Paolo Banchero is one of the most well-known Duke players in the school’s history, and like many former Blue Devils, he’s already thriving in the NBA. Banchero is a finalist for the NBA’s Rookie of The Year award as the former first overall pick for the Orlando Magic has been dominating in the NBA as much as a rookie possibly can. In 72 games played for the Magic, he averaged twenty points a game, one block, one steal, four assists, and seven rebounds.
Unsurprisingly to Duke and college basketball fans, he was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2022, first team all ACC his rookie year at Duke, first team all ACC, and Consensus Second Team All-American. Banchero had a chance to be a unanimous Rookie of the Year but was snubbed by voter Andy Larsen. Undoubtedly, Banchero’s upset, but if anything, this shows Duke’s excellence in college basketball and the excellence of those who’ll be a part of one of college basketball’s best programs in Durham, North Carolina.
