The Orlando Magic fielded a skeleton crew on Friday night against the Denver Nuggets. Franz Wagner headlined the list of seven Magic rotation players who were out with injury, and to make matters worse, rookie guard Anthony Black had to exit their game against the Nuggets with an illness. In the first half, it looked like the Magic were headed for their fourth straight loss despite Paolo Banchero's best efforts.

However, in the third quarter, the Magic found their groove on the offensive end, thanks in large part to Banchero's stellar play. He may have put up just seven points in the period, but he was in a playmaking rhythm, dropping seven dimes en route to a 41-point quarter that turned the game around against the Nuggets, which ended in a 122-120 win for Orlando.

In the end, Paolo Banchero looked like the biggest star on the court in a game that had Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray playing in it. The Magic sophomore tallied the first triple-double of his career, dropping 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, and he added three steals for good measure as well. As a result, Banchero now finds himself in some very illustrious company.

According to ClutchPoints Twitter (X), Banchero is now one of just seven players in NBA history to tally a 30/10/10/3 game before turning 22 years old. That list includes LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Magic Johnson, and Isiah Thomas — three players who are already in the Hall of Fame, two who should soon follow once their playing days are over, and one who should be on track for induction if he continues his current career trajectory.

In fact, according to StatMamba on Twitter (X), the Magic sophomore is the youngest forward since James (who dropped 32/11/11/5 on January 4, 2006) to put up a 30-point triple-double; that is no mean feat, as James, as everyone knows, would go on to be one of the most consistent stat-sheet stuffers in league history.

This just goes to show how lofty Paolo Banchero's potential is as the Magic's franchise cornerstone, someone who can function as the team's number one option as both a scorer and playmaker. Banchero will have to continue playing at this level if the Magic were to hold on to the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference amid their injury woes.