Paolo Banchero is being measured to a higher standard
NBA Twitter is discussing again the value of Paolo Banchero. The debate is really an admission that Banchero is measured to the star standard.
Orlando Magic fans are rightfully touchy when it comes to opinions of their team.
After years of rightfully being ignored for being at the bottom of the standings, the team found itself relevant again with the top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. They went with Paolo Banchero and then . . . well, nothing.
The team had its lone national TV appearance in his rookie year taken away due to an injury to the No. 2 pick. They got only one national TV appearance the following year.
Then came the criticisms. Despite winning 98 of the 100 first-place votes for the 2023 Rookie of the Year and being the clear-cut winner for his raw scoring prowess, there were plenty of people trying to poke holes in his argument.
As the Magic's leading scorer, there are still a lot of people who view Banchero as empty stats. There are a lot of questions Banchero still needs to answer and may be an impossible goal for him to reach.
That came into sharp contrast when Zach Lowe and Seth Partnow discussed who would they rather have between Paolo Banchero and Scottie Barnes on the latest episode of The Lowe Post.
It got a lot of Magic fans talking and defensive about their star. Lowe had to remind everyone that the Magic were one win away from a second-round appearance with Banchero as their star player.