Paolo Banchero has spent a lot of his career so far making history without much notice. He could be on track to take another big step in his career and his place among the NBA's elite.
If you only listened to the Internet, you would think Paolo Banchero is not a max player.
There are so many critics trying to poke holes in his game, criticizing him for his inefficiency or trying to knock him down compared to his peers playing in lesser roles -- Tim Bontemps took Jalen Williams over Paolo Banchero in a 2022 NBA Draft redraft on The Hoop Collective podcast, continuing a debate that has poisoned a lot of the discussion about Banchero and his importance to the Magic -- that it feels like Banchero has become grossly underrated and underappreciated.