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NBA Summer League is officially a wrap for No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero. The Orlando Magic have decided they’ve seen enough from the forward and will not risk injury to their future star.
Paolo Banchero’s Summer League is over. Put simply, the Magic saw all they needed to see from the No. 1 pick and want other players to get opportunities now.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) July 11, 2022
Banchero averaged 20.0 points. 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds in two Summer League appearances. He looked excellent passing the ball and got off to hot starts in both games, although eventually his shooting did cool down. With Shaedon Sharpe and Jaden Ivey already suffering injury scares, the Magic are thinking they don’t need to chance it with Banchero in meaningless games.
It’ll be interesting to see how Orlando’s secondary players look without Banchero on the floor. Guys like Caleb Houstan will take on bigger roles, but will they be as successful when they don’t have a guy drawing most of the opposing defense’s attention? We’ll see what happens for Orlando going forward.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Banchero is +400 to win Rookie of the Year behind Oklahoma City Thunder prospect Chet Holmgren.