Paolo Banchero had himself a historic night in his NBA debut donning the Orlando Magic. The No. 1 overall pick of this year’s draft etched up 27 points, nine rebounds, and five assists against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
But the Magic came up short against the Pistons, 113-109, and Banchero knew that there were a lot of opportunities on his side that could have flipped the outcome of the game.
“I left a lot of points on the board, like three layups missed, some shots I feel like I could have made, so a lot to work on,” said Banchero. “But I wasn’t disappointed with the way I played.”
Banchero truly didn’t disappoint. He just became the third player in league history to record 25 points, five boards, and five assists in their NBA debut, joining an elite club only being filled by LeBron James (2003) and Grant Hill (2004).
Even Detroit head coach Dwane Casey acknowledges the talent that Banchero possesses.
“He’s going to be a problem in our league for a long time,” Detroit coach Dwane Casey said about Banchero.
Jalen Suggs helped up with 21 points, but was shelved late in the fourth because of a foul out. On the other side, last year’s top pick Cade Cunningham grabbed 18 points and 10 assists to lead MoTown to their first dub.
