Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Duke Reacts to Paolo Banchero’s Historic Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated Apr 16, 2025 12:13 AM ET

Somewhat quietly, Paolo Banchero has become one of the NBA's newest stars over the last couple of years. Even though his Orlando Magic had plenty of injuries and other issues this season, he dragged them to seventh place in the Eastern Conference, and they will now be the seventh seed in the playoffs.

On Tuesday, they secured a resounding 120-95 victory in the play-in tournament over the Atlanta Hawks. Banchero only shot 4-of-13 from the field, but he contributed nine rebounds and seven assists to his team.

In the regular season, he averaged 25.9 points a game, which put him in some select company. He is now just the third Magic player after Shaquille O'Neal and Tracy McGrady, both of whom are Hall of Famers, to average at least 25 points a game in an entire season.

His alma mater, Duke, honored him by retweeting the Magic's original post on X about this accomplishment.

️‼️ @Pp_doesit https://t.co/L9UaQoIby1
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) April 15, 2025

Banchero isn't an efficient field-goal shooter, especially for a big man, but he has developed into an offensive force in the paint, and he has also expanded his game by averaging 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists a game this season.

He is the head honcho of a Magic team that has become a threat in the East by winning with defense, playing slowdown basketball and challenging shots at or near the rim.

The Magic led the NBA with 6.0 blocks per game in the regular season, and Banchero helped out with 0.6 rejections a contest.

In his lone year at Duke, he put up 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game and was named to the All-ACC First Team while winning the ACC Rookie of the Year award.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: