Magic's Paolo Banchero: Goes for 21 points in loss
Rotowire
Banchero totaled 21 points (8-20 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six rebounds and three assists over 36 minutes during Sunday's 111-105 loss to the Lakers.
The rookie from Duke continues to be a go-to scoring option for the Magic, but efficiency remains an issue, as has been the case throughout most of his rookie season. He's failed to hit half of his shots from the field in three straight games and is converting at a 43.9 percent clip for the month, and while he was perfect from the free-throw line Sunday, Banchero has still made only two-thirds of his attempts from the charity stripe overall in March.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Comes close to double-double
Rotowire
Banchero had 18 points (7-15 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds, three assists and two steals over 33 minutes during Thursday's 116-113 loss to the Suns.
Banchero wasn't entirely efficient from the field but still posted a decent stat line, finishing just two rebounds away from recording a double-double. The former Duke star hasn't looked as dominant as he did in the first two months of the season, but he's still the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award. Banchero is averaging 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game this season.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Scores team-high 27 points
Rotowire
Banchero posted 27 points (11-21 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-5 FT), six rebounds and one block across 32 minutes during Tuesday's 132-114 loss to the Spurs.
Banchero was efficient from the field en route to a team-high 27 points, marking his fifth 20-plus-point game over his past six appearances. During that stretch, the Rookie of the Year frontrunner is averaging 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.7 blocks in 35.2 minutes with 46/42/68 shooting splits.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Shines as facilitator
Rotowire
Banchero amassed 17 points (5-14 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 6-6 FT), 10 rebounds and nine assists across 43 minutes during Saturday's 126-114 overtime victory over Miami.
After a string of quality shooting performances from the field, Banchero took a step back in that regard Saturday, but he made up for it with elevated assists production and a perfect showing from the charity stripe. After a rough February, the rookie No. 1 overall pick has picked up the pace of late with averages of 24.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 three-pointers, 0.6 blocks and 0.4 steals in 35.8 minutes over his last five outings. He's shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 69.2 percent from the charity stripe during that stretch.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Posts team-high 26 points
Rotowire
Banchero produced 26 points (8-17 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 7-11 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and one block over 34 minutes during Thursday's 131-124 loss to the Jazz.
Banchero got hot from deep and posted his fifth 20-plus-point game over his past six appearances. During that stretch, the Rookie of the Year candidate is averaging 23.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals-plus-blocks in 33.5 minutes.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Leads team in scoring
Rotowire
Banchero contributed 26 points (9-18 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 7-10 FT), five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal over 33 minutes during Sunday's 122-119 loss to the Trail Blazers.
Banchero started off hot in Sunday's game, hitting his first seven shots, but he then cooled off quite a bit in the second half. He still finished with a team-high 26 points on 50 percent shooting, continuing his solid production from his previous game. The rookie's field-goal percentage was starting to take a huge hit for a while, but he has improved his efficiency more recently, knocking down at least 50 percent of his shots in four of the last five contests. The same can't be said for his struggles from beyond the arc, which are still ongoing.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Held in check Wednesday
Rotowire
Banchero closed with nine points (4-13 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks across 31 minutes during Wednesday's 139-117 loss to Milwaukee.
Banchero dropped 29 points during Monday's win over the Pelicans, but he was held to a single-digit scoring total for the fourth time this season during Wednesday's defeat. The 20-year-old was able to salvage his fantasy production by remaining effective in rebounds and assists while also racking up two blocks, and he should have plenty of opportunities to bounce back in the coming games.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Steps up with 29-point outing
Rotowire
Banchero finished with 29 points (10-18 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 9-11 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and one steal across 34 minutes in Monday's 101-93 win over the Pelicans.
After a stretch of lackluster outings prior to and immediately after the All-Star break, Banchero finally came through with the type of performance that has made him the frontrunner for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award at this stage of the season. The 29 points were his most in a game since Jan. 30, and though he came up empty from downtown for the sixth contest in a row, Banchero turned in better-than-usual efficiency from the field and charity stripe. For the season, Banchero is converting at a 42.1 percent rate from the field and 75.4 percent rate from the line, and his poor showings in both areas on heavy volume (15.5 field-goal attempts per game, 7.6 free-throw attempts per game) has made him a far more valuable commodity in points leagues than category leagues.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Modest performance Saturday
Rotowire
Banchero closed Saturday's 121-108 loss to the Pacers with 19 points (6-12 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 7-9 FT), six rebounds, one block and one steal over 33 minutes.
Banchero wasn't terrible in the loss, shooting at least 50 percent from the floor for just the second time in the past 14 games. While it has been a solid rookie season, his efficiency from both the field and the charity stripe remains an issue. Add to that the fact that he contributes very little on the defensive end and you are left with a viable 12-team asset with very little room to move in terms of overall value.
Magic's Paolo Banchero: Rejects three shots in win
Rotowire
Banchero posted 22 points (8-18 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 6-7 FT), four rebounds, three assists and three blocks across 35 minutes in Monday's 100-91 win over the Bulls.
After blocking just three shots in his last 13 games combined, Banchero came out of nowhere to match that total Monday. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect any consistent output in that category moving forward, but Banchero's return to the 20-point mark was an encouraging development after he had fallen below that threshold in six of the previous seven games while shooting 32 percent from the field. Banchero is now averaging an even 20 points per game on the season and should be able to bludgeon his way there on a regular basis moving forward on sheer volume alone, though fantasy managers should expect the scoring production to be accompanied by poor efficiency from the field and free-throw line.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Records double-double
Rotowire
Banchero notched 16 points (6-16 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 13 rebounds and one assist across 34 minutes during Saturday's 107-103 overtime loss to the Heat.
Banchero needed 16 shots to score 16 points, and while he's been struggling with his shot of late, he continues to produce on both ends of the court while operating as a focal point for Orlando's offense. The Rookie of the Year candidate has three double-doubles over his last four appearances and is averaging 14.8 points with 9.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game across six February contests.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Grabs ninth double-double
Rotowire
Banchero provided 11 points (5-12 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 0-2 FT), 10 rebounds and two assists across 33 minutes during Thursday's 115-104 win over Denver.
Banchero took just four shots in the first half, knocking down two of them for four points to go along with four rebounds and an assist. He remained quiet on the offensive end over the final two quarters, going just 3-of-8 from the field for seven points, but he did chip in another six boards to notch his ninth double-double of the season. The rookie forward has now grabbed double-digit rebounds in two of his last three contests, though he's failed to break the 20-point mark in four of five games this month.
Magic's Paolo Banchero: Double-double against Hornets
Rotowire
Banchero finished with 22 points (6-20 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 10-11 FT), 10 rebounds, five assists and one steal across 35 minutes during Sunday's 119-113 victory over Charlotte.
The rookie posted his first double-double in nearly a month and his eighth of the season. Banchero appears to be wearing down a bit, which isn't a big shock given the 20-year-old's workload so far, and over his last 10 games he's shot just 34.7 percent from the floor and 22.8 percent from three-point range while averaging 17.5 points, 6.3 boards, 3.1 assists, 1.0 threes and 0.9 steals. He isn't likely to get much rest during All-Star Weekend, as Banchero is set to appear in the Rising Stars Game and could yet be named as an Eastern Conference alternate for the All-Star Game itself.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Struggles from field in win
Rotowire
Banchero posted 11 points (3-16 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 5-9 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and one steal in 33 minutes during Friday's 127-120 victory over the Timberwolves.
The game between Orlando and Minnesota will be remembered for the scuffle between Austin Rivers and Mo Bamba. Unfortunately, it was also one of the worst games for Banchero -- at least from an efficiency perspective. The rookie continues to produce and has been a focal point of the Magic's offense all season long, but his percentages continue to move in the wrong direction. He's making just 40.2 percent of his shots and 29.6 percent from deep since the start of January.
