Paolo Banchero is off to a great start this season with the Orlando Magic.
He is the front-runner for Rookie of the Year and is leading all first-year players in scoring. He hasn’t experienced very many rookie mistakes thus far, and he often plays with a poise and maturity that extends well beyond his years in the NBA.
He has had one “Welcome to the NBA” moment, though: Playing against Kevin Durant.
Banchero faced Durant and the Brooklyn Nets for the first time on Nov. 28, and the No. 1 pick received a firsthand look at a vintage performance by the future Hall of Famer. Durant dropped a season-high 45 points and only missed five of his 24 attempts from the field.
The performance by Durant left Banchero in awe. Banchero, speaking with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter on the “Old Man & the Three” podcast, described playing against Durant in that game.
Playing against K.D. I think was kind of my little ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment. I guarded him for most of that game and there was really just nothing you could do. Some guys get to the line a bunch or play with the refs and get calls and that’s how they get 14 points from the line or whatever but K.D. was straight business. He wasn’t saying anything to the refs and was getting to the line. I think he had four or five free throws but he had 45 so most of those were buckets. I think he missed five shots that game.
Durant scored 19 points of his points in that game in the third quarter and failed to connect on only one of 13 shot attempts in the second half. He scored 14 points with Banchero as his primary defender on 6-of-7 shooting from the field.
It was the first time Banchero had experienced anything like that.
He was the first player I think I guarded in my life where there was nothing I could do. Usually, a guy can make some shots on me, but I can fluster him a little bit. I can get into him and make him miss here and there, but that was just like he doesn’t even see me right now. I’m trying to cut him off. He is just out there like I’m still gonna get to this spot and I’m still gonna rise up so it was crazy (guarding) him.
“He was the first player I think I've guarded in my life where it was like … there's nothing I could do.“ —Paolo Banchero on Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/lP07iFYC2T
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) December 21, 2022
Despite the performance by Durant, the two players linked up after that game and had a conversation. Durant even signed a jersey for Banchero as the former Most Valuable Player was someone the Magic rookie watched over the years.
The matchup will certainly be one Banchero remembers for a long time, despite how lopsided it was. To walk away with a signed jersey was also likely pretty memorable, as well.
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