Agree wholeheartedly. While I would love any of about 6 players, Paolo is, I think, the guy I would pick first.
As you said, he's underrated now. I think that is largely because of how he is being used by Coach K. If you look at Duke players who come into the NBA, they generally show more of their talents at the pro level. Coach K has his little system and he takes 5 Star recruits and stuffs them into the little box the are supposed to occupy in his system.
Banchero is the latest victim of that rigidity, as we only see flashes of his total package at Duke. The player he most resembles in that respect is Grant Hill. No one knew Hill could be a primary ballhandler, that he could be what he was in his Pistons' years, until he got to the NBA and it became obvious that he'd been severely limited in his Duke career. Zion's career was similar.
I'm watching the Syracuse game right now and Paolo is torching Syracuse while still fitting into the big guy role that Coach K has stuffed him into. Flashing across the lane to find holes in that zone and making passes out of that spot or finding Williams on the low block or at the rim. Using his size and vision and passing ability, but, still, playing as a big man in the scheme.
Just imagine what he could do playing like Luka at the top of the key, scanning the entire floor.
Having the ability to gash defenses with his move to the hole or on a P&R or by getting deeper and running high/low action with another big man or passing out to the corner to a man who is bound to be open because everyone is collapsing to keep him from barreling to the basket.
Jabari Smith is a fantastic shooter. Maybe the best shooting big guy other than guys like Durant and Bob McAdoo. But the last couple of Auburn losses - in end of game situations - have highlighted his big weakness: he cannot really create and needs to be set up for his shot. It is hard to just give him the ball on an out of bounds play and expect that he's going to get his shot. He's a one/two dribble player, not someone who's going to be able to create his own shot. That ability to shoot like that is obviously a huge plus, but I would prefer a guy like Paolo, who can create his own shot in any number of ways.
I agree 10000%... We're seeing the exact same things on the floor. If I need a bucket can I give the ball to Jabari and clear out? Banchero is a playmaker that has been put in a box as a power forward at Duke. He's sacrificing his talent for the good of the team.
Always love hearing/reading your thoughts. Like everyone I’ve gone back and forth with myself in the top three in this draft, but will be happy if my team (Rockets) get a chance to draft any one of them.
Thank you so much for checking out my work. I really appreciate it. Houston should be in a good position to draft Banchero, Chet or Jabari.. Would do you think would happen if they selected Jaden Ivey?
Admittedly I haven't watched as much college as I'd like this season cause I'm too damn busy working overtime shifts at the prison. That being said as of 2 hours ago I have seen every Duke game that was shown on cable this season. I literally just banged out 8 Duke games this weekend. Man..... I hope AJ Griffin can stay healthy cause that's my dude. That's where my eyes go when watching Duke not Paolo. The more I watch Paolo the less I like him. I wish him the best but I'm not a Banchero fan.
In my opinion the least valuable position in the NBA is PF and I don't even think it's close right now. No thanks as of right now I have Paolo around the 6 mark in this draft. This is all I gotta say about him translating in the NBA. Just ask yourself how valuable is a scoring PF in the league with OK defense? I see Paolo as the kind of player you hide on defense cause he's not a switchable defender so his real value will only be on the offensive end. He's not a horrible defender (I don't think he'll be a guy teams target specifically in the playoffs) but he's also not a guy that'll be taking on any tough assignments for any team either.
Here are your top 15 scoring PF's this season
Giannis- 29.4
Durant- 29.3 PF/SF
Tatum- 25.7 PF/SF
Anthony Davis- 23.1 (yeah I know he's more of a center)
Siakam- 21.1
Miles Bridges- 19.9 PF/SF
Julius Randle- 19.6
Kristaps- 19.2
Sabonis- 18.9 not a PF anymore but you get the point
Tobias Harris- 18.3
Harrison Barnes- 17.2 PF/SF
Kuzma- 17.0
John Collins- 16.8
Jaren Jackson Jr.- 16.5
Bobby Portis- 15.7
Look at that PF list around the league and see what kind of impact these kinds of players really have in the win column and I'm talking real PF's not those tweener SF's playing the 4 this season. Don't get me wrong I like the dude if this was 1990. In today's game I just don't think he has that much value even if he ends up scoring 26 a game. Me personally, I'll take Jaden Ivey, Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, Shaeden Sharpe, and Johnny Davis first. Hell, I'd even have AJ Griffin ahead of him if I trusted his health long term in the NBA but I don't sadly.
