NBA Draft 2022: Scouting notes from Duke vs Notre Dame matchup
I trekked out to South Bend for a Monday night matchup between the Duke Blue Devils and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It was a crucial game for Notre Dame’s tournament hopes, but they came out flat in what ended up being a sloppy game. Duke cruised to a 57-43 victory.
It was also a great scouting opportunity with a combined six players on the floor with legitimate NBA chances. Here are my evaluations of those players from Monday night.
Paolo Banchero – Freshman – Duke – 6’10, 250 lbs- November 2002
My first time seeing Banchero in person, he’s definitely not 6’10 but still has good size for a four. His body was quite impressive, with a frame built of largely muscle.
The first half exhibited some of Banchero’s weaknesses. Notre Dame was comfortable giving him space to operate on the perimeter. Banchero could have shot a three whenever he wanted to but was hesitant. Banchero also had some turnovers stemming from a lack of care with the ball. Against smaller Notre Dame forwards, he used his size to finish, including coming off a dribble hand-off and powering through defenders at the rim.
Banchero was more assertive in the second half, going 7-13 from the floor and getting to his spots at will. His ball-handling is a legitimate functional weapon, using counters and pick-and-roll savviness to create advantages. He hit multiple mid-range jumpers, both off the catch and face-up. What level of three-point shooter he becomes will help determine his offensive ceiling. He’s got good touch and is a good mid-range shooter so I think he can become a good three-point shooter.
Banchero played some four and some five on Monday night, emblematic of what he will do in the NBA. Banchero has the girth to be a five, but isn’t the elite shot-blocker. I think his ideal fit is next to a rim protector that can provide some spacing on offense. Banchero’s projection, to me, isn’t as clear-cut as Jabari Smith’s. His ball-skills are usable in pick-and-rolls and getting downhill off dribble-handoffs, but I’m not sure I want him fully in control of my offense.
Despite having zero assists against Notre Dame, his passing has gotten noticeably better as of late. I think he just elected to shoot as Notre Dame couldn’t stop him on Monday.
Paolo Banchero's last 5 games: 24 assists
— Brandon Simberg (@BrandonSimberg) January 21, 2022
Paolo Banchero's first 11 games: 23 assists.
He's started to see the floor much better and use the gravity he draws to make easy reads, a great sign for his creation upside. Looking more like the player we saw in high school. pic.twitter.com/Zoi205Pmke
Bottom Line: Banchero’s unique ball-skills at his size make him a mismatch problem and a clear top-two pick in this draft.