ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Orlando's Paolo Banchero wins NBA rookie of the year

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) looks to pass the ball during an NBA basketball game in Washington, on March 31, 2023. (Nick Wass / AP) Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) looks to pass the ball during an NBA basketball game in Washington, on March 31, 2023. (Nick Wass / AP)
Share

Paolo Banchero became the frontrunner to win Rookie of the Year race from the very moment that he went No. 1 in last year's draft.

And nobody caught him.

Banchero was announced Tuesday night as the overwhelming winner of the top rookie award for this season, after the Orlando forward led all first-year players in scoring and helped the Magic improve from a 22-win last season to a 34-win club that contended for a play-in berth this season.

The former Duke standout averaged 20 points per game. He had 15 games of at least 25 points and 40 games of at least 20 points, both the most among rookies this season. And he won rookie of the month four times, each of those announcements only further indicating that he was ahead of the field.

He 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 -- who represents Banchero -- in 2001. Banchero, on the TNT broadcast of the announcement, recalled a conversation he had with Miller on draft night.

"He looked at me and he asked me if I was going to be rookie of the year," Banchero said. "I confidently said yes. It was just a goal I've always had, something I had my eye on from the second I got drafted. I'm glad I was able to do it."

Banchero got 98 of the 100 first-place votes from a panel of writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder was second and Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz was third. Kessler got the two first-place votes that Banchero didn't receive.

Banchero is the first No. 1 pick to win the award in the season immediately after getting drafted since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016; Ben Simmons won the award in 2018, two years after he went No. 1.

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said one of his biggest takeaways from Banchero's first season was an on-court maturity and willingness to play the right way.

"He had an ability to adjust in-game to whatever was asked of him to impact winning," Mosley said.

Banchero freely acknowledges that he's not a finished product, and Mosley said the team wants him to lock in on certain areas over the offseason.

"I think there's so many ways in which he can grow," Mosley said. "I think a lot of times rookies will come in and they'll try to do everything. The biggest talk with him is just to have a focus on one or two pieces for the summer, where he can improve in certain areas -- because he's going to work. I don't think that's going to be any question whatsoever."

In the final chapter of his season-long rookie diary for The Associated Press, Banchero also detailed some of the ways he wants to improve over the coming months.

"I want to be more consistent, more dangerous from 3-point range next season," he said. "There were stretches during this year where I shot the ball well. I just need to find the consistency. I think expanding my range in Year 2, then just getting in best shape I possibly can -- I think I was in good shape this year, but just want to take it to another level. To get to where I want to be, everything's just going to have to be kicked up a notch. And I'm looking forward to that."

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.

That only leaves the biggest individual prize of all -- MVP.

Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic of Denver is a finalist again, along with Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Philadelphia's Joel Embiid. The NBA has not said when the MVP trophy will be handed out.

The All-NBA, All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams also have yet to be revealed.

------

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP--Sports

19:23ET 25-04-23

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

Stay Connected