Paolo Banchero's Summer League was short but sweet.
After two games, the Magic shut down the No. 1 pick so they can evaluate other players on the roster.
It probably wasn't a difficult decision for Orlando to make seeing as Banchero didn't have much to prove in the team's remaining three games. In his debut, he went for 17 points, six assists and four rebounds. He followed that up with 23 points, six assists, six rebounds and four steals in a double-overtime win.
It's only Summer League, but there's a lot to be excited about from Banchero's time in Las Vegas.
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Breaking down Paolo Banchero's Summer League
The good
Banchero's size is the first thing that jumps out.
At 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Banchero has measurables similar to Hawks center Clint Capela and Cavaliers center, Jarrett Allen. Capela and Allen are primarily lob threats. Banchero, on the other hand, plays more on the perimeter.
He shot only 40.0 percent from the field in Summer League, but Banchero sure looked comfortable creating his own shot. He has all of the tools to be a nightmare matchup — skilled enough to break defenses down with the ball in his hands while still being big enough to punish defenders with his back to the basket.
One of Banchero's first baskets came against fellow rookie and defensive stalwart Jabari Smith Jr. in isolation.
One of his best plays, meanwhile, was a slick move out of the post.
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It looks like Banchero will adjust well to the physicality of the NBA. He attempted 20 free throws over two games and drew a total of 17 fouls. He almost certainly won't get as friendly of a whistle as a rookie, but the rate at which he drew fouls in Summer League is a promising sign for his future as a go-to scorer.
Even more impressive than Banchero's scoring was his passing. It's not just that he dished out six assists in each game that stood out. It's the types of reads he made. He kept teams honest when they loaded up on him, and his size helps him see over the top of the defense.
If he's going to make high-level passes like this consistently, doubling him isn't going to be an easy solution:
The biggest concern with Banchero going into the draft came on the other end of the court. As TSN's draft expert Kyle Irving wrote in his scouting report, Banchero has "all the tools to be an impactful and versatile defender with good agility at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot wingspan, it will just come down to his attitude and desire to stay engaged on that end."
Summer League isn't the best place to evaluate a player's defense, but it was encouraging to see Banchero make some good defensive plays. He picked up five steals and three blocks, one of which was big time.
Banchero was called for a foul, but it was overturned after review. And the next trip down, he set up the game-winning basket with another gorgeous pass.
Those are the types of sequences that made him the No. 1 pick.
MORE: Banchero selection earns Magic A+ grade
The bad
Banchero committed only two turnovers against the Rockets, but he coughed the ball up a whopping eight times against the Kings.
While he had the right play in mind on a few of those turnovers — Devin Cannady, a 40.3 percent 3-point shooter in college, is open in the play below — the execution wasn't quite there. Some of his passes were telegraphed and there were a couple where he forced the issue.
Perhaps some of that will be ironed out simply by Banchero being more familiar with his teammates.
Additionally, while the way he scored popped, Banchero wasn't all that efficient. He found himself having to create something out of nothing with little-to-no time remaining on the shot clock on a number of occasions against the Kings, but there were times when he struggled to create separation, resulting in him picking up some offensive fouls and settling for tough fadeaways.
If nothing else, it's something to monitor the next time we see Banchero take the court.
