Paolo Banchero shined in his lone season with the Duke Blue Devils. He helped lead the team to the Final Four in Mike Krzyzewski's last season while winning the ACC Rookie of the Year Award. The Seattle-born forward entered the 2021-22 college season as a top prospect in the 2022 NBA Draft and will leave it as such.
Banchero posted a video on Twitter announcing that he will be entering the NBA draft. The Duke star thanked his teammates, Krzyzewski and the fans as he embarks on the next chapter of his basketball career.
— Paolo Banchero🇮🇹 (@Pp_doesit) April 20, 2022
Banchero is one of the 2022 prospects that are best prepared to step into the big leagues right away. He averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 47.8 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from the arc and 72.9 percent from the free-throw line. The 6-foot-10 forward produced at a level rarely seen in college hoops in his lone season with Duke.
The reason other prospects like Jabari Smith Jr. or Chet Holmgren could be picked ahead of Banchero is Banchero's lack of elite defense in his game. Scoring in bunches and from all over the court with veteran-like moves makes him a highly regarded prospect but he still has to become a little bit more well-rounded to truly thrive at the next level.
The chances are pretty good that Banchero is the first player to hear his name called at the 2022 NBA Draft. Teams will be dying to move up in the draft lottery so that they get a chance to pick him. Paolo Banchero could easily become one of the best Duke players in the NBA.
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