One of the early standouts of Las Vegas Summer League has been the No. 1 overall pick for the Orlando Magic, Paolo Banchero. The former Duke star has been dominant in his first two appearances, showing off his impressive abilities on both ends of the floor, making clear why Orlando took him first in June.
Banchero averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2.5 assists in 30 minutes per in the first two games, flashing his strength, range, ball-handling, and passing on offense, and his impressive length and athleticism on defense. On Monday night, Paolo was scheduled to face off with the No. 2 overall pick, Chet Holmgren, in the marquee matchup on the night, but a few hours before tip, Marc Stein reported that Banchero was being shut down after being seen limping after the thrilling win over the Kings over the weekend.
The anticipated Paolo Banchero vs. Chet Holmgren summer league showdown tonight in Las Vegas is indeed off.
The Magic have decided to halt Banchero’s summer league debut after two games and plan to prioritize minutes for others now.
More NBA from me: https://t.co/LGN9cV7Dif
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 11, 2022
It wouldn’t be a surprise given how well Banchero has played and how important he’s going to be for the Magic that they wouldn’t want to put him at risk, even if it’s disappointing not to get the matchup between the top two players in the Draft that everyone wants to see. Banchero certainly doesn’t have anything left to prove in Summer League and given we’ve seen a few top 10 picks suffer injuries in the first few days of action, the Magic need to protect their young star with an eye on the season. Still, it’s a shame we won’t see Paolo vs. Chet in the desert, but we’ll just have to wait for the first Magic-Thunder game of the regular season to see them face off.