Paolo Banchero: Why Italian future star could be the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft? / News - Basketnews.com

Italy has a new superstar in the making. Duke's forward, Paolo Banchero, is projected to be one of the top picks in the 2022 NBA Draft.

With March Madness around the corner, BasketNews takes a look at what makes the 19-year old such an attractive choice for GMs of the NBA.

If the Italian-American forward is picked in the Top 10 of the upcoming Draft, it would make Banchero the third Italian ever to be drafted so high after Andrea Bargnani and Danilo Gallinari.

The 2.08-meter (6 ft 10) athlete has an NBA size, solid 2.18-meter (7 ft 2) wingspan, and body for the NBA. The latter aspects create a perfect starting point for the prospect.

Banchero excels in transition offense where no one can match his athleticism. He elevates well over the rim and has euro-step finishes when needed.

Moreover, after a couple of made baskets, Banchero tends to shoot threes in transition, showing that he is a three-level scoring threat. He can finish plays around the rim, has a mid-range game, and can score from deep. Players who possess all the mentioned skills are becoming more and more exquisite.

The athletic forward is right-handed and feels better penetrating the rim on the right.

On the drives to the left, he has to have some kind of advantage against his man in order to shoot with the left. He has nice moves to get there, such as a right-to-left crossover, but he isn't always faster than his opponent.

If Banchero doesn't get the advantage on his initial drive, he loves utilizing the spin move as another option of creating high percentage shots around the basket.

Post-up play is another dangerous weapon in Banchero's arsenal near the rim.

Paolo Banchero is coming to the NBA with an already established mid-range game. The majority of dominant players in the strongest basketball league can knock down the deeper two-point shots at a high percentage. So, the tendencies are on Banchero's side.

He has some similarities with Kawhi Leonard, effectively using the jab step and often pulling up in face-up situations without even dribbling.

Moving on to the last level, we have the 3-point shooting. Banchero will make you pay if left wide open in catch-and-shoot situations, and he can also be dangerous on pick and pops.

Yes, he is only 32% from behind the arc this season, but he has constantly improved his shooting mechanic in recent years and had very promising games in the NCAA.

What is more, Banchero has a good vision of the court and some slick passing skills.

Overall, Paolo is an all-around player who doesn't have many serious weaknesses, but he could improve a couple of things.

He should continue working on the 3-point shooting. He is also not super fast on his first step, which occasionally leads him to take tough shots.

Lack of speed is evidently clear on defense, where moving laterally, Banchero is often unable to stay in front of quick guards on switches. That might be an even bigger problem in the NBA, where the athleticism of the backcourt players is only going to increase.

Despite that, many NBA teams will want Duke's forward with guard skills this summer because he is an elite scorer on three levels and the most-ready player of this year's class.

Italy should be excited about the future, too, as Banchero got Italian citizenship two years ago. The 19-year-old could become the next megastar, who takes his national team to another level.

Full analysis:

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