2022 NBA Draft Scouting Report: Paolo Banchero

A look at his strengths, weakness, and what to expect

David Sajdak

May 27, 2022

Strengths:

athleticism
passing
handle
shot-making
self-creation

Weaknesses:

consistent defensive engagement

Paolo Banchero is the ultimate blend of skill and athleticism. The Duke freshman is 6-10, 250 lbs with jump out the gym athleticism. Oh, by the way, he’s also got incredible fluidity and handling for a player of his size, and his passing rivals that of guards. In fact, while Duke used him more as an isolation post scorer, I’d like to see a team give him more reps as an initiator or encourage him to attack off the catch more, allowing him to leverage his handle, athleticism, and passing to attack the rim and/or find open teammates with more frequency. We saw flashes of it at Duke (mainly in transition) and in High School/AAU, but I think there’s upside for more.

As a shooter, Banchero seems more comfortable off the dribble and has showcased advanced shot-making, hitting a variety of tough shots. He seems to struggle a little bit with set shots, but he shot 33.8% on 3.3 attempts per game at Duke which isn’t too bad and my 3pt model seems to view him as a roughly league-average shooter. On the defensive end of the floor, Banchero seemed to struggle a bit with his defensive effort though he had good possessions as a POA defender and some good rotations when locked in.