Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero has been on fire to begin the year, even if he saw his 20-point streak snapped in their latest 105-114 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks. In seven games to begin his career, the 19-year old has averaged 22.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 33.1 minutes a night, proving himself worthy of being the first overall selection of the 2022 NBA Draft.

Any team would be lucky to have Banchero's services, and it looks like a budding European national team powerhouse is set to welcome the 6'10 forward to their ranks for future international competitions.

In a podcast by Magic teammate RJ Hampton titled “Young Person”, Paolo Banchero recently reiterated his commitment to represent Italy in FIBA tournaments, instead of playing for his home country in Team USA. (Banchero hails from Seattle, Washington.) In fact, Banchero said that playing for Italy has been a long-time coming, with his father sorting out the necessary paperwork to finalize Banchero's eligibility.

“When I was 16, the Italian national team reached out to my dad. They were like, ‘Does he have Italian roots? Can he get citizenship?' And my dad told them yes,” ” Banchero said, per RealGM. “So, the whole process started. I flew to San Francisco multiple times to meet them at the Italian embassy, we had a few meetings, and I ended up getting my Italian passport.”

Led by the impressive Simone Fontecchio, now of the Utah Jazz, and Nicolo Melli, formerly of the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks, the Italian men's basketball team recently reached the quarterfinals of the 2022 Eurobasket, falling short at the hands of eventual tournament runner-up, France.

Italy ended up beating Serbia, led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, on their way to the final eight even without longtime stalwart Danilo Gallinari in their roster after he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Adding Paolo Banchero to the Italian national team will only make facing them a more frightening prospect, especially with their vast array of sharpshooters to flank the rising star. And with Italy in prime position to qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Banchero could perhaps make his mark on the international scene soon.

“I'm planning to play for the Italian national team, but I'm not sure when,” Banchero added. “I haven't been out there yet, but man, the amount of love I'm getting from there… it's crazy, man. It's crazy. I can't wait to go to Italy.”

While Team USA will remain stacked without Banchero, his absence will sting for an organization always looking to assemble the best roster possible.