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists within their first two seasons.
• Youngest player in NBA history to have at least 30 points and 10 rebounds with zero turnovers in a playoff game.
• Second player under 22 years old since James to average at least 25 points and eight rebounds over seven games in the playoffs.
• Third-youngest player to score at least 39 points in a playoff game and have multiple playoff games with at least 30 points.
• In Game 7 this year, 24 points in the first half were the most by a player 21 years old or younger.

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