FROM THE OPENING tip, Paolo Banchero asserts himself in his NBA debut, scoring the Orlando Magic’s first points after he cuts toward the middle of the paint, makes a hard two-handed dribble and absorbs contact from Detroit Pistons forward Saddiq Bey with a spin move before unleashing a turnaround hook shot. Banchero would go on to score 27 points on opening night, the most by a No. 1 overall draft pick in his first game since Allen Iverson in 1996, in front of a sold-out crowd at Little Caesars Arena.
It’s the kind of gaudy stat line Banchero has put up often while averaging 21.7 points during his rookie season, but there’s at least one person usually unimpressed by his scoring numbers alone: his mother. Having a former WNBA player as a mom has its advantages, and Rhonda Smith-Banchero’s high standard for the rookie is what made him who he is today.
“When I was younger I was hearing it after every game, even if I played well,” Banchero told ESPN. “And it’d be like, ‘Oh well, you didn’t do this,’ or ‘Your hands wasn’t up in the midpost.’ She’d find a little stuff to pick at. That’s why I love her.” She always told me she wanted me to just make it farther, be better than she was. She always felt like she sold herself short a little bit with her career….
