Paolo Banchero said he was unaware how many points he had at halftime. But he understood he was feeling it and playing a different kind of game when he made his first five free throws, joking that came back around to hurt him.
That is the kind of joke and kind of feeling you can make after a win. And after the game Banchero just had.
The scoreline was downright jaw-dropping: 50 points, 16-for-26 shooting, 15-for-22 shooting from the line (see, points left on the line) and 13 rebounds and nine assists.
But the growth Banchero made went far beyond his scoring. His team needed the individual scoring effort with Franz Wagner missing the second half with an illness and several other key players out.
Banchero knows that for his team to take the step it needs to take in the Eastern Conference, it starts with him and his leadership. After struggling in the last two games, Banchero was determined to be aggressive and be the platform his team could jump off.
This may be the struggle he goes through all season as he goes through his maturation process. And he pushed through it in Monday’s 119-115 win.
“I think being a leader, you’ve got to set the tone for the rest of the team,” Banchero said. “Sometimes I forget it. When I say I’m still learning, that’s what I mean. I have to be that every night. My intensity has to be at a certain level for us to be a good team and be where we want to be. I’m still working on that. I’m still getting there. That’s where I want to be where every night, I’m bringing the same intensity and same attitude and putting it forth for the team.”
Everyone will point to and look at the scoring prowess and how he tied a franchise record with 37 points in the first half. But the difference in this game was not how Banchero got to all of his spots and made shots with relative ease. The difference in the game were the plays he made beyond his scoring.
With the game tied at 115, Banchero passed on the glory of the game-winning shot. He drove to the middle and drew two players to him. He fired a pass behind the back to an open Jalen Suggs. He pump faked and side-stepped the defenders and dished to Anthony Black (a noted non-shooter out of college two years ago) for a three.
Black drained the three to give the Magic the lead with 30 seconds left. Banchero not only did not get the go-ahead shot on his night, he did not get the assist. It did not matter. This is what Banchero is: Someone willing to make the right play.
“Obviously, his offensive game is special,” Jalen Suggs said. “He has one of the most special bags in the league. But he plays winning basketball, and he wants to win basketball games. That’s what I think makes him special and that’s why I love to play with him. It’s never about personal accolades, it’s never about personal stats. He wants to do whatever it takes to win. Tonight it was a 50-ball. And he produced it.”
It was not just those passes. Coach Jamahl Mosley praised Banchero for his defense in helping slow down Pascal Siakam down the stretch. Saiakam scored 26 points, but he went just 2 for 7 in the fourth quarter with Banchero guarding.
Banchero knows he has to fill in the rest of his game to be the kind of All-NBA player he imagines himself to be. To win this game, he had to step up every aspect of his game.
Still, 50 points is 50 points. It is a rare feat in Magic history. And something that puts Banchero at the top of the Magic’s all-time greats, even this early in his career.
