With the working week winding to an end, let’s check the pulse of all things pinstriped.

Who won the week that was?

A few days ago the NBA formally acknowledged the on-court contributions of Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, announcing the dynamic forward as the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December. It was an award well-deserved, with the freshman continuing to impress with his scoring exploits, evidenced most recently in the trio of 20+ point games he posted last week. He was again the offensive focal point for an oft understrength Magic side, creating his own shots with ball in hand, getting back to the free-throw line with dominant regularity, tying a career-best with 7 assists against OKC, and punctuating it all with a 20 point third-quarter explosion against the Grizzlies.