Paolo Banchero

[eminence]

I didn't see any of Simmons slither in the scrimmage from Paolo.

[SNPA]

I didn't see any of Simmons slither in the scrimmage from Paolo.

Kobe had slither (according to Phil) because he didn’t have the power of Jordan. Just saying…

[Gibson22]

Paolo is not nearly a ben simmons level athlete. Has the height and is bigger but he's not nearly as fast and fluid, I don't get the comparison. What makes ben simmons such a generational athlete, is that he's 6-9, about 245 I think, and he's arguably the fastes player in the league or one of the fastest. He's a super tall wing who moves and does everything from a physical standpoint as a (very fast) tall guard, like derozan for example, but faster. Banchero isn't that rare of a physical specimen, as he's "just" a big strong guy who can run and jump fine, but there are a lot of guys similar to him. The thing about banchero's athleticism is that he said he was a great long jumper as a kid and he lost a lot of athleticism growing up but he's starting to get it back, and I kind of believe him because it looks like he's shed a bit of weight and he's looking a bit more explosivise out there.
The thing about bancher is that, unless he reveals himself to be a mediocre shooter he can do a bit of everything on the offensive end. Defensively we don't really have an idea, he could be bad because maybe he doesn't have the length to be a good interior defender and is too big to guard the perimeter, but we reallly can't say before college

[mattao313]

Isn't Julius Randle a better comparison

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[Hal14]

Isn't Julius Randle a better comparison

Sent from my moto g play (2021) using RealGM mobile app

Maybe if Julius Randle and Zion Williamson had a baby and the baby was 6'10"..

[SNPA]

Isn't Julius Randle a better comparison

Sent from my moto g play (2021) using RealGM mobile app

Maybe if Julius Randle and Zion Williamson had a baby and the baby was 6'10"..

I don’t get what people aren’t seeing here. Paolo is going to bully ball and he is skilled. This dude is a load.

[clyde21]

i think Julius Randle is a good comp at this point, not sure why some are taking that as a slight, the guy just dropped 24/10/6...if Paolo proves he can play some 5 in the league, which Randle really can't at any serious level, then that changes things a bit but it's a good comp imo

[EricAnderson]

i think Julius Randle is a good comp at this point, not sure why some are taking that as a slight, the guy just dropped 24/10/6...if Paolo proves he can play some 5 in the league, which Randle really can't at any serious level, then that changes things a bit but it's a good comp imo

I think it’s because Randles 2- 3 inches shorter then Paolo which is why as good as he’s become there’s a cap on his ceiling

[clyde21]

i think Julius Randle is a good comp at this point, not sure why some are taking that as a slight, the guy just dropped 24/10/6...if Paolo proves he can play some 5 in the league, which Randle really can't at any serious level, then that changes things a bit but it's a good comp imo

I think it’s because Randles 2- 3 inches shorter then Paolo which is why as good as he’s become there’s a cap on his ceiling

huh? Randle's 6-9 250...unless you think Paolo is a 7 footer not sure what you're talking about.

[TheSuzerain]

Duke's roster construction seems like trash though. Lack of shooting and guard play in general.

No idea why these stud prospects like Paolo and AJ don't take that into consideration before picking a spot.

[Duke4life831]

Duke's roster construction seems like trash though. Lack of shooting and guard play in general.

No idea why these stud prospects like Paolo and AJ don't take that into consideration before picking a spot.

Roster construction wise, this is actually one of their better rosters in awhile. Keels and AJ both are solid 3pt shooters, Paolo appears to be a pretty solid 3pt shooter as well. Roach was a solid shooter in high school so I expect better 3pt shooting from his this year as well. Baker is a good 3pt shooter as well coming off the bench. Lots of talk of Mark Williams having a pretty solid mid range shot this year and maybe a little bit of corner 3 ability.

I also dont think they will have a lack of guard play this year. Roach, Keels, AJ, then Paolo will most likely be the primary ball handlers for the season. That is a pretty solid group for a college team.

Dont get me wrong, Im not saying its a fantastic roster build. But compared to previous years, Id say its looking much better. Also there is a hope from me that since this is K's final year, he might put a little more effort in and we might see some early 2010s level K, not K from the past 5 years or so.

[Duke4life831]

Ya Im not getting why the Randle comparison is being viewed as a negative comparison, especially from a physical stand point. I think people need to go back and look at what Randle looked like in high school. Randle was the better athlete compared to Paolo. Now ya it looks like Paolo is stronger than Randle at the same age. But overall I think that is a pretty solid physical comparison.

