Banchero improved in multiple areas during Year 2, notably increasing his scoring production by becoming more efficient from deep and elevating his playmaking. However, both areas still need work, as he shot only 33.9 percent from deep and committed 3.1 turnovers to 5.4 assists per game. Banchero was named to his first All-Star team last season and has the makings of a superstar if he continues on this trajectory, but the team around him will also have to improve if he wants to reach that level. Franz Wagner is a solid No. 2, especially if he can bounce back from a bad three-point shooting season in 2023-24. In the frontcourt, Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter have struggled to stay healthy, while Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony and Gary Harris have provided inconsistent production in the backcourt. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope replaced Markelle Fultz, and the sharpshooting veteran should be a great addition to a team that shot 30.9 percent from deep last season. If the pieces around Banchero can be more consistent, the 6-foot-10 point forward could flirt with an All-NBA nomination. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $22.66 million contract with the Magic in July of 2022. Magic exercised $12.16 million team option for 2024-25 in October of 2023. Contract includes $15.33 million team option for 2025-26.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Banchero was born Nov. 12, 2002 in Seattle, Washington. His mother, Rhonda, played college basketball at Washington and left as the team's all-time leading scorer and went on to play professionally before becoming a basketball coach at Holy Names Academy in Seattle. His father, Mario, played college football at Washington. Banchero is of Italian descent on his father's side -- his mother is African American -- and he received Italian citizenship in February of 2020 and is eligible to play for the Italian national basketball team. Growing up, Banchero played basketball, football and participated in track. He ranked among the top 50 eighth-graders nationally in both football and basketball. As a freshman at O'Dea High School in Seattle, Banchero was the backup quarterback on the state championship team in addition to playing basketball. In hoops, he averaged 14.1 points and 10.2 rebounds. As a sophomore, he led the school to the Class 3A state championship and was named most valuable player behind averages of 18.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists. As a junior, he was named Washington Gatorade Player of the Year and MaxPreps Junior of the Year behind 22.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. He was also named to the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic rosters, plus was a five-star recruit. In August of 2020, he committed to play college ball at Duke. Starting all 39 of his appearances as a freshman, Banchero averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.0 minutes. He was named ACC Freshman of the Year and was Consensus All-American Second Team. In the 2022 NBA Draft, he was selected No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic.
Explodes for 38 points Sunday
FOrlando Magic
May 6, 2024
Banchero had 38 points (10-28 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 15-18 FT), 16 rebounds, two assists, one block and three steals in 42 minutes during Sunday's 106-94 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 7 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
ANALYSIS Banchero did everything in his power to keep the Magic alive in the playoffs, but even though his stat line was magnificent, the struggles of Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner were too much for Orlando to overcome, meaning Banchero couldn't carry the team to the next round on his own. Despite the early playoff exit, the series against the Cavaliers fully established Banchero as one of the league's up-and-coming superstars. He averaged 27.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals across 37.4 minutes per game.
2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Advanced Stats
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2023
2022
Stat Review
How does Paolo Banchero compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
54.6%
Effective Field Goal %
49.7%
3-Point Attempt Rate
24.9%
Free Throw Rate
39.7%
Offensive Rebound %
3.4%
Defensive Rebound %
20.0%
Total Rebound %
11.6%
Assist %
25.4%
Steal %
1.1%
Block %
1.6%
Turnover %
10.5%
Usage %
0.0%
Fantasy Points Per Game
40.3
Fantasy Points Per Minute
1.2
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Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Magic Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Paolo Banchero was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
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Yahoo
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
The top pick from the 2022 draft took down Rookie of the Year honors, and it wasn't really close. Despite some midseason struggles, Banchero averaged 20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. Those are remarkable averages from a rookie, but that looks like his floor going forward. The versatile forward shot just 43 percent from the field and 30 percent from three-point range, and we have to anticipate those averages rising in his sophomore season. It was also encouraging to see the Rookie of the Year post a 27.5 percent usage rate because he could get above 30 percent this season. Orlando is one of the worst rosters in the NBA, and Banchero can run the show with how much talent he possesses. A spike in assists should be on the horizon, along with his shooting averages, especially since we saw Paolo provide 4.6 assists across the final month of last year.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 Draft was so good in Las Vegas that the Magic opted to shut him down after seeing what they needed to see in just two Summer League games. For the most part, Banchero arrived as advertised. He's a jumbo-sized forward who handles the ball like a guard and is more than happy to facilitate in the halfcourt. Banchero's field goal and three-point percentages will likely go through major swings throughout the season. Still, he projects to have a well-rounded stat profile buoyed by above-average passing for his size and position. Rebounding and scoring shouldn't be a concern, though it remains to be seen how much of an impact Banchero will make at the defensive end. He's also a below-average free throw shooter (72.9% FT as a freshman at Duke), which may be a concern if he can get to the line anywhere close to the rate he did in Vegas (20 FTA in 60 total minutes). There may also be some concern about where Banchero fits in on a Magic roster that includes Franz Wagner and 2021 No. 5 pick Jalen Suggs, as well as other recent first-rounders in Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac and Chuma Okeke. Orlando indeed has more talent than most teams that historically pick No. 1 overall, but Banchero is easily the highest-upside piece of that group, so fantasy managers should not be overly concerned about the team failing to prioritize his development as a future No. 1 option.
More Fantasy News
Pours in 39 points
FOrlando Magic
May 1, 2024
Banchero supplied 39 points (14-24 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 7-8 FT), eight rebounds and four assists over 38 minutes during Tuesday's 104-103 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
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Scores only nine points in win
FOrlando Magic
April 28, 2024
Banchero racked up nine points (4-14 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal across 29 minutes during Saturday's 112-89 victory over the Cavaliers in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
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Records double-double in Game 3 win
FOrlando Magic
April 26, 2024
Banchero closed with 31 points (13-26 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 14 rebounds, five assists and one steal over 29 minutes during Thursday's 121-83 victory over the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
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Leading scorer in Game 2 loss
FOrlando Magic
April 22, 2024
Banchero notched 21 points (9-20 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block over 41 minutes in Orlando's 96-86 loss to Cleveland in Game 2 of the first-round playoff series.
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Scores 24 in playoff debut
FOrlando Magic
April 20, 2024
Banchero closed with 24 points (9-17 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 4-8 FT), seven rebounds and five assists across 41 minutes during Saturday's 97-83 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could have played in Paris
FOrlando Magic
August 14, 2024
Banchero was considered a realistic option to play for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
ANALYSIS Grant Hill, who operates as the managing director of Team USA, is keen on having Banchero as part of the Team USA setup for years to come. Even though he didn't make the roster for Paris, there's a strong chance that Banchero could be part of the team for the 2028 Olympics if his game continues to develop as expected. He's a player Hill wants to feature in future Olympics.