The Team USA roster for the 2023 FIBA World Cup features a handful of All-Stars talents, as well as rising stars in the NBA. Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is one of these rising stars and he is coming off of a fantastic rookie season in which he was awarded the league's Rookie of the Year award.
Banchero has quickly become a household name around the NBA, which is why he was selected to be on USA Basketball's roster this summer. While head coach Steve Kerr has yet to name who his starting five will be for the World Cup, things are becoming a little more clear after the team's first exhibition game against Puerto Rico.
On Monday night, Team USA defeated Puerto Rico 117-74 in Las Vegas, much to the delight of Kerr and his staff. Many played well for the national team in this game, including Banchero with seven points and a block in 16 minutes off the bench. What was interesting about his role in this game is that the soon-to-be second-year forward saw a chunk of his time at the center position as a small-ball big man for his team.
As far as if this would be his role moving forward, Kerr discussed Banchero's impact and how he could be put in a similar role to what Team USA had in their frontcourt during the 2021 Olympics.
“He's gonna play some 5,” Kerr said, via ESPN. “One of the things we really found in [2021] in the Tokyo Olympics was having a 5 who can push the ball and transition and create plays is very difficult for FIBA teams to handle. So he can play some 4, as he showed, but he'll play plenty of 5, as well.”
During the 2021 Olympics, Kerr and Team USA utilized Bam Adebayo and Draymond Green at the center position, two frontcourt talents who were more than capable of facilitating the team's offense and having the ball in their hands. This is a role that Banchero could thrive in, especially since he is a bigger forward that has always been a catalyst for his team's offense.
It should be interesting to not only see if Paolo is utilized solely as a small-ball center during the World Cup, but how this impacts his style of play heading into his second season in Orlando.