Magic’s Paolo Banchero secures 2023 Rookie of the Year award

ORLANDO, FL — No surprises here.

After a phenomenal season, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero has won the 2023 NBA “Rookie of the Year” award becoming only the third Orlando Magic ever to do so(Shaquille O’Neal 1992-1993, Mike Miller 2000-2001).

Banchero led all NBA rookies with 20 points per game and also averaged 6.9 rebounds per game.

Banchero edged out Thunder forward Jalen Williams and Jazz center Walker Kessler in voting.

Although, “edged” is an understatement. Paolo received 98 out of 100 first place votes to win the award. The real question is, what were the other two people thinking?

Fittingly, the Magic’s first ever “Rookie of the Year,” Shaquille O’Neal made the announcement on TNT.

Banchero, the 2022 number one overall draft pick from Duke, shined all season with emphatic dunks, selfless play, and always maintaining a positive outlook no matter the outcome.

The Magic had a rough start to the year losing five straight games and going 2-8 in their first ten. Orlando picked up the slack as the year went on with winning streaks here and there, but the poor start proved to be too much to overcome.

The Magic missed a playoff spot after losing four straight to end the year, which was the exact opposite of what they needed to do to play in the postseason. This left them 8 games behind the tenth and final playoff position.

However, with Banchero winning this prestigious award, the future looks bright.

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