Paolo Banchero's 50-point game made him undeniable

Paolo Banchero is typically a low-key and quiet guy. His postgame press conferences come off sometimes a bit detached. He is quiet and a bit monotone.

Except for the fact that he is 6-foot-10, 250 pounds—almost always the first reaction to seeing him in person is, "That is a big dude"—you probably would not notice a ton about him.

His play does a lot of the talking. And any thought that Banchero is a quiet or laid back guy off the court goes away when he steps on the court. There, he is intense, he shouts and screams after big plays. He is loud and lets people know as he bullies his way to the rim.

But it still comes off so cool.

In a lot of ways, Paolo Banchero's laid-back demeanor but fire on the court reminds Magic fans of Tracy McGrady. McGrady was similarly laid back off the court, but a fiery competitor on it. He made his name in his four seasons with the Magic as one of the league's best scorers.

Now Banchero is putting his name in the same sentence as someone like McGrady. That is what happened with a historic 50-point performance in Monday's 119-115 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Banchero continued to astound and make history at every step of his journey so far in his career. It left everyone speechless after his performance.

"I just told the coaches in there, it's one of those games where you are watching and coaching but you are enjoying his process and watching a great player perform," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Monday's game. "He was an artist out there. Obviously, tough shots made, put the team on his back with guys down and then guys stepped up and stepped in. They joined in the party."

The final tally:

50 points
13 rebounds (4 offensive)
9 assists
16 for 26 field goals
3 for 9 3-point field goals
15 for 22 free throws

The accolades from Banchero became just a string of posts and messages from the Magic's PR team. It is getting harder to properly give him the historical context he deserves.

A sampling:

Banchero tied a Magic franchise record with 37 points in the first half. He became the third player since 1997 to have a 37-5-5 game. He did that in the first half.

He became the fourth player in league history to record a 50-point, 10-rebound game joining LeBron James, Jamal Mashburn, and Rick Barry, and the youngest to do so since James in 2005. He was the second youngest player to record a 50/10/5 game, trailing only James.

Paolo Banchero is just the fourth player in Magic history to score 50 points—Shaquille O'Neal, Tracy McGrady, and Nick Anderson are the others. He became the youngest player in Magic history to score 50 points in a game, beating out O'Neal by nearly two months.

He beat his career-high of 43 points early in the fourth quarter and topped his Kia Center career-high of 36 points by halftime.

There is just a lot of history that Banchero made. And considering his 33-point opener against the Miami Heat also put him in league with the Orlando Magic's all-time greats and his early career numbers have put him alongside elite players like LeBron James and Luka Doncic, Paolo Banchero's place in the league should be undeniable.

"It should. I think so. He's one of the best basketball players I've been around," Mosley said after Monday's game. "The way he conducts himself, the way he pushes himself to be great, the way in which he makes other people around him great. A lot of those open shots are because he's drawing two or three defenders and he's making the right play. That's what great players do. They make those around them great and he makes our coaches look good too."

The 50 points are the headline effort of course. That is the kind of thing that gets national notice.

There is just something visceral to scoring that many points in games that typically feature teams scoring somewhere near 110 points. Banchero accounted for 42.0 percent of the Magic's points in a win!

Monday's game was Banchero at his absolute best. He was bulldozing players on his way to the rim. He was stopping and hitting mid-range jumpers with ease. The Pacers had no answers for him.

The only thing that seemed to slow Banchero down was his shortcomings at the foul line—he somehow left points on the board—and fatigue. Banchero had a lot on his shoulders and looked exhausted by the end of the game.

Still, he found the reserves to score critical buckets and deliver the win for the Magic. That is ultimately what mattered to him.

It wasn’t just Banchero’s scoring that impressed against the Pacers

What stood out about Banchero's efforts was everything else that he did. The rebounds and passes are vital. So was his defense against Pascal Siakam in the fourth quarter. That was essential to the win.

Still, even a day after the game ended, everyone is just marveling at what Banchero did. It was a truly special and historic showing.

It is something everyone on the Magic has known Banchero had in him.

"When you get to see legendary things in person, it is actually so great," Jalen Suggs said after Monday's win. "To be around him every day and watch his work ethic and see how he has impacted this organization and our growth, it's so dope. When they have moments like this, it's beautiful and you love to acknowledge it because they've earned it. What a beautiful night for him too. He played amazing out there and it was a big catalyst in us getting that win."

Everyone has seen how Banchero's presence has lifted this franchise and this team. A big scoring game was merely confirmation of what he is capable of and Banchero's understanding that he has to do whatever his team needs him to win.

Banchero said he is still learning how to be more focused and bring intensity every night. He said he knows he sets the tone for the team. Consistency is still something he is chasing as a young player.

Banchero said his aggression to start the game was a response to two poor efforts in the last two games.

But Banchero did something entirely different on Monday. Every player for the Magic has talked about raising the standard for the team as a whole. Banchero raised the standard of what he is capable of Monday.

More history seems on the horizon. And Banchero will be playing loudly the rest of his career.