Challenge: Convince me Paulo Banchero will be good

[Village Idiot]

I have Banchero alone in tier 1 of this draft. His offensive skill-set is super advanced. He's a true triple threat with footwork and timing like Melo or Tatum but a much more willing and able passer. I don't expect Orlando to take him over Smith but if I were in their shoes I definitely would

[whitehops]

during the season i was so-so about banchero because i thought he could be a "jack of all trades, master of none" type player but doing more scouting on him now i think he definitely has enough talent.

i think his combination of size and skill is going to be tough to stop in the nba. he's stepping into the league as the second heaviest PF to zion. he weighs more than most centers so pretty much any player that switches onto him will have a big size disadvantage (at least weight-wise). if he continues to learn to leverage his body it will make him a matchup nightmare, especially because he has a good mid range game. he also has good court vision so doubling him isn't the best option.

i don't know if he'll be a true #1 guy but i think he'll be a darn good #2 as a 3-level scorer (with improved three point shooting) and play maker. i think houston would be a great landing spot for him, as he'd be able to be more of a play maker from day 1 and have a good inside threat in christian wood and jalen green handling the brunt of the perimeter scoring.

[SelfishPlayer]

[bucknut]

Safe floor, ...but ceiling a borderline all star player.....likely a 2nd/3rd option on a good team.

Do not get the randle or griffin comparisons at all......banchero would get murdered on the boards vs randle. Banchero does lack some of that man power and explosion inside that randle possesses that would give him another level.........right there against ohio state in that film he looks like brad miller.

He is no way as fast as tatum......he's just solid at alot of things but he's not elite at really anything....I think an elite defender will really bother him. But overall just a sound player

[UcanUwill]

I have no clue how good or bad this guy is, but just reading the thread, I get Jabari Parker flashbacks.

[kobyz]

He's like Julius Randle meets Shareef Abdur Rahim

[GreatWhiteStiff]

I have no clue how good or bad this guy is, but just reading the thread, I get Jabari Parker flashbacks.

Jabari really could score at the nba level. 20 ppg @ 21 years old on 49% FG.

[Marcus]

I have no clue how good or bad this guy is, but just reading the thread, I get Jabari Parker flashbacks.

Jabari really could score at the nba level. 20 ppg @ 21 years old on 49% FG.

facts. Bari wasn't horrible. just couldn't stay healthy or in front of people defensively. A healthy Jabari Parker was a walking bucket though.

[tmorgan]

There’s no way, no matter how bad Paolo struggles initially, that his defense will be as bad as Parker’s. Dude just didn’t care.

[Roger Murdock]

I’ve watched the NBA long enough to know that ‘bad defenders’ who have great physical profiles, high BBIQ, and a willingness to do so end up being good (or better) defenders a few years into the league.

Dismissing Banchero as a written off defender seems foolish.

[K_chile22]

Told Chris Vernon he measured 6'10.5 BAREFOOT in his workout in Houston. Not sure I buy that but if you do, that's crazy

[K_chile22]

Something that's been bothering me about people talking about Paolo: where do people see a bully ball player?

He has the best handle at his size since Ben Simmons and even in the post it's all footwork and finesse. If anything there's low hanging fruit there as he needs to be a lot more aggressive at using his size advantage than he was at Duke. Only really saw it if there was a switch with someone who just had no chance size wise

[BlazersBroncos]

Paolo is Derrick Coleman w/o any of the issues and less bounce. Maybe that is just Randle I guess.

[JRoy]

Paolo is Derrick Coleman w/o any of the issues and less bounce. Maybe that is just Randle I guess.

Agreed on the lack of character issues but DC was a much better prospect in my opinion. Expect Banchero to be a less impactful player.

[Skybox]

Randle is no doubt the best comp for Paolo. This is pretty much why Paolo gets the Randle comp.

6'9-6'10
Physically strong and matured even at an early age
Athletically not really explosive, but move pretty damn well for a guy his size (height and thickness)
Not a dynamic handle, but again for their size its definitely workable
Has shown some flashes with the jumper, but pretty inconsistent and best at attacking the rim with their combination of size and strength and should probably attack more often than they do.
Weak on the defensive end.

Again when doing a basic overview of these guys coming out of college, Randle is probably the best match. But again that also doesnt mean these guys are identical twins either.

For example, I think Paolo is more well refined in most of these areas compared to Randle. I think Paolo gets his shots up much better within the flow of the offense compared to Randle ever has. This is why I have been saying I think Paolo is the much more team friendly version of Randle. I also think Paolo has been handed the keys to being more of a on ball creator from an earlier age than Randle did, which I think leads to Paolo being more refined with decision making when the ball is in his hands. I also think that lends to Paolo shooting more 3s at a higher volume and at an earlier age than Randle and is further along in that aspect as well.

I think a more refined Randle is a pretty damn good player, it was only a couple years ago Randle was on the All NBA team. So I think Paolo has 2 big question marks for his NBA career.

1. Can he become a consistent 36+% 3pt shooter in his prime. If so that will really open up his offense and I could see him being a 25/10/5 on good efficiency offensive player.
2. He has the physical tools to be at least a solid defensive player. Will he ever put it together on that end.

I think both are legit solid questions and that's why he is most likely not going to go any higher than 3rd in the draft. But I think he has a nice foundation to build upon and he doesnt have anything that could prevent him from improving both his major question marks. Again good size and solid athleticism, so nothing physical that would limit him from being a good defensive player. Then with his jumper, once you get out past 15ft the form could be pretty inconsistent. But nothing broken in his shot. Just needs to tighten it up and get a little more consistent with it.

I agree with this obvious comparison...Randle was basically mediocre until his 3pt shooting suddenly spiked...then he got his deal and his All-Star uni and his 3pt% spiked back down...and he's mediocre. If Paolo can shoot the 3, and I think his 3pt shooting "woes" are overstated, he'll be a beast...Just like Randle was for one year.

[Skybox]

I’ve watched the NBA long enough to know that ‘bad defenders’ who have great physical profiles, high BBIQ, and a willingness to do so end up being good (or better) defenders a few years into the league.

Dismissing Banchero as a written off defender seems foolish.

Agree and his role at Duke may account for that too. I see similar dismissiveness of Jabari's post defense-but he had Kessler behind him, so his defensive role was primarily perimeter...knowing he could/should gamble a bit with Kessler behind him. Same might be said about Paolo having Williams behind him. I think labeling either of them as defensively limited is premature. They're both very young, very big, very athletic, and were heavily relied upon to score in the NCAA.

[Catchall]

Start with Karl Anthony-Towns, give him dribble-side-step jumpers from 28 feet, add a solid mid-range game, add a decent handle and near-elite passing and some post moves that would make Zach Randolph blush.

[Big J]

Paolo is Derrick Coleman w/o any of the issues and less bounce. Maybe that is just Randle I guess.

Derrick Coleman without the issues is like a top 3 player in the league. Guy was a freaking beast.

[NO-KG-AI]

Told Chris Vernon he measured 6'10.5 BAREFOOT in his workout in Houston. Not sure I buy that but if you do, that's crazy

For reference, Joel Embiid’s last measurement was I believe 6’11.5 when the NBA decided they wanted to do barefoot heights for some teams lol.

I highly highly doubt he’s that close to Embiid’s height.

[The-Power]

Start with Karl Anthony-Towns, give him dribble-side-step jumpers from 28 feet, add a solid mid-range game, add a decent handle and near-elite passing and some post moves that would make Zach Randolph blush.

And which player would that be?