I guess my main point is it's not what Paolo projects to be statistically in the NBA it's what his actual value ends up being at PF for winning a title that I care about. (assuming he stays healthy and reaches his potential down the road)
Respect. In my opinion Paolo is more than just a scorer, he's a playmaker. I know it's a different position but Joel Embiid is a two way player and has never made it to conference finals. Anthony Davis is also a two play player who only won one playoff series prior to playing with Lebron. Also I believe Banchero's game is more suited for today's NBA than Johnny Davis.
Rafael I have the upmost respect for you but in this case I have no idea why you are talking about Embiid and Anthony Davis when it comes to Banchero he's nothing like either of those guys? (can we quit comparing an unproven college player to the 2 best big guys we've seen since Tim Duncan, KG, and Shaq just sayin......)
Who has more value Banchero or Johnny Davis? Now, that's a good debate I'd like to spend more time on.
With all due respect, I think you are making the same mistake lots of observers make about Paolo. He's not just a PF. His skill set is more that of a large wing creator, than a "PF". He is more like Grant Hill or LeBron or Paul George or Luka than any of the PFs you list above. It's the same mistake people made with Mobley last year. Because of Mobley's size, everyone tried to stuff him into a center box, with limited value, when he was - and is - much more than that limited type of player. I will bet that his pro coach will dramatically expand his role - Coach K has him playing a very limited role as a 4 in his offense - and his entire tool box will be utilized.
I could be dead wrong, of course, but NBA teams with smart coaches usually try to use as many of their players' skills as possible, which is not happening now at Duke. The great thing about conjecturing in this fashion is that eventually we find out whether one is correct or just totally off base.
I agree Frank. I think a lot of people have only seen what Paolo has done at Duke and how they've used him. His a much better playmaker and passer than he's been able to showcase. People believed Zion was a good passer at Duke and Banchero is a much better playmaker.
So you see Paolo as a secondary ballhandler or primary ballhandler at some point in the NBA then? When you compare him to Grant Hill, Lebron, and Luka you are saying he's got PG skills and will be handling the ball a lot. I don't see him with that role in the NBA but if he was that kind of player it would definitely bolster his value. It's an interesting thought though I appreciate the take.
Yes. Watch some of his high school tape. Duke is not playing him to his strengths because they have other ball handlers that wouldn't be effective playing off the ball.
I've seen all his high school tape and I don't see Grant Hill, Lebron, or anything like a Luka so that was probably 3 bad bad comps to make. I can see him having more value handling the ball/passing but to compare him to those guys totally lost me in this convo.
I just re-watched the Duke-Kentucky game at the beginning of the year. If you have access to it - YouTubeTV is great because of their unlimited DVR that keeps all of those games in my Library! - and you can definitely see that he's playing more like a ballhandling/creating wing than a PF...running the break, initiating in the half court. The announcers would not shut up about it. At some point, it seems like Coach K had a talk with him and told him to leave the ballhandling, etc, for the NBA, cause now he is being used in a totally different way.
I definitely see him as that kind of ballhandler. He played that way in high school and flashed it momentarily at Duke. It was kind of funny to watch him devolve really quickly this season. The first couple of Duke games, he was grabbing rebounds, running the break, initiating plays in the half-court....and then all of that went away over the span of a few games. Now, Paolo grabs a rebound and dutifully tosses it to a guard and assumes his role as a 4 in Duke's offense. He has scaled down his play dramatically. But he definitely has the tools - the handle, the vision, the passing - to play as a guy who initiates offense. I think a smart NBA coach is going to unleash him and we'll see that full range of skills. He will be a nightmare for defenses to match up with, once he starts playing that way. There will only be a handful of defenders who will be able to match up with him once he's freed from his role in Coach K's playbook.
Agree wholeheartedly. While I would love any of about 6 players, Paolo is, I think, the guy I would pick first.
