Magic rookie Paolo Banchero and the NBA: Data, respect and bringing ‘cheat code’ to life
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Within the cramped, closet of an area in any other case referred to as the customer’s dressing room, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound Paolo Banchero was sprawled out over a chair in entrance of his locker about 75 minutes earlier than a sport towards the Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The one different Orlando Magic participant sitting within the room, on the time, was level guard Cole Anthony, and he couldn’t assist however overhear what Banchero was saying, as a result of there are few locations quieter than an NBA locker room previous to opening tip.
Banchero, 19, was the No. 1 choose of the 2022 draft, and he’s the centerpiece of the Magic’s rebuild. A month into his professional profession (counting coaching camp), he’s off to a historic begin. However that’s not what he was speaking about in the meanwhile.
We had been speaking TV exhibits.
“There’s simply a lot (free) time once I’m in Orlando,” Banchero stated when requested what it was prefer to be him, at his age, when he’s not at work. “I don’t have a girlfriend. I don’t have any children. I don’t have, you understand, actually anyone to kill time or be round.
“For me, it’s simply watching exhibits, being at residence, going to the fitness center, ensuring I get sleep, ensuring I get relaxation and restoration.”
Banchero stated he wanted to compensate for the Netflix hit, “Stranger Issues.” He’s excited one other season of “BMF” is across the nook. And he stated he watches video games on NBA League Cross.
When Banchero talked about he didn’t have a girlfriend or kids, Anthony chuckled, a mocking snort and a shake of the pinnacle, as if to say, “What are you speaking about, rook?” Not a minute later, Banchero dished it proper again to his veteran teammate when the dialog turned to video video games {the teenager} performs at residence.
Amongst these video games is the uber-popular NBA 2K23, and Banchero described to The Athletic his gaming technique.
“Generally I play with the Magic, and the Magic are literally good,” he stated, with a touch of irony. Then he checked out Anthony.
“I understand how to make use of them too. I put in all — no offense to him, I take him out of the sport — I put me at level guard, and I put all 6-10 and above gamers in there,” Banchero stated. “We will transfer. I’m telling you it’s a cheat code.”
Maybe it’s a transfer Magic coach Jamahl Mosley ought to think about, utilizing 5 of the six gamers he has listed at 6-10 or taller on the identical time. After shedding Wednesday in Cleveland, Orlando is 0-5. Jalen Suggs, Gary Harris, Markelle Fultz, Mo Wagner, and now Anthony are all out with accidents, making it even more durable for Orlando to win.
Both method, Banchero is his personal cheat code. He scored 29 factors towards the Cavs to go along with eight rebounds and 4 assists and is off to a statistical starting to his profession not often seen within the league’s 76-year historical past.
Banchero has scored at the very least 20 factors in all 5 of Orlando’s video games. That’s tied for the sixth-longest streak in league historical past of 20-point video games to start out a profession (with John Williamson of the Nets in 1976). Grant Hill, Dominique Wilkins and Oscar Robertson all did it of their first six video games; Elvin Hayes scored at the very least 20 in his first 10 contests; after which there’s Wilt, with 56 video games of 20 or extra puntos to start his storied profession.
“Truthfully, it’s simply actually enjoyable,” Banchero stated of his first month on the job. “It’s actually aggressive. Simply all of the video games, all of the touring and stuff, you understand, simply educating myself to get the correct quantity of relaxation. Studying my physique much more with consuming and stuff, so, I’ve beloved it to date.”
It could be onerous to be extra ready for this — dwelling as much as the hype of a No. 1 choose — than Banchero was. His mom, Rhonda, was a star participant on the College of Washington and was drafted into the WNBA earlier than taking part in professionally abroad. His father, Mario, performed school soccer at Washington.
And past that, Banchero performed his 12 months of faculty hoops at Duke, of which he stated: “Duke might be the closest you get to an NBA group in school.”
“I’m not gonna lie, each lodge we had been in at Duke was most likely the nicest in no matter metropolis we’re in,” Banchero stated, attempting to clarify how he adjusted shortly to at the very least a number of the NBA life-style. “So staying in good accommodations, I feel Duke launched me to that, greater than something. I feel the planes within the NBA are higher, possibly, however even our Duke planes … the one distinction between these planes is that they bought the tables and stuff like that (on NBA constitution flights) and slightly extra room, I feel.”
