Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau impressed with Magic's Paolo Banchero
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Magic's Paolo Banchero won the Rookie of the Year award last season and has raised his game in his sophomore season.
Before Friday night's game against the Knicks, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley was asked about Banchero recently reaching 100 career games and being one of eight players to average 20 points, six rebounds and four assists per game in that span.
“It’s very impressive,” Mosley said. “To be available to get on the floor night in and night out, a few games last year, it’s tremendous to see his growth, his progress and what he’s willing to do night in and night out to help this team win.”
“Just continued development,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “When he came into the league, very gifted. Now that he’s been through it a few times, just keeps getting better and better. His experience with Team USA adds to it. He’s so versatile. He’s a modern-day player in terms of his skill level.”
Young guns
While the Magic have dropped off in recent games, they entered the night one game ahead of the Knicks in the Eastern Conference standings. And like the Thunder, whom the Knicks faced Wednesday, they are another young team on the rise that can create havoc defensively and force turnovers. The Knicks had 18 Wednesday, one off their season-worst total.
“They're very good at it,” Thibodeau said. “I think OKC is terrific at it as well. And so it starts with how you catch the ball, what you do when you put it down and then you got to make the easy pass, you gotta trust the pass. We know they're gonna swarm. We gotta make sure that we get off the ball and we make a second pass.
“The whole principle of sound offense is attack before you get set. And if it's set, you got to move it side to side and then get the ball into the paint to force the collapse. So just trust each other and go from there in terms of help, create advantages for each other, and when we do that, we scored 120 points. But the turnovers were too high, particularly on the road. Your margin of error is much tighter.”
Sims soon?
Jericho Sims sat out his fifth straight game with a sprained left ankle.
“Just continued progress,” Thibodeau said. “He’s on the court working out, but not quite there yet.”
The Magic were without starting center Wendell Carter Jr., who was a late scratch with a knee issue.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
