Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 overall pick last summer, had 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists in his NBA debut Wednesday, but his Orlando Magic lost to the Pistons in Detroit 113-109.
“I left a lot of points on the board, like three layups missed, some shots I feel like I could have made, so a lot to work on,” said the O’Dea grad, who was 11 of 18. “But I wasn’t disappointed with the way I played.”
The former Duke star joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as No. 1 picks since 1969 to have at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in an NBA debut.
“He’s going to be a problem in our league for a long time,” Detroit coach Dwane Casey said.
Jalen Suggs, the No. 5 pick last year, had 21 points for the Magic before fouling out with 3:47 remaining.
“All of our guys have to understand that we have to do a better job of defending without fouling,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Putting them on the line 24 times, whave to be smarter. There’s a level of aggression we can have, but we’ve got to be smart about it.”
Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick last year, had 18 points and 10 assists. Cunningham’s last assist set up Isaiah Stewart for a 3-pointer with 11.6 seconds left that gave the Pistons a four-point lead.
“That was huge for (Stewart) and his confidence,” Casey said.
In their NBA debuts, first-round picks Jaden Ivey had 19 points and Jalen Duren had 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for the Pistons. Duren was acquired in a draft-night deal after being selected No. 13 overall.
“He’s a freak,” Ivey said. “He’s has a strong build and is very athletic. He played comfortable.”
LaVine hurting
Zach LaVine did not play in Chicago’s season opener Wednesday against the Miami, sparking concerns about his availability for the season as he continues to recover from left knee surgery.
The Bothell product told reporters after a shoot-around Wednesday that he isn’t experiencing specific pain or soreness in the knee and described his absence as injury “management.”
Although LaVine said he isn’t experiencing a “flare-up” of pain in the knee, he was vague in his description of what specific symptom led to the determination to sit out the opener.
LaVine underwent arthroscopic surgery in May in his left knee to address a lingering injury that limited his availability throughout the latter half of last season.
Notes
• Former Husky Dejounte Murray paid immediate dividends for Atlanta at both ends of the court, scoring 20 points and picking off five steals to lead the Hawks past the pesky Houston Rockets 117-107 in the season opener. Murray, an All-Star guard acquired from San Antonio in the Hawks’ biggest move of the offseason, also dished out 11 assists
.