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Paolo Banchero named NBA Rookie of the Year for 2023
Paolo Banchero. NBA File Photo
Paolo Banchero, the first overall draft pick of the 2022-23 NBA season, has been named the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year.
Banchero secured an impressive 98 out of 100 first-place votes, beating fellow finalists Jalen Williams and Walker Kessler to the award. The Orlando forward led all first-year players in scoring, averaging 20 points per game, and won Rookie of the Month four times.
Banchero helped the Magic improve from a 22-win last season to a 34-win club that contended for a play-in berth this season. He had 15 games of at least 25 points and 40 games of at least 20 points, both the most among rookies this season. Banchero became the third player to win Rookie of the Year as a member of the Magic, joining Shaquille O’Neal in 1993 and Mike Miller in 2001.
Banchero is the first No. 1 pick to win the award in the season immediately after getting drafted since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016. He recalled a conversation he had with Miller on draft night, where Miller asked him if he was going to be Rookie of the Year. Banchero replied with confidence, saying it was a goal he had always had his eye on.
The Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Banchero's on-court maturity and willingness to play the right way was one of his biggest takeaways from the rookie's first season. Banchero acknowledges that he's not a finished product and wants to improve in various areas over the offseason, such as being more consistent and dangerous from 3-point range.
Banchero becomes the sixth person to receive one of the NBA’s top individual awards so far in this award season, following the reveals of Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. as defensive player of the year, Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox as the inaugural winner of the clutch player award, Kings coach Mike Brown as a unanimous pick for coach of the year, Boston’s Malcolm Brogdon as sixth man of the year and Utah’s Lauri Markkanen as the league’s most improved player. The NBA's MVP award is yet to be announced.
Banchero secured an impressive 98 out of 100 first-place votes, beating fellow finalists Jalen Williams and Walker Kessler to the award. The Orlando forward led all first-year players in scoring, averaging 20 points per game, and won Rookie of the Month four times.
Banchero helped the Magic improve from a 22-win last season to a 34-win club that contended for a play-in berth this season. He had 15 games of at least 25 points and 40 games of at least 20 points, both the most among rookies this season. Banchero became the third player to win Rookie of the Year as a member of the Magic, joining Shaquille O’Neal in 1993 and Mike Miller in 2001.
Banchero is the first No. 1 pick to win the award in the season immediately after getting drafted since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016. He recalled a conversation he had with Miller on draft night, where Miller asked him if he was going to be Rookie of the Year. Banchero replied with confidence, saying it was a goal he had always had his eye on.
The Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Banchero's on-court maturity and willingness to play the right way was one of his biggest takeaways from the rookie's first season. Banchero acknowledges that he's not a finished product and wants to improve in various areas over the offseason, such as being more consistent and dangerous from 3-point range.
Banchero becomes the sixth person to receive one of the NBA’s top individual awards so far in this award season, following the reveals of Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. as defensive player of the year, Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox as the inaugural winner of the clutch player award, Kings coach Mike Brown as a unanimous pick for coach of the year, Boston’s Malcolm Brogdon as sixth man of the year and Utah’s Lauri Markkanen as the league’s most improved player. The NBA's MVP award is yet to be announced.
Apr 26, 2023
