Paolo Banchero came to Duke with a good reputation out of high school but for a few weeks, fans may not have seen what the fuss was about.
It didn’t take too long for him to start to show why people were excited though. At 6-10 and powerfully built, Banchero wasn’t necessarily the greatest run-jump athlete in basketball, but he had guard skills in a big man’s body and there wasn’t too much he couldn’t do.
He went #1 in the NBA Draft in 2022 and justified that by winning Rookie of the Year. He was an All-Star by 2024 and there was no looking back for the kid from Seattle.
This video shows some of his highlights from the 2023-24 season, his second in the league. He has quickly emerged as one of the brightest young stars in the game and someone you can build a franchise around. We won’t see the likes of him very often.