top of page

Paolo Banchero becomes 7th NBA player to post 20+ points in 1st 5 games

Oct 27, 2022

Paolo Banchero is off to a good start for the Orlando Magic.

The first overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft posted a career-high 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting plus eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 37 minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. It was Banchero's fifth straight game of 20-plus points since starting his NBA career, which already puts him in elite company.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, the list of NBA players to open their career with five straight 20-plus-point games is:

Paolo Banchero

Wilt Chamberlain

Elvin Hayes

Grant Hill

Oscar Robertson

Dominique Wilkins

John Williamson

That would be five Naismith Hall of Famers, Williamson (who entered the NBA after three ABA seasons) and the 19-year-old Banchero, who is younger than all of those players when they accomplished the feat. As an aside, if you ever need a reminder that Wilt Chamberlain was an alien, keep in mind that he's on that list due to a 56-game streak of 20-plus points, and that number would be 78 games had it not been for a nine-minute outing in his rookie year.

Source: Yahoo Sports

bottom of page