Prior to being drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, rookie forward Paolo Banchero was the face of the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball program.
That wasn't guaranteed, as Banchero reveals to the Knuckleheads podcast co-hosts Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles that there were four other schools that he considered attending, even visiting their campus.
The Kentucky Wildcats, North Carolina Tar Heels, Gonzaga Bulldogs, and Tennessee Volunteers.
Yet, with legendary former head coach Mike Krzyzewski calling him at least three times a week and texting him daily — more than any other coach that was recruiting him — he was impressed.
He was swayed when Coach K — heading into his final season with Duke — told him that going to Duke could lead to him being the top overall pick.
“You gonna be a top-5, top-10 pick wherever you go,” Banchero recalls Krzyzewski. “But if you wanna be the number one pick, if you wanna be the best player that I know you can be, you gotta come here.”
However, the biggest takeaway that Banchero got from Coach K is what made him the player that he is today.
“It was a long process…He just taught me how to be more efficient and just how to use my size… keep things simple. It just helped me when I got to the league because it helped me just blend it all… He helped me a lot.”
“Before I got to Duke, I never shot like catch-and-shoot threes,” Banchero admits. “Everything for me was off-the-dribble. Catch and hold. Iso. Like, go get a bucket.”
Banchero averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game as a freshman at Duke. Notably, he also shot a sparkling 47.8 percent from the field.
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