Now ya I think Paolo is ahead of Randle at the same age when it comes to skill level and hopefully he is a better defender than Randle is. But ya Randle just put up a beast of a season. If Paolo is Randle with a little bit more skill and better defense, that is a freak of a player.

[CptCrunch]

Duke's roster construction seems like trash though. Lack of shooting and guard play in general.

No idea why these stud prospects like Paolo and AJ don't take that into consideration before picking a spot.

Roster construction wise, this is actually one of their better rosters in awhile. Keels and AJ both are solid 3pt shooters, Paolo appears to be a pretty solid 3pt shooter as well. Roach was a solid shooter in high school so I expect better 3pt shooting from his this year as well. Baker is a good 3pt shooter as well coming off the bench. Lots of talk of Mark Williams having a pretty solid mid range shot this year and maybe a little bit of corner 3 ability.

I also dont think they will have a lack of guard play this year. Roach, Keels, AJ, then Paolo will most likely be the primary ball handlers for the season. That is a pretty solid group for a college team.

Dont get me wrong, Im not saying its a fantastic roster build. But compared to previous years, Id say its looking much better. Also there is a hope from me that since this is K's final year, he might put a little more effort in and we might see some early 2010s level K, not K from the past 5 years or so.

The problem is no that you need true NBA PG level talent to make it far during march madness. Roach is a 2nd round prospect right now; Keels isn't really a PG. Unless Paolo can play legit point forward (or Roach improved to become a lotto guard over the summer), the roster still isn't going anywhere.

[Duke4life831]

Duke's roster construction seems like trash though. Lack of shooting and guard play in general.

No idea why these stud prospects like Paolo and AJ don't take that into consideration before picking a spot.

Roster construction wise, this is actually one of their better rosters in awhile. Keels and AJ both are solid 3pt shooters, Paolo appears to be a pretty solid 3pt shooter as well. Roach was a solid shooter in high school so I expect better 3pt shooting from his this year as well. Baker is a good 3pt shooter as well coming off the bench. Lots of talk of Mark Williams having a pretty solid mid range shot this year and maybe a little bit of corner 3 ability.

I also dont think they will have a lack of guard play this year. Roach, Keels, AJ, then Paolo will most likely be the primary ball handlers for the season. That is a pretty solid group for a college team.

Dont get me wrong, Im not saying its a fantastic roster build. But compared to previous years, Id say its looking much better. Also there is a hope from me that since this is K's final year, he might put a little more effort in and we might see some early 2010s level K, not K from the past 5 years or so.

The problem is no that you need true NBA PG level talent to make it far during march madness. Roach is a 2nd round prospect right now; Keels isn't really a PG. Unless Paolo can play legit point forward (or Roach improved to become a lotto guard over the summer), the roster still isn't going anywhere.

I mean Houston and UCLA made it to the Final Four last year. Neither team had a NBA level PG.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Duke should be heavy favorites or even top 5 favorites to win it all. But compared to past Duke rosters where they only had 1 capable shooter, no capable guards and so on. They may not have any sharpshooters, but it’s a team filled with capable shooters, and a mix of Roach, Keels, AJ, and Paolo, I think they’re fine in ya on ball talent. And if AJ can get healthy, they should be looking good when it comes to elite NBA talent with a Paolo and AJ.

Again no they’re not favorites, but the roster construction of this year’s team isn’t bad. The bigger question should be why did players like Paolo and AJ choose to play for a coach that has wasted a ton of elite talent over the last 5+years.

[Hal14]

Ya Im not getting why the Randle comparison is being viewed as a negative comparison, especially from a physical stand point. I think people need to go back and look at what Randle looked like in high school. Randle was the better athlete compared to Paolo. Now ya it looks like Paolo is stronger than Randle at the same age. But overall I think that is a pretty solid physical comparison.

Now ya I think Paolo is ahead of Randle at the same age when it comes to skill level and hopefully he is a better defender than Randle is. But ya Randle just put up a beast of a season. If Paolo is Randle with a little bit more skill and better defense, that is a freak of a player.

I think it's because people are comparing him to Randle of today, rather than Randle in high school.

Randle today doesn't really have the explosiveness/power that we see from Paolo on plays like this:

Read on Twitter

Or on these types of plays:

Watch on YouTube

Randle had his all-star season last year because he had the size + skill. He made good reads, excellent passing, knew when to attack off the dribble, when to post up, when to shoot from 3, when to pass. It was more of a finesse game.

