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Kyle Irving
Duke’s Paolo Banchero entered his freshman season with lofty expectations and locked in a dead heat with Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren for the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
As the season has gone on, other prospects — most notably Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr. — have made a case to take the top spot, but Banchero is still firmly planted in those discussions to be the first player to hear his name called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver on draft night.
In my 2022 NBA Mock Draft heading into the NCAA Tournament, I slid Banchero down to the No. 2 pick in favor of Holmgren for the first time this season. Holmgren has been absurdly dominant over the second half of the season and he continued that into the start of March Madness, but Banchero was quick to remind us why he still rightfully deserves consideration.
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Paulo Banchero offensive scouting report
The Duke star made his presence felt in the first weekend of the tournament. He went for 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal in a first-round win over Cal State Fullerton, then followed that up with 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and one block in a close win over Michigan State to advance to the Sweet 16.