Paolo Banchero tops NBA Rookie of the Year voting / News - Basketnews.com

As expected, Paolo Banchero won the NBA Rookie of the Year award, while Jeremy Sochan was a Second Team selection.

Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix Credit Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix

Paolo Banchero headlines the NBA's All-Rookie First Team that was announced Monday.

Paolo Banchero

Team:Orlando MagicPosition:PFAge:20Height:208 cmWeight:113 kgBirth place:United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

The Magic forward is joined by Jazz center Walker Kessler, Thunder guard Jalen Williams, Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin and Kings forward Keegan Murray.

Banchero got 98 of 100 first-place votes. He averaged 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 42.7% from the floor and 29.8% from 3-point distance in 72 games on an Orlando team that saw a 14-win improvement over the previous season.

Kessler, the No. 22 pick out of Auburn in 2022, arrived in Utah from the Timberwolves in the trade for Rudy Gobert. He slotted nicely into Gobert's spot in the post, where he became an immediate defensive force averaging 9.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. His 72% shooting rate from the floor is the highest by a rookie in NBA history.

Williams was the No. 12 pick out of Santa Clara. The guard averaged 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 52.1% from the floor and 35.6% from 3-point distance. He worked his way into the starting lineup on a Thunder team that made an unexpected run to the play-in tournament.

Mathurin was the No. 6 pick out of Arizona. The small forward worked his way into Indiana's starting lineup at the end of the season that saw him average 16.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 0.6 steals. He went 43.4% from the floor and 32.3% from 3-point distance as a rookie.

Murray was the No. 4 pick out of Iowa. He worked his way into a starting role on a loaded Kings roster that led Sacramento to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. He averaged 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 45.3% from the field and 41.1% from 3-point distance.

The 2022-23 NBA All-Rookie Second team features Jeremy Sochan (Spurs), Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons), Tari Eason (Houston Rockets) Jaden Ivey (Detroit Pistons) and Jabari Smith Jr. (Houston Rockets).

Sochan averaged 11 points and 5.3 rebounds per game during his rookie season with the Spurs, proving to be a worthy fit for the All-Rookie squad. Sochan received 66 second-place votes from the 100 voters. Fellow rookie point guard Malaki Branham was also considered to be part of the All-Rookie teams, but only three voters gave him a second-team spot.

Sochan becomes just the 10th player in Spurs franchise history to receive an All-Rookie honor, joining Greg Anderson (1988), Willie Anderson (1989), David Robinson (1990), Sean Elliott (1990), Tim Duncan (1998), Manu Ginobili (2003), DeJuan Blair (2010), Gary Neal (2011) and Kawhi Leonard (2012).

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