Paolo Banchero Wins the NBA Rookie of the Year Award

Orlando Magic’s power forward and the No.1 pick from last year’s draft, Paolo Banchero, won the NBA Rookie of the Year award. The youngster was far ahead of the competition, winning 98 of 100 first votes, which clearly indicates his domination.

The Magic superstar had 494 total points out of 500, with two first-place votes he didn’t get going to the Utah Jazz center, Walker Kessler. Kessler ended third in voting with 114 points, behind Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams, who had 241 points, winning 75 second-place votes.

Paolo Banchero becomes the third Magic player to win Rookie of the Year 🪄👏 pic.twitter.com/kELgYzOzXR

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 25, 2023

Banchero, the first choice in the NBA draft a year ago, finished with season averages of 20 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. He followed the footsteps of Shaquille O’Neal and Mike Miller as the third Magic player to earn Rookie of the Year honors. Banchero averaged more points than any other rookie, with 40 games in which he scored at least 20 and 6 games in which he scored at least 30 buckets.

There was no dilemma for the Magic when it came to making the pick, especially following Banchero’s dominant college year at Duke University, where he became the Rookie of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Banchero scored 17.2 points per game, having 7.8 boards in 39 appearances and 33 minutes on the floor.

He immediately became the pivotal figure in the Magic team, who ended the year with 34 wins and 48 losses. Though, as the season went by, we’ve witnessed the franchise from Florida becoming more and more competitive, and if they had more experience, the record would be even better. They had 12 victories more than in the 2021/22 campaign and were on the verge of the play-in tournament. But nobody lamented over this, because the future of the Magic team is exceptionally bright.

Jamahl Mosley has an extremely talented group at his disposal, with guys like Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Junior, Markelle Fulz, also a former top pick, Cole Anthony, etc. For many, they resemble the Memphis Grizzlies a few years ago, only with the note that the Magic have a more tactical approach on the floor and aren’t that flashy like the team from Tennessee. In the years to come, Orlando could become a force in the East, all with Banchero as the leader.

Paolo Banchero is in ELITE company 🔵 😈 @DukeMBB | #DukeintheNBA pic.twitter.com/SnywiAi3HM

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) April 25, 2023

Williams, the Thunder’s No. 12 choice from the previous year’s draft, helped lead Oklahoma City to the play-in tournament, where it was eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the battle for the eighth seed. Williams averaged 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

Kessler was initially selected by Minnesota at No. 22 overall but was traded to Utah for Rudy Gobert last summer. The 7-foot-1 big rapidly emerged as a defensive force for Utah, averaging 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. He replaced Gobert almost immediately, and the Jazz again has a respectable player in the paint.

Three more players received at least one vote on the ballot – Benedict Mathurin from the Indiana Pacers, Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings and Jordan Ivey from the Detroit Pistons.

Regarding other awards, the NBA MVP plus all the All-NBA teams, they are expected to be revealed in the next week or two at most.