Three Duke basketball targets who may pick G League over Cameron
By Matt Giles
Duke basketball targets who could land in the G League: Paolo Banchero
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 235 pounds. PF. player. 6-foot-9. Paolo Banchero. 434
Of all the rising seniors, O’Dea (Wash.) power forward Paolo Banchero arguably has the most NBA-ready body. Furthermore, the 17-year-old’s skills inside and outside the paint, highlighted by his nimble feet and soft touch, are well beyond his years. Several weeks ago, the 6-foot-9, 235-pound five-star out of Seattle, who ranks No. 4 on the 247Sports 2021 Composite, broke down his unsure curiosity in the G League to Rivals insider Corey Evans:
“For me, I don’t know. They haven’t reached out to me…maybe they reached out to my parents, but they haven’t told me about it. It is something that if they offered or reached out, I would definitely look at…I do think for me, personally, playing in college, on TV, and in the NCAA Tournament, and to have that college experience for a year, and do all of those other things in college, I value that type of stuff; that is a big thing for me.”
Banchero continued, not exactly ruling it out at any point:
“I could see myself probably sticking with college, but it is something that I would look at instead of automatically shutting it down.”
In a recent interview with Pro Insight, Banchero explained the possible benefits of playing for a legend like Duke basketball’s Hall of Famer:
“Coach K, Coach [Jon] Scheyer, and the rest of the staff…their resume speaks for itself. Coach K has done it with some of the best players in the NBA, some of the best players of all time…he’s coached Kobe, LeBron, and Kevin Durant on top of all the guys he’s coached at Duke. So he knows what it takes, and he knows how to coach a great player. I think they just had their third straight National Freshman of the Year or something like that.”
In addition to Duke, Banchero has among his favorites Washington, Gonzaga, Arizona, Kentucky, and Tennessee. He’s hinted at waiting until the spring to make up his mind but has noted that he won’t trim his list any further before his decision day arrives. The 247Sports Crystal Ball favors Washington, the alma mater of both his parents.