Magic forward Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 overall pick of this year’s draft, is trying to adjust to the NBA’s extensive use of pick-and-rolls, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link). As Price notes, only 64 of Banchero’s pick-and-roll possessions ended with him shooting in 39 games with Duke last season, a figure that is sure to rise as a rookie in 2022-23.
Banchero had mixed results as both a ball-handler and a roll man in his first preseason game, and he acknowledges the speed of the pro game will take some getting used to.
“In college, a lot of it was isolation, so that’s what I’m used to making a lot of my reads out of, pure isolation,” Banchero said. “I got to get used to making a lot more reads out of the pick-and-roll as the handler and the roller, and speeding that up. I felt like I made my reads a lot slower than usual.”
The 6’10” Banchero believes he’s already making progress after watching film and getting more practice reps, Price adds.
“Watching the film, I didn’t look sped up. I didn’t look like I was super uncomfortable. Knowing I can get to wherever I want to get to is really encouraging. Now I’ve got to make the right decision when I get there,” Banchero said as part of larger quote.
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