Paolo Banchero has skilled many firsts because the Orlando Magic chosen him with the No. 1 choose in June’s NBA draft.
His first summer-league sport, media day and practice during training camp have been notable moments.
Now he can add his preseason NBA debut to the record — Monday night time’s exhibition on the Memphis Grizzlies.
“Obviously, it’s something I’ve been waiting for for a while,” Banchero stated forward of Monday’s sport. “Excited to get on an NBA court in an NBA arena and just play a game. I’ve been waiting for a long time. Summer league was a step, but it wasn’t the real thing. So, happy to be here.”
In addition to the already-known absences of Markelle Fultz (left huge toe), Gary Harris (left knee) and Jonathan Isaac (left knee), Admiral Schofield (sore left knee) and Franz Wagner (relaxation after EuroBasket play with Germany males’s nationwide basketball staff) had been dominated out for Monday.
“A lot of that is monitoring his workload,” coach Jamahl Mosley stated of Wagner. “He averaged about 29 minutes over there and just getting acclimated back to what we’re doing here. Making sure we’re staying on top of it.”
Banchero, Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. began in opposition to Memphis.
Monday’s sport was the primary of 5 preseason video games the Magic will play earlier than kicking off the common season in opposition to the Pistons on Oct. 19 in Detroit.
Orlando will play the Spurs in San Antonio Thursday in its subsequent preseason sport earlier than matching up in opposition to the Mavericks in Dallas Friday.
The Magic wrap up their preseason slate with house video games vs. the Grizzlies (Oct. 11) and Cleveland Cavaliers (Oct. 14).
For second-year coach Mosley, preseason is about experimenting with completely different lineups and mixtures whereas additionally persevering with to put the inspiration that was began final season and seeing the place gamers’ understandings of the staff’s ideas are.
“It’s our ability to see if they’re grasping the things we’ve asked from them from last year,” Mosley stated. “The level of consistency we’re asking them to play with; how they do things from what we learned last year. That’s the idea of leveling up — making sure they understand what we put in and how fast they can pick it up.”
Radio announcer
Ahead of Monday’s sport, the Magic formally named Jake Chapman as Orlando’s radio play-by-play announcer.
Chapman started his profession with the Magic in 2006 as a radio intern earlier than serving because the staff’s radio producer from 2009-14.
He’s getting into his tenth season with the Magic after stints because the pregame and postgame host and govt producer of the Detroit Pistons Radio Network and a producer and host for 92.3 The Fan and the Cleveland Browns Radio Network.
Chapman, who returned to the Magic in 2019, additionally serves because the staff’s radio producer, pregame and postgame radio host for the Magic Radio Network.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com