Credit: Unsplash

Banchero debuted with 25-5-5, the first rookie to do so since LeBron James.

Wednesday night saw the Orlando Magic take on the Detroit Pistons. While the Magic unfortunately lost the game 113-109, it was an impressive showing nonetheless, thanks in particular to their newest player. Rookie power forward Paolo Banchero made his debut on the Magic during the game, scoring 27 points, picking up 9 rebounds, and making 5 assists. This performance makes Banchero the first NBA rookie to make 25-5-5 in their first game since LeBron James joined the league in 2003.

“It means a lot, I guess,” Banchero said after the game. “Obviously, would have liked to win. But I just wanted to play hard, play for the team, and that happened, so it’s a blessing.”

Not only did Banchero have an impressive debut in general, but he also set a Magic record, scoring the most points in a career-introductory game in the history of the team. “It’s crazy,” Banchero said. “I felt like I left a lot of points on the board.

Paolo Banchero in his NBA debut:

27 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST, 11/18 FG

It's the first 25/5/5 debut since LeBron 👀

(h/t: @statmuse) pic.twitter.com/gUWTnlRrbA

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 20, 2022

“Credit to my teammates for finding me. It’s always nice to see the ball get in that early, get easy buckets around the rim. That’s how I try to play, inside out. Try to get easy stuff around the basket and expand out and do more stuff throughout the game.”