Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero. Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Paolo Banchero joins Michael Jordan in exclusive club

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Oct 24, 2024 5:14 AM ET

They say Year 3 is when a player with a superstar ceiling truly comes into his own. Paolo Banchero appears to be on schedule.

The Magic's third-year forward stuffed the stat sheet with 33 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in his team's 116-97 opening-night win over the Heat on Wednesday. Banchero was an incredible plus-42 on the floor as Orlando blew the game open with a dominant 39-18 third quarter. When the Heat tried to mount a comeback in the fourth, the Magic's perimeter defense, led by Jalen Suggs and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, proved too much to handle.

Banchero did not commit a solitary turnover, joining Michael Jordan as the only player to register such a stat line in a season opener.

Paolo Banchero tonight:

33 PTS
11 REB
3 AST
0 TOV

Joins Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to reach these numbers in a season opener. pic.twitter.com/o3S8Mu8OxO
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) October 24, 2024

Banchero also followed in the footsteps of ex-Magic legends Shaquille O'Neal and Tracy McGrady for most points in a season opener. After the game, the 21-year-old recognized the weight of the moment.

Paolo Banchero on being the first Magic player to score 30 points in a season opener since @Tmac_213 + the most points (33) in a season opener since @SHAQ (42):

"It means a lot. ... They set the standard. I just want to continue that and get us back to the top."@Pp_doesit ️ pic.twitter.com/NVaVwcGqpO
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) October 24, 2024

Furthermore, Banchero's plus-42 performance with zero turnovers helped him make a unique bit of NBA history.

Paolo Banchero of the @OrlandoMagic is the only NBA player to have a game with 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, no turnovers and a plus-minus of +40 or better (since plus-minus was first tracked in 1996-97). pic.twitter.com/rXP9ysuIWD
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 24, 2024

For a third-year player, Banchero has been widely praised for his temperament and an uncanny knack for not committing mistakes in high-pressure moments. Even last year, the Duke product committed only 2.9 turnovers per game in Magic's 46 wins — almost unheard of for a player who attempted 17.6 shots per game through the season.

Banchero's Magic will next host the Nets on Friday before traveling to the Grizzlies on Saturday for a pair of back-to-back games. As one of the youngest teams in the league, Orlando is built to withstand the grueling 82-game season and possibly make a deep playoff run.

Last season, Banchero led Orlando (47-35) to its best record since the 2010-11 season and to the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20. As such, there are now heightened expectations from the Magic.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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