Banchero has the size + skill as well as explosiveness/athleticism/brute force/power which is why i said it's like if Randle and Zion had a baby and the baby was 6'10"

[TheSuzerain]

Roster construction wise, this is actually one of their better rosters in awhile. Keels and AJ both are solid 3pt shooters, Paolo appears to be a pretty solid 3pt shooter as well. Roach was a solid shooter in high school so I expect better 3pt shooting from his this year as well. Baker is a good 3pt shooter as well coming off the bench. Lots of talk of Mark Williams having a pretty solid mid range shot this year and maybe a little bit of corner 3 ability.

I also dont think they will have a lack of guard play this year. Roach, Keels, AJ, then Paolo will most likely be the primary ball handlers for the season. That is a pretty solid group for a college team.

Dont get me wrong, Im not saying its a fantastic roster build. But compared to previous years, Id say its looking much better. Also there is a hope from me that since this is K's final year, he might put a little more effort in and we might see some early 2010s level K, not K from the past 5 years or so.

The problem is no that you need true NBA PG level talent to make it far during march madness. Roach is a 2nd round prospect right now; Keels isn't really a PG. Unless Paolo can play legit point forward (or Roach improved to become a lotto guard over the summer), the roster still isn't going anywhere.

I mean Houston and UCLA made it to the Final Four last year. Neither team had a NBA level PG.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Duke should be heavy favorites or even top 5 favorites to win it all. But compared to past Duke rosters where they only had 1 capable shooter, no capable guards and so on. They may not have any sharpshooters, but it’s a team filled with capable shooters, and a mix of Roach, Keels, AJ, and Paolo, I think they’re fine in ya on ball talent. And if AJ can get healthy, they should be looking good when it comes to elite NBA talent with a Paolo and AJ.

Again no they’re not favorites, but the roster construction of this year’s team isn’t bad. The bigger question should be why did players like Paolo and AJ choose to play for a coach that has wasted a ton of elite talent over the last 5+years.

I wasn't familiar with Keels, and he looks like he might be something. That probably gives them at least one 5-man group that can excel.

AJ's health is frustrating though.

[Duke4life831]

The problem is no that you need true NBA PG level talent to make it far during march madness. Roach is a 2nd round prospect right now; Keels isn't really a PG. Unless Paolo can play legit point forward (or Roach improved to become a lotto guard over the summer), the roster still isn't going anywhere.

I mean Houston and UCLA made it to the Final Four last year. Neither team had a NBA level PG.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Duke should be heavy favorites or even top 5 favorites to win it all. But compared to past Duke rosters where they only had 1 capable shooter, no capable guards and so on. They may not have any sharpshooters, but it’s a team filled with capable shooters, and a mix of Roach, Keels, AJ, and Paolo, I think they’re fine in ya on ball talent. And if AJ can get healthy, they should be looking good when it comes to elite NBA talent with a Paolo and AJ.

Again no they’re not favorites, but the roster construction of this year’s team isn’t bad. The bigger question should be why did players like Paolo and AJ choose to play for a coach that has wasted a ton of elite talent over the last 5+years.

I wasn't familiar with Keels, and he looks like he might be something. That probably gives them at least one 5-man group that can excel.

AJ's health is frustrating though.

Ya Keels should be a god college guard. Not too sure of how high his NBA potential is, but on the college level he should be good. Ya a starting lineup of

Roach
Keels
AJ
Paolo
Williams

Is a pretty damn good college starting 5.

The bench isn’t great, but it’s not horrible either. A bench of Moore, Baker and Theo John should be a solid bench. Again not a favorite, but that’s a pretty solid roster.

But I won’t be shocked if K Fs it up. He’ll probably start Moore. My guess is when AJ gets back Moore will stay in G starting lineup and Keels goes to the bench. That will kill the ball movement and spacing. Won’t be shocked if Paolo gets regulated to the dunker position like Jalen was last year. I’m only saying that because K the last 5+ years has been a horrible coach.

But ya the potential is no doubt there to be a good team of K doesnt screw it up and AJ gets healthy.

[akhan786]

What do you guys think of Obi Toppin as a comp for Banchero?

[clyde21]

What do you guys think of Obi Toppin as a comp for Banchero?

don't see the comp, Obi's more of a slasher/full court guy, Paolo's has much better ball skills, can do more on perimeter, run half-court sets in some capacity, better size for a big and theoretically should be able to guard more positions than Obi

some mix of Randle/Blake is his best comp imo

[SNPA]

What do you guys think of Obi Toppin as a comp for Banchero?

Paolo is better than Toppin right now. And it’s not close.