So I was watching this Orlando Magic game last night and Paolo Banchero absolutely grabbed my attention under the basket. Dude was jumping like a pogo stick! Got me wondering just how crazy his rebounding numbers really are this season. Let me walk you through how I dug into this.
Getting My Hands on the Stats
First thing this morning, I brewed some strong coffee and fired up my laptop. Went straight to the NBA stats page – you know, that official league site with all the numbers. Typed “Banchero” into the search bar real slow cause I always misspell that last name. Found his player profile and clicked the “Rebounding” tab like my life depended on it.
Man, seeing those numbers pop up made me spit out my coffee! Check this out:
- 12.3 rebounds per game in his last 10 appearances
- 4.2 offensive boards each night – that’s putback city!
- Grabbed 20+ rebounds twice this month alone
Breaking Down the Film
Next I pulled up League Pass to study how he’s doing this. Watched three full games while taking notes on a yellow legal pad. Noticed two crazy patterns immediately:
One – he boxes out like a grown man playing against kids. Even when he doesn’t get the rebound, he clears space so teammates can grab it. Two – that second jump is unreal! While other guys are still landing from their first leap, Paolo’s already airborne again snatching the ball.
Did a side-by-side with last year’s footage and wow, his positioning has improved big time. Used to just rely on athleticism, now he’s actually reading how the ball comes off the rim. That’s basketball IQ right there.
Putting Numbers in Context
Got curious how these stats stacked up against other guys. Dug deeper into the league leaders list. This kid’s rebounding numbers at age 21? Only prime Dwight Howard put up better numbers in a Magic jersey. And he’s doing this while averaging over 20 points! The workload is insane.
Printed out the data sheets and taped them to my wall to stare at. Took me five whole minutes to stop shaking my head. Kept muttering “how is this possible?” to my empty living room. Even my dog looked concerned.
Final verdict? Paolo’s not just having a good rebounding season – he’s turning into an absolute monster on the glass. And the scary part? You can tell he’s still figuring things out. That vertical isn’t getting smaller and those hands sure ain’t shrinking. Better warn the rest of the league!
