Paolo Banchero Remains Underrated in NBA Player Poll
As the NBA regular season has come to an end, some teams are looking forward to a deep playoff run, and others are getting prepared for a long offseason. The Orlando Magic is hopeful that it can beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round after dropping Game 1, but the winner of the series has to face the Boston Celtics, and will likely get bounced.
The Magic found success this season in large part due to sophomore and first-time All-Star Paolo Banchero. He was a steady force on both ends of the floor for Orlando, and let the Magic to their best finish in recent memory.
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Banchero, the first overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft, is only 21 years old and is the key part of Orlando's rebuild. While he isn't on the level of a Victor Wembanyama or a Luka Doncic, he nearly missed out entirely on the NBA Player's Poll, via The Athletic.
Only 2.2 percent of players said he would be the player they would start a franchise with. As expected, Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Edwards, and Luka Doncic took more votes than anyone, but Banchero was behind the likes of LeBron James and tied with Stephen Curry.
James is arguably the greatest player ever and Curry is the greatest shooter ever, but they are 39 and 36 years old, respectively. Not much gas left in the tank!
Interestingly, 1.6 percent of players admitted that Banchero is the most underrated player in the league. While it's safe to say that Banchero likely won't have the career that James or Curry have had, hypothetically signing a 39-year-old great over a 21-year-old star makes very, very little sense unless there is already a competitive roster that needs guidance, although that is beyond the scope of the player's poll.
