Paolo 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.