Orlando Magic's Wendell Carter Jr. Gives Bold Prediction for Paolo Banchero
ORLANDO, Fl. - Outside of being tabbed to lead a team to an NBA championship, there isn't a higher praise than being predicted to be a future Hall of Famer.
Despite being just over a year into his NBA career, Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. said Paolo Banchero will have his name etched among the NBA's all-time greats when his career is done.
"Paolo is going to be a Hall of Famer," Carter Jr. said on the Orlando Magic Pod Squad. "He understands the game so well at such a young age that people don't realize like they're seeing this now, but this is a second-year player who is still trying to figure out the game at a deeper level. It's just phenomenal to watch, especially now that I'm on the sideline and not out there. Just watching how he sees it, what he sees during the games, and when it comes to timeouts [and] what he's saying. The dude is really special."
Paolo Banchero has averaged 23.8 points in his last five games.
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Banchero had one of the best rookie years in recent memory, averaging 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in 2022-23. This year, he has similar numbers as he has averaged 20.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 rebounds through the Magic's 24 games.
Along with his play on the court, Carter Jr. lauded Banchero's personality and how it differs from other young players.
"[He] doesn't have an ego," Carter Jr. said. "You may look across the league, and a lot of the young stars coming up, and they had this about them where it was either their way or the highway. But for [Paolo], I feel like what makes him even more special is that he just wants to win, and he does whatever he has to do to help his team win."
Orlando will look to get back in the win column on Sunday when they face the Boston Celtics for the second straight game at the TD Garden at 3 p.m. ET.
