Magic No. 1 Pick Paolo Banchero Ready to Accept Summer League Challenge
Orlando Magic No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero still has to wait a little while to get his official rating from NBA2K.
But the No. 1 overall pick will always think of the popular video game when describing his first moments in a Magic jersey.
“Walking in here into the gym I felt like I was in 2K a little bit, walking into the gym on MyPlayer mode,” Banchero said to the media on Sunday.
As the most-coveted player in high school just one year ago, before playing a season for a five-time national champion in Duke, and now the No. 1 overall pick, Banchero is accustomed to being in the spotlight.
And he will have that same target on his back once again during his first taste of NBA competition throughout Summer League and his rookie year.
“I’ve kind of always had a target on my back since high school,” Banchero said. “Going to Duke it was kind of the same thing, I was the projected top pick so every guy I went against wanted to get the best of me so it’s gonna be the same thing in the NBA, I gotta just be ready for it and accept the challenge.”
Just like starting any new job, it’s perfectly normal to have questions, with the NBA being no different. And the 6-10 forward has done a great job of speaking up with his questions throughout his first week.
“A fantastic teammate, pushing guys, trying to learn the in’s and out’s of an NBA system,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said Sunday. “A lot is coming at him, but he’s done a great job of embracing it, not afraid to ask questions, but just continuing to learn and be willing to learn.”
