The Orlando Magic may not have the best record in the NBA, but their rebuild is going just as planned so far. Their young core is already beyond impressive, with names such as Bol Bol, Franz Wagner, and Cole Anthony on their roster. And at the rate they are going, this team is bound to be an incredible one very soon.
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However, even given that statement, things may be up and running a lot faster than many expected. And it all centers around the Magic’s rookie big man, Paolo Banchero.
Paolo Banchero reaches incredible feat comparable to Shaquille O’Neal himself
Shaquille O’Neal was an incredible player during his time in the NBA, one of the greatest ever to do it. And he wasted no time in becoming great. No, the man was one of the better players in the league as soon as he came into it. And that resulted in an insane record, something Paolo Banchero recently got pretty darn comparable to.
Take a look at the tweet below.
Paolo Banchero with his 30th 20-point game on the season.
Most by a Magic rookie since Shaquille O’Neal. pic.twitter.com/VEdGCJVbn1
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 28, 2023
That alone is a huge deal. Of course, Shaquille O’Neal had 60 of these in his rookie year. But with 19 more games to go in the regular season, we reckon that the young man can still get close to that record.
What is Paolo Banchero averaging this season?
After 54 games played, Paolo Banchero is averaging 19.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per contest.
The Orlando Magic star is also shooting 41.8% from the field, 27.7% from deep, and 75.2% from the free throw line.