LAS VEGAS — The Magic surprised everyone on draft night by selecting Paolo Banchero first overall. Thursday night, he started to make the case it was the right decision.
In his summer league debut, the one-and-done Duke star was the best player on the floor, getting the better of Jabari Smith Jr. — the Auburn forward who was projected to be taken No. 1, but wound up going third — in the Magic’s 91-77 victory over the Rockets at the Thomas and Mack Center.
The 6-foot-10 Banchero hit his first four shots and finished with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting, but his comfort level and passing ability truly stood out. He had six assists, frequently finding open teammates as a shot creator. He handled the ball on the perimeter and showed a knack for working into the paint, both as a driver and post-up option.
It was a strong debut for a player who has a bull’s-eye on his back as the No. 1 pick in last month’s draft. But Banchero scoffed at the notion of pressure. He has a tattoo on his right arm with the words, “No Pressure,” which he got at this time last year.
“I’ve always dealt with pressure well, and been able to handle it,” he said. “It’s just basketball. It can be all the pressure, all the noise in the world, but at the end of the day you got to go out there and hoop against five other guys. What really is it if it’s just basketball?”
Banchero set up Devin Cannady for a 3-pointer on his first touch as a pro. He sank his first shot, a right-wing 3-pointer over Smith, and later in the stanza, hit a pretty step-back triple that drew oohs and aahs from the large crowd.
Perhaps his most impressive play didn’t result in a basket. Early in the third quarter, Banchero had the ball deep on the right wing and rose up to attempt a 3-pointer. But the defender was right in his face, making it a difficult shot. Instead of forcing the long jumper, at the last second Banchero rifled a pass into the paint to Emanuel Terry, leading to a pair of free throws.
“It’s the first game, it’s summer league, I’m not going to come out here and go out there and gun because of a one-on-one matchup,” Banchero said. “We’re in the NBA, there’s a bunch of great players on my team that deserve shots and looks. I’m able to create easier ones for them, I try to do that the best I can.”
The first game of summer league presented a strange contrast. While the Magic played through Banchero when he was on the floor, giving him freedom to make plays for himself and his teammates, the Rockets didn’t give Smith (10 points, seven rebounds) nearly as many opportunities. They ran a lot of sets away from him, and those plays frequently resulted in their trigger-happy guards — most notably Josh Christopher —taking out-of-control shots.
Smith, forcing shots most of the night because of his few touches, did begin to showcase his wide array of skills late in the third quarter, driving baseline past multiple defenders for a pretty layup and followed that move up with a 3-pointer a few possessions later. In the fourth quarter, he faced up a defender and sank a long jumper just inside the 3-point line.
Both players had issues on the defensive end, the duo combining to commit 11 fouls. Banchero got beat to an explosive follow slam. Smith was spun around by Terry in the paint.
But they did have some impressive moments for a pair of 19-year-olds making their professional debuts. Banchero just had more of them, delivering an impressive start after his surprise selection at the top of the draft. His performance meshed with his goal over the next 10 days in Las Vegas.
“Just that I can be a go-to guy,” Banchero said, “and affect winning at the same time.”