If you don't know by now, let me tell you straight up that Paolo Banchero is the real deal. The Orlando Magic rookie has been making waves in his debut season, and on Wednesday, he decided to add Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to his growing list of victims.
Banchero put Shai on a poster on Wednesday night as the Magic hosted SGA's Thunder. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft was given a clear path to the basket by a lackluster OKC defense, and as soon as Banchero headed to the rim, you just knew that there was going to be trouble:
PAOLO POSTER 😳 pic.twitter.com/p1qZ2kLBYY
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 5, 2023
Banchero slipped out of a pick-and-roll with Magic teammate Cole Anthony, who himself dropped a pinpoint pass to his young teammate. You have to credit Shai for not backing down from the challenge as he tried his best to stop a Banchero throwdown. He stood no chance, though, as the Magic stud picked up a full head of steam as he took off for the two-handed flush.
Unsurprisingly, Paolo Banchero's eye-popping dunk had NBA Twitter buzzing:
Sick poster, crazy how SGA almost got a piece of that as a pg
— Trey😎 (@Tr3yI7) January 5, 2023
— Osh (@itsoshh) January 5, 2023
SGA said alright let’s get this shit out
— Dingus 🔮🧬 (@Dingusjones11) January 5, 2023
Banchero is currently leading the pack in the Rookie of the Year race, and he has the numbers to back his claim up. In 30 games played so far this season, the 20-year-old is putting up averages of 20.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per contest. He's also knocking down 1.2 triples per game.
Paolo Banchero has the makings of becoming a true superstar in the NBA. I'm pretty sure Shai Gilegous-Alexander would attest to that.
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