Fans absolutely ecstatic as Paolo Banchero leaves Cory Joseph for dead with a ferocious poster dunk despite loss: "That man has a family", "Dude is bullying in his first game", "ROY hands down"

Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero made his mark in the NBA on opening night. The Magic forward threw down a thunderous dunk against the Detroit Pistons. NBA fans were compelled to react to it on Twitter.

The Orlando Magic had their season opener against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Both teams are far from contending, but have a lot of young talent. They have the potential to be top-tier teams in the Eastern Conference a few years down the road.

The Magic, in particular, garnered a lot of attention due to the arrival of Paolo Banchero. After wowing crowds at Duke during his college days, Banchero was selected first-overall by the Magic in the 2022 NBA Draft.

After an impressive series of games during the Summer League and preseason, Banchero lived up to expectations last night. The rookie joined some elite company in his regular season debut.

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Banchero posted 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists. He became the first player since LeBron James to post a 25/5/5 statline in his debut.

Banchero also impressed the basketball world with a jaw-dropping dunk. Coming down the left in transition, the Magic forward threw down a thunderous poster over Cory Joseph. The crowd at Little Caesers Arena was left speechless.

Banchero's performance garnered a lot of attention from the media. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to lead the Orlando Magic to a win.

The Magic's season started off on an unsavory note with a 113-109 loss. However, Banchero's performance presents a lot of promise for the team's future.

The Orlando Magic can build around Paolo Banchero

It goes without saying that Paolo Banchero is one of the most talented rookies in this year's draft.

At 6'10", Banchero is armed with a versatile skillset and impressive athleticism. Pairing this with his feel for the game, the Magic forward could develop into a superstar.

This could greatly impact the Orlando Magic and their ability to compete for a championship moving forward. The Magic have quite an interesting complement of talented youngsters at their disposal.

It would make sense for the Magic to develop their team around Banchero as the primary option. Banchero has the potential to lead this team into contention in future seasons.

The scope for growth this season is low. However, the Magic will be an interesting young team to follow.

About the author

Siddhant has been working with Sportskeeda in the capacity of a journalist and Senior Analyst for the basketball team for the past 2 years. In this time, his main focus has been on writing articles, analyzing games, and reporting on rumors within the league.
Siddhant is a die-hard Lakers fan. However, he doesn't let this affect his overall love for basketball. With prior experience as a basketball player, he attempts to offer valuable insights on the smaller aspects of the game.
Outside of basketball, Siddhant completed a B.A. in Psychology from Mumbai. He also takes an interesting in musical spheres as a guitarist.

Know More

Orlando Magic Nation! You can check out the latest Orlando Magic Schedule and dive into the Magic Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.