Paolo Banchero leads postseason in FT attempts

Paolo Banchero’s playoff foul-drawing stood out even after Orlando’s first-round exit. As of May 23, the Magic forward was averaging 10.6 free-throw attempts per game in the 2026 NBA postseason, according to StatMuse’s playoff leaders page. That rate ranked first among all players still listed in the postseason sample, ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Orlando played seven playoff games before losing its first-round series to Detroit, leaving Banchero’s number frozen while the rest of the field continued to add games. ### How high is Banchero’s number, exactly? StatMuse listed Banchero at 10.6 free-throw attempts per game in seven playoff appearances for Orlando. The same leaderboard showed him first in the category for the 2026 playoffs, with Gilgeous-Alexander next behind him. Basketball-reference-style game logs and other stat databases matched the volume. A postseason game-log page showed Banchero averaging 26.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists, while getting to the line 10.6 times per game. ### Where did those free throws come from over the series? Banchero reached double-digit free-throw attempts in five of Orlando’s seven games against Detroit. (statmuse.com) His game log showed 13 attempts in Game 4, 14 in Game 5 and 12 in Game 6, with another 12 in Game 2. He also had eight attempts in both the opener and Game 7. The volume was not tied to one outlier night. Across the series, Banchero’s attempts ranged from seven to 14, which is why the average held above 10 even without a single 15- or 16-attempt spike. (basketball-reference.com) ### Did Orlando’s early exit make the stat less notable? Orlando’s seven-game sample was smaller than the totals being built by players on teams still alive, but the per-game rate still led the field on May 23. (heavy.com) StatMuse’s playoff leaderboard is rate-based, not total-based, which is why Banchero remained first at 10.6 attempts per game. Detroit eliminated Orlando 4-3 in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, according to playoff bracket listings cited in current postseason coverage. That ended Banchero’s postseason, but it did not remove him from the rate leaderboard. ### How does Banchero compare with Gilgeous-Alexander? StatMuse’s leaders page placed Gilgeous-Alexander second behind Banchero in free-throw attempts per game for the 2026 playoffs. (statmuse.com) The gap was small, but Banchero remained in front as of May 23. That comparison drew attention because Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the league’s highest-usage guards and was still playing in the Western Conference finals. (heavy.com) Banchero, a 6-foot-10 forward whose postseason ended in the first round, was still the player getting to the line most often on a per-game basis. ### What else did Banchero produce besides free throws? (statmuse.com) Banchero averaged 26.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists in the 2026 playoffs, according to his postseason stat pages. He played 39.0 minutes per game and posted those numbers over all seven games of Orlando’s series with Detroit. Game 7 was his highest-scoring outing of the series after a 38-point performance in Orlando’s season-ending loss on May 3. (statmuse.com) Two games earlier, he scored 45 points in a Game 5 defeat while attempting 12 free throws. ### Where can readers track whether he stays on top? The 2026 playoff leaderboard will keep moving as Oklahoma City, San Antonio, New York and Cleveland continue their postseason games. (statmuse.com) Banchero’s number will stay at 10.6 unless another player finishes above it on a per-game basis. NBA and third-party stat pages, including StatMuse and official playoff stat trackers, will show whether Gilgeous-Alexander or another remaining player passes him before the postseason ends. (heavy.com) (statmuse.com)