The belated rookie wall? He is the No. 1 pick, but he only averages 19.7 points and 1 assist per game. Has his ceiling been reached?

Before the start of this season, due to injuries to Eastern Conference All-Star players such as Jayson Tatum and Taylor Haliburton, they missed the early games of the new season. Therefore, after the introduction of Desmond Bane, the Magic was regarded as a strong contender for the Eastern Conference throne in the new season. But what is unexpected is that entering the new season, they have only achieved a record of 1 win and 2 losses, and their overall performance is not ideal. Not only that, as the team's top pick and the No. 1 pick in 2022, Paulo Banqueiro currently averages only 19.7 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist per game, which is far from his performance in previous seasons. In the fourth year of his career, he seems to have hit the belated rookie wall.

Although he is not as well-known as Victor Vunbanyama, Cooper Flagg and others later, Banqueiro became the number one pick that year and was expected by everyone. And after entering the NBA, he quickly grew into an All-Star player in just three years. In the past two seasons, he helped the Magic reach the playoffs, averaging 28 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Logically speaking, this season is his opportunity to enter the ranks of top stars, but he did not perform as he should. So what happened to Banqueiro? Let’s find out below!

The shooting stability is insufficient and the finishing efficiency declines.

First of all, Banqueiro's most obvious problem at present is that his offensive end has not been able to achieve the results of the previous three years. You know, even in his first year in the NBA, he had a brief sluggish period because he had not yet adapted to the rhythm and intensity of the NBA, but he quickly adjusted and eventually handed over data of 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists, and won the Rookie of the Year trophy.

After being affected by injuries last season, he also recovered in the playoffs, averaging 29.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. However, this season, without any injuries, his shooting stability is seriously insufficient, and his shooting and three-point shooting percentages are career lows of 34% and 16.7% respectively. Because he was more active in mid-range shooting last season, many opponents have figured this out and deliberately targeted Banqueiro's defense. This is probably a major factor leading to his unstable performance.

In addition, not only has his personal ball-holding ability declined, but Banqueiro's finishing efficiency is also not high. As of now, Banqueiro's shooting rate in the interior is only 52%. For Banqueiro, who has been selected for the All-Star lineup, this is definitely an unsatisfactory performance. Of course, this also exposes Banqueiro's problem, that is, compared to top stars, his skills are still relatively inferior. Whether it is the footsteps under the basket or the finishing skills, they are still too rough.

Moreover, the Magic's lineup system has changed this season, with the introduction of Bane and Tyus Jones, as well as the team's Jaylen Suggs and Franz Wagner. These players all need the ball, so Banqueiro must hand over a certain amount of ball possession. In addition, he is not good at playing without the ball, so now Banqueiro is also struggling. Coupled with the obvious reduction in finishing efficiency, it is natural for him to perform such an inefficient performance.

Inadequate organizational capabilities and deficiencies in defense.

In addition, Banqueiro has another statistic that is very eye-catching this season, and that is his assists. After playing a total of 3 games, he only had an embarrassing 3 assists, but he made as many as 8 turnovers. There is no need to count the assist-to-turnover ratio. In today's era where small ball tactics are popular, the core of each team is no longer a single-function terminator. They must maintain sufficient firepower output while also being able to attract the center of gravity of the defense and give open teammates a chance to score through rapid conduction.

The most representative ones are Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and others. Even Benyama is now developing in a more comprehensive direction, so for Banqueiro, he also needs to adapt to the changes of the times. But Banqueiro's organization is not only unsatisfactory this season. In the past three years, while he has sent out 4.6 assists, he has made 2.9 turnovers. He does not have a threatening organization, which allows opponents to double-team and defend Banqueiro unscrupulously, leaving him nowhere to hide.

And on the defensive end, Banqueiro's positioning is also a bit awkward. With a height of 2.08 meters, a weight of 113 kilograms, and a certain amount of athletic talent, Banqueiro can play the 3rd and 4th positions, but there are big flaws on the defensive end. Banqueiro's pace is not fast. Once he faces the speedy No. 3 position, he can easily be quickly broken through by his opponent. If he plays the No. 4 position, his speed can keep up, but the disadvantage in size and lack of strength will make the opponent try misplaced singles.

Therefore, Banqueiro's positioning on the defensive end has always been a headache for the Magic. And don't look at Banqueiro's rebounding numbers, which seem to be pretty good, but in fact his defensive rebounding rate dropped to 14.8%. This is also the result of his lack of strength and inability to form an effective blocking position. Therefore, now that Banqueiro has hit the rookie wall that is three years late, there are traces to follow. Of course, Banqueiro is only 22 years old now, and he still has a long way to go, but he must face his own problems, otherwise he may really see his upper limit in the future.