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