Paolo Banchero may have only played two NBA seasons so far but he has already established himself as the Magic’s franchise player, an All-Star-level talent, and one of the future faces of the league. Over his two seasons in the NBA, Banchero put together some great games already and led his team to the playoffs.
From now on, Banchero will only continue to improve. After all, he is only 21 years old and far from done developing. Considering some of the things he has already accomplished so early on in his career, that is a scary thought. So, let’s look back at some of Banchero’s best games of his young career and envision what he will be able to do a few years from now.
1. Paolo Banchero scores a career-high 43 points
Paolo Banchero’s current career high in scoring is the 43 points he put up in a cruel double overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings in early January. He played 45 minutes—despite hurting his ankle in the third quarter—and tried his best to will his team to a win, converting 13 of his 25 field goal attempts, 6 of his 9 3-pointers, and 11 of his 14 free throws.
Banchero is not always an efficient shooter from long-range, averaging only 32.1 percent for his career, but that night he stepped up as a scorer. He also added 4 rebounds and 5 assists to the mix. If it wasn’t for his eight turnovers, this could have been an almost flawless all-around game.
2. Banchero’s first 30-point game in the playoffs
The Magic did not start the playoffs off well, losing the first two games to the Cavaliers. Game 3 changed the momentum of the series as the Magic secured a decisive win and showed that they could compete after all. It was also Banchero’s first 30-point performance in the playoffs. He put up 31 points on efficient shooting, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal. Banchero struggled with turnovers throughout the playoffs but not that game. This game also marked his first double-double in the playoffs.
3. Banchero’s highest-scoring playoff game
With the series tied 2-2, Game 5 was incredibly important. The Magic wanted the win but ended up losing 104-103 despite Banchero’s 39-point performance. The Magic’s young star shot 58.3 percent from the field, converted 4 of his 7 three-point attempts, and only missed one free throw. He was an efficient scoring force while also grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. Once again, Banchero struggled to take care of the ball, though, racking up 5 turnovers.
4. Banchero tries to keep the Magic’s playoff run alive
Game 7 was not the Magic’s best game in the playoffs and Banchero wasn’t perfect either. He racked up five turnovers again and struggled from the field, shooting only 35.7 percent. And yet, watching him put up 38 points in a Game 7 at such a young age was impressive. Banchero stepped up as a 3-point shooter once again, converting 3 of his 6 attempts, and made it to the free throw line 18 times. He was scorching hot in the first half and the next step is being able to play like that for an entire game in the future.
On top of that, Banchero also grabbed 16 rebounds, which is an impressive number against a team with as much size as the Cavaliers and tied his career high.
5. Banchero’s first 30-point game of his career
The first time Banchero scored 30 points in a game was in an overtime loss to the Kings in early November of his rookie season. Banchero put up 33 points, shooting over 50 percent from the field and converting all of his five free-throw attempts. He also grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds and dished out four assists. Banchero missed all of his three attempts from long-range but still showed his potential as a scorer and all-around talent in the NBA.
6. Banchero’s first 40-point game of his career
Banchero’s career-high 43 points came in a double overtime game but he has also already put up 42 points in only 38 minutes of playing time. On December 6, 2023, the Magic lost to the Cavaliers despite Banchero’s best efforts. He put up 42 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks. Despite missing 4 of his 5 three-point attempts, he still shot 61.5 percent from the field and also hit 75 percent of his free throws. Only getting one assist is uncharacteristic for Banchero but it was still an impressive performance from a scoring standpoint.