As you said, he's underrated now. I think that is largely because of how he is being used by Coach K. If you look at Duke players who come into the NBA, they generally show more of their talents at the pro level. Coach K has his little system and he takes 5 Star recruits and stuffs them into the little box the are supposed to occupy in his system.
Banchero is the latest victim of that rigidity, as we only see flashes of his total package at Duke. The player he most resembles in that respect is Grant Hill. No one knew Hill could be a primary ballhandler, that he could be what he was in his Pistons' years, until he got to the NBA and it became obvious that he'd been severely limited in his Duke career. Zion's career was similar.
I'm watching the Syracuse game right now and Paolo is torching Syracuse while still fitting into the big guy role that Coach K has stuffed him into. Flashing across the lane to find holes in that zone and making passes out of that spot or finding Williams on the low block or at the rim. Using his size and vision and passing ability, but, still, playing as a big man in the scheme.
Just imagine what he could do playing like Luka at the top of the key, scanning the entire floor.
Having the ability to gash defenses with his move to the hole or on a P&R or by getting deeper and running high/low action with another big man or passing out to the corner to a man who is bound to be open because everyone is collapsing to keep him from barreling to the basket.
Jabari Smith is a fantastic shooter. Maybe the best shooting big guy other than guys like Durant and Bob McAdoo. But the last couple of Auburn losses - in end of game situations - have highlighted his big weakness: he cannot really create and needs to be set up for his shot. It is hard to just give him the ball on an out of bounds play and expect that he's going to get his shot. He's a one/two dribble player, not someone who's going to be able to create his own shot. That ability to shoot like that is obviously a huge plus, but I would prefer a guy like Paolo, who can create his own shot in any number of ways.
I agree 10000%... We're seeing the exact same things on the floor. If I need a bucket can I give the ball to Jabari and clear out? Banchero is a playmaker that has been put in a box as a power forward at Duke. He's sacrificing his talent for the good of the team.
Always love hearing/reading your thoughts. Like everyone I’ve gone back and forth with myself in the top three in this draft, but will be happy if my team (Rockets) get a chance to draft any one of them.
Thank you so much for checking out my work. I really appreciate it. Houston should be in a good position to draft Banchero, Chet or Jabari.. Would do you think would happen if they selected Jaden Ivey?
Admittedly I haven't watched as much college as I'd like this season cause I'm too damn busy working overtime shifts at the prison. That being said as of 2 hours ago I have seen every Duke game that was shown on cable this season. I literally just banged out 8 Duke games this weekend. Man..... I hope AJ Griffin can stay healthy cause that's my dude. That's where my eyes go when watching Duke not Paolo. The more I watch Paolo the less I like him. I wish him the best but I'm not a Banchero fan.
Acts 16:31, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 1 Peter 1:17-21, Revelation 22:18-19
In my opinion the least valuable position in the NBA is PF and I don't even think it's close right now. No thanks as of right now I have Paolo around the 6 mark in this draft. This is all I gotta say about him translating in the NBA. Just ask yourself how valuable is a scoring PF in the league with OK defense? I see Paolo as the kind of player you hide on defense cause he's not a switchable defender so his real value will only be on the offensive end. He's not a horrible defender (I don't think he'll be a guy teams target specifically in the playoffs) but he's also not a guy that'll be taking on any tough assignments for any team either.
Here are your top 15 scoring PF's this season
Giannis- 29.4
Durant- 29.3 PF/SF
Tatum- 25.7 PF/SF
Anthony Davis- 23.1 (yeah I know he's more of a center)
Siakam- 21.1
Miles Bridges- 19.9 PF/SF
Julius Randle- 19.6
Kristaps- 19.2
Sabonis- 18.9 not a PF anymore but you get the point
Tobias Harris- 18.3
Harrison Barnes- 17.2 PF/SF
Kuzma- 17.0
John Collins- 16.8
Jaren Jackson Jr.- 16.5
Bobby Portis- 15.7
Look at that PF list around the league and see what kind of impact these kinds of players really have in the win column and I'm talking real PF's not those tweener SF's playing the 4 this season. Don't get me wrong I like the dude if this was 1990. In today's game I just don't think he has that much value even if he ends up scoring 26 a game. Me personally, I'll take Jaden Ivey, Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, Shaeden Sharpe, and Johnny Davis first. Hell, I'd even have AJ Griffin ahead of him if I trusted his health long term in the NBA but I don't sadly.
