JJ Redick in awe of Paolo Banchero's monster dunk in first NBA start: "This motherf**ker had the opposite of a welcome-to-the-NBA moment"
Former NBA shooting guard JJ Redick said he was in awe of rookie Paolo Banchero’s dunk on Cory Joseph during his first NBA start.
The 20-year old Banchero was selected by the Orlando Magic with the first pick in the draft in June. The former Duke forward has enjoyed a stellar start to this season, averaging 21.8 points per game in 25 starts.
Journeyman Cory Joseph, who has started just two games this season, found himself defending the rookie during the Detroit Pistons’ season opener on Oct. 19.
Considering the overall pressure on Banchero as the No. 1 pick in his first start, Redick, who also starred at Duke before playing for six teams in 15 seasons, said:
“This mother***er had the opposite of a welcome-to-the-NBA moment. He dunked on Cory Joseph – like, I was actually thinking about this – because I'm like that's, like, an inverted welcome. It's like (the movie) 'Inception' (or) – I don't even know – 'Tenant.'”
For the city.
Paolo Banchero showed out in @thecrawsover, throwing down some monster dunks in front of his hometown crowd 😤 https://t.co/RG9X2A1b3g
Redick was left overwhelmed with the fourth quarter dunk as Banchero ended up going through the 31-year old on his way to the paint.
JJ Redick praises Paolo Banchero for monster dunk over Cory Joseph
Apart from the 21.8 ppg, Banchero has also contributed 4.0 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game. He is shooting 44.8%, including 31.3% from 3-point range. The bulk of Banchero’s points have been scored inside the paint.
Cory Joseph found himself at the receiving end during the rookie’s first start.
The Pistons had a seven-point lead (and held on for a 113-109 win) as Joseph found himself going against Banchero. The 20-year old ended up going through the guard and scored a dunk that will be well remembered by fans.
Needless to say, Banchero, who missed seven games last month, has enjoyed a stellar start to his career and has plenty of time to improve. As far as his 3-point shooting is concerned, the Duke prodigy is only making 31.3% of his shots. That is the one area of his game that can bring about a large-scale improvement in his overall scoring.
The Magic (11-21) had a six-game winning streak, which included a two-game road sweep of the Boston Celtics, snapped 126-125 by the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. That run of success came after losing 11 of 12 games. Had Orlando beaten Atlanta, it would have been the team's first seven-game winning streak since January 2011.