On Draft night back in June, there was a lot of hand-wringing outside of the Orlando Magic’s war room over what the team would do. Faced with a decision between three solid players who each seem destined to succeed in their roles, all the Magic had to do was make the right choice to set their team up.
Everyone debated and argued over who was the right pick and the right direction for the team to go in.
Inside the Magic’s war room among the Magic’s decision-makers? They would have you believe it was never in doubt.
In the end, the debate over the Rookie of the Year was as obvious as that pick should have been back in June. In the end, Paolo Banchero was the answer.
Paolo Banchero is always the answer.
Paolo Banchero was the runaway winner for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award as he becomes the third Orlando Magic player to win the award.
And Banchero is now the KIA NBA Rookie of the Year, winning the newly minted Wilt Chamberlain Trophy. In the end, despite a lot of noise about who should win the award or how close the race should be, Banchero won it in a landslide, taking 98 of 100 first-place votes.
The 2022-23 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year is... Paolo Banchero!#KiaROY | #NBAAwards | @Kia pic.twitter.com/zdlmQS6682
— NBA (@NBA) April 25, 2023
Banchero turned in a historic-level season, averaging 20.0 points per game becoming the first qualified player to average 20 points per game as a rookie since Luka Doncic in 2019 and Blake Griffin before him in 2011. He led the Magic in scoring to boot, becoming a consistent drumbeat for a young team trying to learn how to win in the league.
Banchero consistently ranked historically with other All-Stars and Hall of Famers. His 40 20-point games this season matched LeBron James in his rookie year.
It is easy to get swept away in those comparisons. Orlando gave Banchero the keys to drive the team and be a key factor in the team’s success. The fact he took those keys and ran with them was so impressive. He did it by showing hints of how he is going to fill the stat sheet as he continues to develop.
Banchero also ranked fifth in rebounds at 6.9 rebounds per game and third in assists at 3.7 per game. That is a well-rounded player, especially for a 19-year-old at 6-foot-10.
Everyone around the league seemed to marvel at his physicality — he averaged 7.4 free throw attempts per game in another sign of his future stardom — and his skill at his size and age. It is easy to see how Banchero can develop into a bigger star and factor in this league.
That is what everyone will expect. That comes with the territory of being the top pick in the draft and now the Rookie of the Year.
But Banchero has repeatedly said his goal was to win this award. He certainly expected he had this in him and he went out on the floor and delivered.
Like the inevitability of winning this award, there was never a doubt. He has certainly already made the Magic happy with the decision they kept so quiet, but seemed so sure of.
With the award in tow, Banchero joins and elite group of players and future stars. Now he looks to continue growing and building off this success for a young Magic team that seems to have found its star.