I guess my main point is it's not what Paolo projects to be statistically in the NBA it's what his actual value ends up being at PF for winning a title that I care about. (assuming he stays healthy and reaches his potential down the road)
Respect. In my opinion Paolo is more than just a scorer, he's a playmaker. I know it's a different position but Joel Embiid is a two way player and has never made it to conference finals. Anthony Davis is also a two play player who only won one playoff series prior to playing with Lebron. Also I believe Banchero's game is more suited for today's NBA than Johnny Davis.
Rafael I have the upmost respect for you but in this case I have no idea why you are talking about Embiid and Anthony Davis when it comes to Banchero he's nothing like either of those guys? (can we quit comparing an unproven college player to the 2 best big guys we've seen since Tim Duncan, KG, and Shaq just sayin......)
Who has more value Banchero or Johnny Davis? Now, that's a good debate I'd like to spend more time on.
With all due respect, I think you are making the same mistake lots of observers make about Paolo. He's not just a PF. His skill set is more that of a large wing creator, than a "PF". He is more like Grant Hill or LeBron or Paul George or Luka than any of the PFs you list above. It's the same mistake people made with Mobley last year. Because of Mobley's size, everyone tried to stuff him into a center box, with limited value, when he was - and is - much more than that limited type of player. I will bet that his pro coach will dramatically expand his role - Coach K has him playing a very limited role as a 4 in his offense - and his entire tool box will be utilized.
I could be dead wrong, of course, but NBA teams with smart coaches usually try to use as many of their players' skills as possible, which is not happening now at Duke. The great thing about conjecturing in this fashion is that eventually we find out whether one is correct or just totally off base.
I agree Frank. I think a lot of people have only seen what Paolo has done at Duke and how they've used him. His a much better playmaker and passer than he's been able to showcase. People believed Zion was a good passer at Duke and Banchero is a much better playmaker.
So you see Paolo as a secondary ballhandler or primary ballhandler at some point in the NBA then? When you compare him to Grant Hill, Lebron, and Luka you are saying he's got PG skills and will be handling the ball a lot. I don't see him with that role in the NBA but if he was that kind of player it would definitely bolster his value. It's an interesting thought though I appreciate the take.
Yes. Watch some of his high school tape. Duke is not playing him to his strengths because they have other ball handlers that wouldn't be effective playing off the ball.
I've seen all his high school tape and I don't see Grant Hill, Lebron, or anything like a Luka so that was probably 3 bad bad comps to make. I can see him having more value handling the ball/passing but to compare him to those guys totally lost me in this convo.
I just re-watched the Duke-Kentucky game at the beginning of the year. If you have access to it - YouTubeTV is great because of their unlimited DVR that keeps all of those games in my Library! - and you can definitely see that he's playing more like a ballhandling/creating wing than a PF...running the break, initiating in the half court. The announcers would not shut up about it. At some point, it seems like Coach K had a talk with him and told him to leave the ballhandling, etc, for the NBA, cause now he is being used in a totally different way.
I definitely see him as that kind of ballhandler. He played that way in high school and flashed it momentarily at Duke. It was kind of funny to watch him devolve really quickly this season. The first couple of Duke games, he was grabbing rebounds, running the break, initiating plays in the half-court....and then all of that went away over the span of a few games. Now, Paolo grabs a rebound and dutifully tosses it to a guard and assumes his role as a 4 in Duke's offense. He has scaled down his play dramatically. But he definitely has the tools - the handle, the vision, the passing - to play as a guy who initiates offense. I think a smart NBA coach is going to unleash him and we'll see that full range of skills. He will be a nightmare for defenses to match up with, once he starts playing that way. There will only be a handful of defenders who will be able to match up with him once he's freed from his role in Coach K's playbook.
Hey, I hope I'm wrong about him in the NBA that would be cool as shit. We'll see...........