Paolo Banchero has enjoyed a fabulous rookie season with the Orlando Magic and looks set to walk away with ROTY honors.
There have been some growing pains along the way too, of course, and Banchero, during an appearance on the Knuckleheads podcast, was asked to name a player who had gotten the better of him this season.
“I got asked this question and I said Kevin Durant the first time,” Banchero said. “But that’s like the obvious one, that was at the beginning of the year so I ain’t gonna use that.”
Banchero had indeed revealed last year that playing against Kevin Durant was his “Welcome to the NBA” moment. He didn’t want to give the same answer again though, so he named Jimmy Butler as another opponent who has given him trouble.
“I think we’ve played him three times so far. It’s fun playing him because he’s so good, but it’s just frustrating playing him at the same time.” When asked what made Butler so hard to play against, Banchero replied, “He’s so good at drawing fouls. So, it’s hard to guard him, cause he drawing fouls and then just the way he closes games! We played them three times. The first two times, we were up and every time in the fourth quarter he just starts taking over on both ends. He usually guards me and that’s the other thing, he makes it real tough on me, just him guarding me. He’s got good hands, strong, can’t just really bully him, so he is a monster on both sides.”
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Butler has really proven to be a handful for the Magic this season, averaging 29.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 4.7 APG in their three meetings. He helped the Miami Heat win the first two games and then sunk an incredible buzzer-beater to send their last meeting to overtime, but the Magic did manage to win in the extra period.
Butler also slowed down Banchero, who averaged 17.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 3.7 APG in the three games but shot just 34.1% from the field. The final meeting between these sides is today, but both individuals are dealing with injuries, so Banchero is unlikely to get one more shot at Butler.
Paolo Banchero On The NBA Players Who Helped Him In This Rookie Season
It is often said that the NBA is one big family, and the brotherhood between a lot of the players is a real thing. A rookie like Banchero could always use some help, and he revealed that he has spoken numerous times to fellow former Blue Devils Jayson Tatum and Zion Williamson. He has also talked to Grant Hill, and all the advice really seems to have helped.
Banchero looks set to finish his rookie season with impressive averages of 20.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.7 APG. There were some eyebrows raised when the Magic selected him with the first pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, but they clearly made the right decision.
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