Duke basketball’s best small-ball lineup next season

Best center for a Duke basketball small-ball lineup: Paolo Banchero

In recent months, there have been reports of Paolo Banchero growing into a 6-foot-11, 250-pound beast. However, even if the five-star freshman power forward is still only a 6-foot-9, 235-pound specimen, it’s clear from his senior-year highlights that he’s capable of playing the center position against ACC competition whenever necessary.

A bruiser mentality. A brawny base. A large assortment of prolific post moves. A smooth shot from basically any distance. Add all that to Banchero’s apparent willingness to show off his sheer strength and athleticism in a defensive setting, and the result is a guy who could play the three, four, or five.

With many of the same features that made 2001 Duke basketball national champ Carlos Boozer a powerful force for the Blue Devils and later as a two-time NBA All-Star, it’s not at all likely that Banchero will stick around in Durham for more than one season.

But it is quite possible that the Seattle product’s stats as a one-and-done will mirror those of Boozer from his third and final year in college: 18.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in 2001-02.

And since Boozer often played the role of a center for some of the best small-ball lineups in Duke basketball history, there’s really no reason to think Banchero can’t do the same.