Paolo Banchero, the top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, had a good preseason. It has carried over into the regular season as Banchero played well for the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. The Magic fell to the Detroit Pistons 113-109, however, Banchero had an effective outing.
Paolo Banchero's stats from October 19th
Banchero had the following stats: 27 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 turnovers, and 2 blocks. He went +2 in the game for point differential and logged 35 minutes in the outing. Banchero led the game in minutes played with 35, a total that tied him with Bojan Bogdanovic and Cade Cunningham.
Banchero, entering the regular season, is the betting favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award with bet365 sportsbook. The market is volatile, however, he is has been around +200 in recent weeks. With his performance in his first game, most would it as evidence that he should be regarded as a favorite. For the moment, Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings is the second favorite and remains our predicted winner for this voted-on award. He has shortened over the last several days from 11/2 to 5/1, but his NBA debut will have to wait due to illness.
Cunningham's shooting continued to struggle
Cunningham, the top pick from the 2021 NBA Draft, continued to shoot poorly from the floor. Cunningham struggled with his shot during the preseason and he went just 6 for 16 on Wednesday night. He did finish with 18 points and he had 10 assists in the game for a double-double. However, the Pistons will be looking for more of his shots to fall as he did have a lot of misses.
Next up for Orlando, is a game at the Atlanta Hawks on October 21st. The Pistons will face the New York Knicks on the same day, a game New York will host.
