Paolo Banchero has lived up to all the lofty expectations ever since he was selected No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic during the 2022 NBA Draft. Some might even go as far as saying that he's been better than expected so far to start the season.
We all know that Banchero was going to be good, but not too many would have imagined that he was going to be this good this early — or at least not Shaquille O'Neal-level good.
According to StatMuse, the Magic rookie has been putting up numbers that haven't been seen since the days Shaq took the entire NBA by storm when he arrived:
Paolo Banchero this season:
22.9 PPG
8.4 RPG
1.0 BPGThe last rookie to average those numbers was Shaq. pic.twitter.com/4JgCC6qHdX
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 5, 2022
22.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. This are some very impressive numbers, especially for a rookie that's played in just 10 games thus far. The fact that Paolo Banchero is being mentioned in the same breath as Shaq is definitely something that should get Magic fans all excited.
Unfortunately for Orlando, not even their star rookie's strong start has been enough to help them stack up some wins. The Magic lost another close game on Saturday, falling to the Sacramento Kings in overtime thanks to an epic De'Aaron Fox buzzer-beater. That's now eight losses in 10 games for the Magic, who continue to have one of the worst records in the entire NBA.
This season obviously won't be Orlando's year, but it's hard for Magic fans not to get excited by the prospect of Paolo Banchero emerging as the face of this franchise for years to come.
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