In his second NBA season, [autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag] increased his scoring average to 22.6 points per game, dished out 5.4 assists, and led the Orlando Magic to the playoffs in a dramatic seven-game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
So how could the former Blue Devil possibly set the bar higher in year three? He answered that question pretty quickly on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat.
Banchero scored 33 points, making four of his eight 3-point attempts, and grabbed 11 rebounds. The StatMamba account on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) pointed out that, once you had in his three assists without a single turnover, he joined NBA legend Michael Jordan as the only players to finish with that line in a season opener.
The Magic won the game convincingly as well, a 116-97 triumph to position themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Banchero wasn’t the only former Duke basketball alum with a dominant first game. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum scored 37 points in a double-double of his own as the defending champions beat the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.