Magic’s Paolo Banchero: Poor effort Tuesday Rotowire 20 HRS AGO Banchero ended with five points (2-9 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block across 20 minutes in Tuesday’s 104-92 preseason loss to the Pelicans. Banchero made his presence felt across the board but struggled massively as a scoring threat, though based on his track record, there’s a strong chance this was nothing but an off night for the 2022-23 Rookie of the Year. Banchero will aim to build off a stellar rookie year in which he averaged 20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
Baller, but Franz is the better player right now. Paolo’s defense has looked better in preseason. Hopefully that is something he continues to improve upon and continues to grow as a playmaker. He was an empty calories player as a rookie for the most part, but he did get to the free throw line.