Magic's Paolo Banchero Team USA Impact Felt Early
The Orlando Magic is well-represented at the FIBA World Cup ... and fans are going to want to best watch second-year forward Paolo Banchero.
Banchero gets to play alongside elite talents like Anthony Edwards, Brandon Ingram and Mikal Bridges while coming off the bench with Tyrese Haliburton.
Evidently, with Team USA playing inferior talents the majority of the time, the starting lineups are able to dominate opposing starting lineups. However, when things get weird is when Banchero is able to come off the bench against another second unit.
This has led to Banchero being one of the most efficient players for Team USA. According to HoopsHype, the has the second-highest global rating for United States, trailing only Austin Reaves.
The 6-10 forward has found ways to be efficient in a role that he simply won't see while in the NBA. With the Magic, things run through him and he is the focal point offensively. For Team USA, he's able to scale back his role and play a game that allows him to be impactful in other avenues of the game.
Banchero holds a 24.64 rating, which is edged out by Reaves' 27.06 rating. To have those two be the most impactful players through two group stage games is incredible given the nature of how those two play. They've been able to play in a complementary fashion that allows them both to feed off overall team success, allowing them to be impactful in more consistent stretches, whereas someone who can only play on the ball would get less opportunity.
For the Magic, this is a beneficial thing because in the cases where Banchero's NBA teammates are thriving, he will be able to hypothetically scale back on his production in a healthy way to keep things flowing.
You can follow Kade Kimble on Twitter @KadeKimble.
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