Paolo Banchero

A throng of rookies made their NBA debuts on Wednesday, led by a strong showing from No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero.

[Wednesday night’s rookie stats leaderboard](https://www.nba.com/stats/players/traditional?PerMode=Totals&sort=PTS&dir=-1&DateFrom=10%2F19%2F2022&DateTo=10%2F20%2F2022&PlayerExperience=Rookie) [Kia Rookie Ladder](https://www.nba.com/news/category/kia-rookie-ladder) Kessler, the No. In addition to that, [22 rookies logged their first NBA minutes](https://www.nba.com/stats/players/traditional?PerMode=Totals&sort=PTS&dir=-1&DateFrom=10%2F19%2F2022&DateTo=10%2F20%2F2022&PlayerExperience=Rookie) with several of the top picks from the 2022 Draft class enjoying standout performances. Sharpe was selected seventh overall in the draft despite not playing last season at Kentucky. 5 pick) and Duren (No. 2 STL 2 AST “Look, this is Ben’s first game and he has tools that really nobody else on this team has.” In their NBA debuts, Ivey (the No. ”But I loved our fight, I loved our competitiveness.” 1 overall pick joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as No.

Paolo Banchero recorded 27 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, becoming the first rookie to record 25-5-5 in his debut game since LeBron James in 2003.

[2022 NBA Draft](https://www.slamonline.com/nba/2022-nba-draft-pick-by-pick-results/) became the first rookie to record a 25-5-5 statline in his first game since [LeBron James](https://www.slamonline.com/?s=LeBron+James) in 2003. Try to get easy stuff around the basket and expand out and do more stuff throughout the game.” But I just wanted to play hard, play for the team, and that happened, so it’s a blessing.” It’s always nice to see the ball get in that early, get easy buckets around the rim. He boarded. He was physical. 1 pick in the He ran in transition. The No. Banchero started hot and ended hot. Additionally, the guard scored the most points by a No. “Obviously, would have liked to win.

Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero matched LeBron James' historic debut stat-line of 25+ points, 5+rebounds, and 5+ assists in his team's 113-109 loss to ...

“It’s always nice to see the ball get in that early, get easy buckets around the rim. Try to get easy stuff around the basket and expand out and do more stuff throughout the game.” Many pundits projected Orlando to choose Chet Holmgren (who ended up with the Oklahoma City Thunder) or Jabari Smith Jr.

Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero had a historic NBA debut with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists, numbers not seen in a first game since LeBron.

Rookie [Jalen Duren](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/basketball/nba/player/66332/jalen-duren) might be a steal, he had 14 off the bench. But the Pelicans challenged the Nets and ran right over them — the toughness and grit needed to win in the NBA was not on display. Bojan Bogdanovic had 24 points as the veteran, and A win that helps exorcize the demons of last season. With Luka Doncic running the show, the Mavericks were up by 22 and seemingly in total control of the game. Jonas Valanciunas had 13 rebounds to go with his 15 points, and he was a big part of the Pelicans dominating in the paint. Two huge shots from Damion Lee capped off a dramatic and cathartic comeback. The Pelicans grabbed the offensive rebound on 45.3% of their missed shots — 21 offensive boards — on their way to 36 second-chance points (the Nets had four). Kevin Durant looked great, scoring 32 points on 11-of-22 shooting, and he even had four blocks. On offense he looked like an awkward fit trying to figure out how to playoff off Kevin Durant and The scary thing for the rest of the league? The talent on the roster is unquestionable, but does this team have the grit, the toughness, the determination to push through when things get hard?