NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 02: Paolo Banchero #5 of the Duke Blue Devils works on offense against Leaky Black #1 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four at Caesars Superdome on April 2, 2022 in New Orl NEW YORK (AP) - - Paolo Banchero has been insisting for weeks that he believes he's the best prospect in the NBA draft.
The Orlando Magic agree with him. The first pick in Thursday's draft brought the first mild surprise, when the Magic chose the Duke forward with the No.
1 selection -- after weeks of speculation that Auburn's Jabari Smith Jr. or Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren might be the ones atop Orlando's list."I can't believe what just happened, honestly," Banchero said, after embracing his mother -- Rhonda Smith-Banchero, a former WNBA player.Banchero averaged 17.2 points in his lone college season, along with 7.8 rebounds and was a third-team Associated Press All-American.
There were roars from the crowd at Amway Center -- Banchero's new home court -- when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced just past 8 p.m.