As of late, a Duke basketball commit has shown his ranking needs an update.
O’Dea (Wash.) power forward Paolo Banchero is a lion. Raw power. Ferocious. Fearless. King of the court. Soon to be the pride of Duke basketball and has just the right bite in his game to potentially become the program’s best-ever one-and-done.
Right now, however, the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Seattle native with Italian roots ranks only No. 3 overall on the 247Sports 2021 Composite. Banchero sits behind Minnehaha (Minn.) center Chet Holmgren and the current No. 1 in Hamilton (Wis.) small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., who is coming down the homestretch of his recruitment with the Blue Devils as perceived frontrunners.
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Banchero, of course, surprised insiders back in August by suddenly verbally committing to the staff in Durham. He and a fellow five-star in Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) small forward AJ Griffin, who ranks No. 6 and committed to the Blue Devils way back in November 2019, should make their Duke pledges official during the Nov. 11-18 early signing period.
Both Banchero and Griffin could make a case for the top billing in the class. For starters, both are significantly stronger than either Baldwin Jr. or Holmgren. Furthermore, both often appear higher on 2022 NBA mock drafts.
But in terms of recent evidence to support a No. 1 claim, Banchero has put forth the most. So let’s look at three such pieces of evidence, beginning with the most recent…
Why Duke basketball pledge Paolo Banchero deserves No. 1: LATEST SIGN
On Saturday, Paolo Banchero put on a show at the invite-only Pangos All-American Festival in Phoenix. As the Twitter account of SLAM HS Hoops described it, the future Blue Devil “went CRAZY” while leading Team West to a 125-99 win over Team East.
https://twitter.com/SLAM_HS/status/1325268923844071424?s=20
Granted, Duke pledge AJ Griffin had an invite to be on the opposing side and might’ve helped contain Banchero, but he was unable to attend. Still, against a crew full of heralded seniors, Banchero led everyone on the court in all three of the primary statistical categories with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists; plus, he finished with only five missed shots and one turnover.
Not bad.
On Sunday, Banchero will play in the championship game against fellow five-star power forward Jabari Smith and Team South. Unfortunately, this means that he won’t have a chance to face Team Midwest, which features Chet Holmgren, a unicorn who made a No. 1 statement of his own on Saturday by tallying 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and five blocks, albeit in a losing effort.
Yet based on the highlights of both Banchero and Holmgren in the video below — the Banchero montage starts at the 7:15 mark — the lion probably would’ve pounced on an opportunity to trounce the unicorn. Not only is Banchero considerably brawnier than Holmgren, but he also has better vision and more explosion while not giving up much in terms of handles and shooting.
In September, 247Sports director of basketball scouting Jerry Meyer broke down the overall advantage that Banchero holds over the 7-foot, 190-pound Holmgren in his eyes:
“Holmgren has three more inches in length, but Banchero has at least 45 more pounds … I’ll take strength over length … Functional athleticism is athleticism that counts, and strength is a bigger factor than length. Making plays in traffic, scoring against contact, handling in a crowd, and securing the ball in chaos are the plays that [most] impact winning.”
Meyer continued:
“[Banchero] is more dominant physically now, will be more physically dominant in the NBA, and his skill set will translate more seamlessly to the NBA because of his functional athleticism.”
Plus, Banchero has some recent experience when it comes to dominating those who dare to look down at him on the composite rankings…
Why Duke basketball pledge Paolo Banchero deserves No. 1: HEAD-TO-HEAD SIGN
OK, no offense to Jalen Johnson, Matthew Hurt, Wendell Moore, or any other current Blue Devil, but many Duke basketball fans seem to agree that Paolo Banchero would be the supreme talent on the 2020-21 Duke basketball roster if the 17-year-old was in Durham right now.
The same might be said, though, for Patrick Baldwin Jr., who was chosen to be on the Team Midwest roster this weekend alongside Chet Holmgren but, like AJ Griffin, was unable to attend.
That said, the most recent evidence supports the notion that Banchero is a bit too much for Baldwin Jr. to handle, especially defensively. At the Grassroots Showcase in Indianapolis on Sept. 5, Banchero proved more dependable by guiding his Seattle Rotary AAU club to a 59-52 defeat of Baldwin Jr.’s Phenom University.
Baldwin Jr. struggled mightily in the matchup, going 0-for-3 from downtown and scoring only nine points. Meanwhile, Banchero blew past the 6-foot-10, 205-pound sharpshooter on more than one occasion as part of his 20-point, nine-rebound winning effort, which Jerry Meyer of 247Sports all but forecasted a few days prior:
“[Baldwin Jr.] is a superior shooter than Banchero. But Banchero isn’t a bad shooter … Also, I like Banchero’s defense and his versatility on that end. He has the lateral quickness, strength, and explosive leaping ability to adequately defend most any position … Baldwin Jr. brings little impact to the game on the defensive end at this point. And I much prefer Banchero as a rebounder.”
Then, Meyer provided a simple explanation for his choice of Banchero over Baldwin Jr. (and Holmgren):
“Banchero gives a team the best chance of winning because he is the better basketball player.”
Sure, the level of talent that Banchero has been practicing against in recent months may have something to do with that…
Why Duke basketball pledge Paolo Banchero deserves No. 1: PRO-LEVEL SIGN
No matter Paolo Banchero’s composite ranking, he’s on the right track for a successful NBA career, following what’s likely to be a prolific one-year layover under the tutelage of Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski. And as the budding star noted to Jake Weingarten of Stock Risers last week, he’s willing to compete against seasoned professionals while chasing his dream:
“I’m still participating in open runs two-three times a week with Jamal Crawford, Marquese Chriss, Isaiah Thomas, Zach LaVine, Aaron Brooks, Spencer Hawes, Naz Carter, etc. And over the summer was much of the same, so it’s been good.”
Judging from the highlights below of one of those recent open runs, it’s quite clear that Banchero is able to hold his own while never for a second looking out of place.
Crawford, who is now 40 years old and has seen countless “can’t miss prospects” come and go across his 20 seasons in the NBA, has taken his fellow Seattle product under his wing. Per the veteran guard’s chat with Weingarten, he is more than pleased with both the advanced baller and mature person Banchero has become:
“If I was a GM, he would be a top pick. He’s a can’t miss prospect. He’s so versatile, very cerebral with how he approaches the game. Very unselfish, plays hard, always working at the game … Then when you factor in all the off-court attributes, maturity for his age, work ethic, caring about his community, his parents have done an unbelievable job … He’s a little brother to me.”
Whether it happens or not, Crawford’s “little brother” — undoubtedly a coming Duke basketball headline attraction — now warrants a No. 1 ranking. Evidently, Banchero himself agrees, as he basically proclaimed to Weingarten that his peers should just be fighting for No. 2:
“I believe I’m the best player in the country because of the simple fact that nobody brings what I bring to the table when it comes to versatility, winning, IQ, and having an all-around game.”
Yup, Banchero is the 2021 lion king.
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more on Paolo Banchero plus other Duke basketball recruiting news and views.