In a loss Sunday to Boston, one other well-known Duke alum, the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, demanded to his teammates that he swap onto Banchero on protection within the second quarter. Tatum harassed Banchero right into a turnover that appeared to spark the Celtics, and a participant of Tatum’s caliber making such a request within the first half of a sport that takes place earlier than Halloween … nicely, it’s an apparent present of respect to Banchero.
Of all of the distinguished Duke alumni within the NBA, Tatum is who Banchero has leaned on for steerage. They struck up a relationship when Banchero shocked Washington followers by selecting Durham over Seattle, and Banchero stated Tatum has supplied beneficiant encouragement over the cellphone and in particular person after the sport towards the Celtics.
“I’ve talked to Jayson rather a lot — he’s been the principle man who has sort of helped me,” Banchero stated. “He didn’t give me any recommendation earlier than we performed him, however after the sport and you understand, earlier earlier than the season, he was an enormous assist.”
The Magic are the NBA’s fourth-youngest group. The gamers’ common age is below 24, and 10 gamers have three or fewer years of professional expertise. Add in Banchero’s bodily dimension (a few gamers, reminiscent of Mo Bamba and Bol Bol, are taller than Banchero, however he’s thicker than both of them), and, nicely, there simply isn’t alternative for his teammates to do a lot rookie hazing. They’re almost as inexperienced, and doubtless smaller, than him.
However Banchero stated he has seen at the very least a number of cases of opponents attempting to welcome him to the NBA, as not solely a rookie however the No. 1 choose.
As an illustration, the Magic’s first preseason sport was towards the Memphis Grizzlies. Guarding Banchero was infamous trash talker and firebrand Dillon Brooks, who tries to burn holes via opponents together with his stare and spends extra time roaring and flexing after a defensive cease than he does after he makes a bucket.
“He was simply speaking right here and there, being actual bodily,” Banchero stated. “I sort of knew what he was doing, but it surely was my first sport. It was simply extra … I used to be taking a look at all the things. What the coaches are saying, the refs. I used to be wanting within the crowd. You’re simply attempting to see what it’s like.”
In one other preseason sport, towards Dallas, Banchero stated Mosley referred to as the primary play of the sport for him — a low-post motion on which Banchero put the ball within the hoop towards Dorian Finney-Smith, who ran again down the ground begging Mosely to name the identical play once more so he may maybe be slightly rougher with the rookie when he caught the ball.
“I find it irresistible,” Banchero stated. “I don’t again down, and I feel the blokes who’re taking part in, they get a way of that shortly. No matter what they attempt to do or what they plan on doing, I’m not going to again down from it.”
Requested Wednesday if he thought Banchero had skilled a “welcome to the NBA” second, Mosley stated, “I feel he’s sort of simply blended into feeling that he belongs right here.”
Mosley stated he and his assistants had been speaking in the course of the day about how “selfless” Banchero is, particularly for the standing that comes with being the highest total choose. Mosley referred to as him “robust” and “assured.”
“The care that he offers not simply his teammates, however folks all through our total group … he has such a fantastic present of humility,” Mosley stated.
If there was a “welcome” second for Banchero, it was he who did the greeting. Within the fourth quarter of his NBA debut — historic as a result of he turned simply the third rookie who was drafted No. 1 to tally at the very least 25 factors, 5 boards and 5 assists in his first sport — Banchero jumped over Detroit’s Cory Joseph for an audacious, posterizing dunk.
PAOLO BANCHERO PULLS DOWN A POSTER! #KiaTipOff22 pic.twitter.com/FzLZ7CgXwQ
— NBA (@NBA) October 20, 2022
“It was like a three-on-one break, so the defender was attempting to bluff forwards and backwards and play each of us, and as I stored coming ahead, he sort of simply didn’t actually decide to me,” Banchero stated. “He simply sort of stored retreating, so I sort of knew I used to be gonna dunk it. Regardless if he jumped or tried to take a cost or bought out of the best way, I knew I used to be gonna dunk it.”
Certainly one of lately, Banchero and the Magic will have the ability to rejoice a play like that in a win — their first collectively.
On the court docket, in any case. Banchero’s huge lineup makes the Magic unstoppable in 2K23.
(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; photograph of Paolo Banchero: Dustin Satloff / Getty Photos)
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