Paolo Banchero makes NBA Summer League debut: Magic's No. 1 pick shows out vs. Rockets

Nick Metallinos

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Paolo Banchero makes NBA Summer League debut: Magic's No. 1 pick shows out vs. Rockets image

Paolo Banchero, the highly touted No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft made his Las Vegas Summer League debut on Thursday night, and he did not disappoint. 

He may not have made quite the splash that Chet Holmgren did in his debut, but Banchero showed that he will be a problem once he finds his NBA footing. 

The Magic got the 91-77 win over the Rockets as Banchero finished with 17 points, six assists and four rebounds. He was a plus-20 in just 25 minutes of court action. 

"I felt comfortable you know," Banchero told ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth post-game.

It's really getting my body to catch up. It's been a while since I've played so I battled through some soreness and stuff, but it was fun. I felt real good out there. 

The expectation heading into the draft was that Jabari Smith Jr. would be the No. 1 overall pick, but the Magic instead went for the multi-faceted Banchero. The Duke product was asked whether he had any extra motivation to show he deserved being the top pick. 

MORE: Chet Holmgren's sensational Summer League debut

"Oh yeah, for sure," the No. 1 pick said about his battle with Smith Jr. "I've always had a chip on my shoulder. That wasn't my whole mindset, I just wanted to come out and get the win." 

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What skills did Paolo Banchero show?

Part of what makes Banchero's ceiling so high is that he has all the tools to be an impactful and versatile defender in the league with good agility at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot wingspan. 

Not to mention he has probably the most complete offensive skillset among all rookies.

Banchero got to show off some of his skills from early in the game against the Rockets. 

Footwork

As ESPN broadcaster Mark Jones mentioned on the telecast, there was 'a little Carmelo Anthony' to Banchero's moves, especially early in the first quarter.

On this particular play, Banchero understood he had a smaller defender posting him up, and after looking over the defense, hit the Rockets with a sweet turnaround fadeaway. 

Players who know how to use their body while also showing the poise to not be rushed are definitely signs of a basketball maturity not every young possesses.  

Look, it may not be at Carmelo Anthony's level just yet, but the young man definitely has great footwork for such a young age. 

Scoring 

Banchero was a polished scorer at college with Duke, a guy who could create his own shot almost anywhere on the court. For his first points of the game, he displayed his outside shooting touch and showed there was no issue with the NBA 3-point distance, splashing this spot-up triple.

At one stage late in the first quarter, Banchero had eight of the Magic's 10 points as they took a 19-14 lead. In fact, he scored or assisted on 14 of the first 17 Magic points. Not bad. 

This move speaks to the cerebral nature of his game already.

Passing

Banchero is such a talented passer at his size. He can also lead a fast break, and find the open man, too. 

I mean, this is just ridiculous.

MORE: NBA Summer League results: Scores, stats from Utah

"That's always been a big part of my game," Banchero said about his passing. "Just getting my guys involved. We've got a bunch of great players on the team. They make great cuts and set great screens so I gotta get them the ball." 

When does Paolo Banchero play next?

The Magic still have four more games to play at Vegas Summer League, including an exciting matchup against the Thunder and their No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren on Monday. All but one of the Magic's games will be screened on ESPN. 

Their last game is still TBD. 

 Magic schedule at Las Vegas Summer League

Date Opponent Time (ET) TV
Thursday, July 7 Rockets 10:00 p.m.  ESPN
Saturday, July 9 Kings 4:00 p.m. ESPN
Monday, July 11 Thunder 9:00 p.m. ESPN
Thursday, July 14 Knicks 7:30 p.m. NBA TV
TBD TBD TBD TBD

Nick Metallinos

Nick Metallinos Photo

Nick has been working exclusively within the NBA world for over a decade. He hosted 46 episodes of Ball or Nothin' - a show screened on ESPN highlighting the social media aspects of the NBA. Nick has covered 3 NBA Finals, 5 NBA All-Star weekends, 8 NBA drafts, 5 Jordan Brand Classics plus dozens of playoff games and hundreds of regular season games. 
Nick spends his spare time trying to decide which sneakers best match his outfit.