Paolo Banchero said he had no idea where he would be elected in about 30 seconds before NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called his name.
Orlando, Florida (AP) – The secret of how Orlando would take Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft was incredibly well kept.
Among those who did not know: Banchero himself.
Banchero said even he was kept out of the Magic decision-making cycle for about 30 seconds before NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took to the stage to announce his name to hear the basketball world. Mike Miller, Banchero’s agent, leaned over and announced the news, simply saying “Congratulations.”
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“It all happened pretty quickly,” Banchero said.
With that, he left and ran. Banchero arrived in Orlando on Friday, a day after his name was sealed forever in the draft’s No. 1 list. The 6-foot-10 Duke striker will officially begin training next week for Orlando’s opening on July 7 in the NBA Summer League.
“There will be high expectations of myself, which I will adhere to and which everyone will adhere to,” Banchero said. “But I have a feeling this is something I’m not used to. It was the same for me when I went to college, throughout high school, a lot of expectations. It’s been like this all my life. “
The Magic considered each option with a choice of №1. Teams called to receive it in a deal. Jabari Smith Jr. from Auburn came for a training session that some Orlando players attended and admired. Chet Holmgren from Gonzaga spent a few days with Magic last week. The team insisted that other players be given serious attention
There were many things that needed to be considered, fit in the short term and fit in the long term between them.
Paolo Banchero describes how he found out that he was chosen number 1, and talks about joining his colleague Blue Devil Wendell Carter, Jr. in Orlando.
“There are things you grab from everyone, like, ‘Oh, man, wow, that can be great for us,'” Orlando coach Jamal Mosley said. “But then it all comes down to, ‘How is this right for us?’ How to gel with them in the locker room? How do they treat people when they enter? Because all these pieces play a factor. And I think we did an amazing job with those details. “
The Magic said they were convinced when they finished the college season that Banchero was the best player at that level last season. But the actual timetable for when they decided to take it №1 remains a mystery.
Miller, who won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in Orlando and will now try to help Banchero do the same as an agent, said he started getting hints about half an hour before the election.
“It was a great job for them to do the proper inspection and keep it,” Miller said. “But they trusted what they saw in him and what we talked about in terms of his basketball abilities – not only where he is now, but where he will be. And there isn’t, frankly, not much Paolo Bancheros going through a lot of doors. He is just a special, special child and a special basketball player. ”
What will happen in the next few days will be a whirlwind. They are waiting for training in the Summer League, and Banchero and the selected from the second round Caleb Houston from Michigan intend to play. There will be a lot of attention to this from the start: the first game set up for television in Las Vegas pitted Orlando against Houston, the No. 3 team against Smith – after he was widely expected by many to end up in Orlando.
Jeff Weltman, Orlando’s president of basketball operations, discusses why the Magic chose Paolo Banchero as the No. 1 overall pick.
Mosley – who will train some in the Summer League but will leave the responsibility for the Las Vegas game to Magic assistant Jesse Mermuis – said he did not intend to coach Banchero differently from any other player. But the fact is that Banchero will be looked at differently from any other rookie this season. Such is the life of the chosen number 1 in each draft.
“At the moment, the level of expectations for what people on the outside see as what the chosen number one should and should be, may be different,” Mosley said. “But we also understand that when you enter this building, you are an Orlando Magic and there is a standard and a set of things that we will have to do night and night to make everyone successful.”
After all, this was one of the biggest determinants of Magic. Smith is obviously talented. Holmgren is obviously talented. The potential for both players is endless. But something that sets Banchero apart in their eyes is the way Orlando believes it makes the game easier for teammates.
“There are so many things that go into this,” said Magic President Jeff Weltman. “It’s a talent, it’s a form, it’s a character, it’s a projection of where the league is going. There are so many things involved in a conversation like this that you can literally go on for months arguing about it. And that’s kind of what makes it fun, isn’t it? I mean, it was a fun process. “
And now the real work begins.
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