RISING STARS MEDIA AVAILABILITY SOUND: PAOLO BANCHERO

RISING STARS MEDIA AVAILABILITY SOUND: PAOLO BANCHERO

Question please state your name in affiliation and we’ve got the boom mics around the room so please raise your hand and we’ll get around to you first question over here on one on the right side on your right hello um what was your welcome to the NBA

Moment my welcome to the NBA moment I think was my first game uh we played in Detroit first regular season game in Detroit and uh had a fast break and dunked over the top of a guy and it was kind of a surreal moment and I didn’t

Really realize what I had did in the moment but then uh after the game like I just saw the clip and realized like really what I did and it was uh it was crazy so any other questions Tim on the back right three hey Paul um the not to fast

Forward past this weekend I’m sorry but you guys you know where you are in the standings and you know how crazy the last 207 whatever it is games are going to be how vital is this break to get everybody’s Minds right and how fun compared to last year how much fun do

You think this will be knowing that literally every single game you play the rest of the way is going to have some sort of playoff implication to it yeah no it’s uh it’s exciting like you said just you know having all these games after the break really means something

Every game in and out you know we got to be ready to go um you know cuz we’re trying to make this final push and uh you know the break just everyone getting a chance to take a breath and you know get whatever it is they need whether

It’s rest time with their friends and family um you know it’s just it’s a it’s a great time to just take that take that time so uh I look forward to getting back and uh making that push at the end next question on the right side in the front row and

One uh Pao when you’ve gone up against other Allstars throughout the season have they talked to you at all and if so what kind of messaging what kind of support have they given you as far as confidence going forward yeah I think you know some guys

You know for sure have uh just said you know a little gems to me throughout the season uh you know told me I’m playing well and you know they love what I’m doing stuff like that um and then once I did make the allstar you know guys

Definitely you know went out their way to tell me congratulations which is dope you know because you know not even really knowing the guys you know just them coming up and saying congrats you know it’s just a a Brotherhood in the NBA and so uh I appreciate it on your

Left here in the second row P what what up man congrats on all the accomplishments um I feel like you’re part of the uh the group of uh we call it KD school cuz you Chad everybody’s starting to hoop that’s been you know working out with him during the summer

What are some things that you I mean you can talk about in terms of his workout learning the pivots the spins everything that you’ve learned you know over the summer like what what can you say about that yeah no he uh working out him just

Showed me kind of you know how to be even more efficient as a scorer uh you know like you said a lot of pivots you know a lot of you know movement without dribbling you know when you catch getting your Defender off balance um being able to just simplify the game get

To your spots um that was really just one of the major takeaways that I had from working out with him you know it wasn’t seven 78 dribbles you know there was never any of that it was all simple you know three maybe four dribble combos pump fakes pivots turnarounds just all

Stuff to you know be able to rise over the top and make the game a lot more simpler right here in the front row thank you Tony SE from Mexico na rafaga uh can you share with us your last experience in Mexico City U me

Mexico has a huge fan base and it J just just sold out all the games in Mexico can you share with us your experience over there yeah it was great uh we got to go there early in the year um the Fanfare was was crazy I didn’t I didn’t

Know what to expect but you know was sold out game um the the media at practice was was crazy so you could just tell how excited they were for for us to be there playing um and as far as the game the game was super fun super

Energetic you know the crowd was into it um every play that was made they were reacting so it was a really fun game to be a part of third row and you’re right Tom orsborne San Antonio Express News you you faced uh Victor enough to kind

Of get a read on him not I’m not and I’m not referring to what he does on the court uh in terms of Defense offense but just his personality what what’s your read on what his demeanor is like and just how he carries himself uh I don’t really know him too

Well but um he seems like a pretty smart smart guy who understands who he is uh you know he’s number one pick so you know he’s they’re count on him to turn around you know the franchise and I think he understands that uh I think he understands the pressure that comes with

It and uh I think he’s handling it well I think he’s playing well so uh yeah second row on your right hi there um what current Duke player do you think will be in Rising Stars next year on the team right now uh that’s a good question um I like

I like some of the guys they got this year um you know some guys been playing well I think um I think jerem McCain’s been playing pretty well uh I think Kyle filipowski has a chance he’s been playing well um but yeah I mean depends

On who comes out the draft but you know uh I’m always watching them you know cheering them on but I like some of their players for sure shout out my guy Jeremy roach too any other questions take last two here and on the back

Right uh P you know I wanted to ask you first five games you know weren’t the best at the start but uh November second you started to 30 points that game after that you have not looked back talk about you know how the start of the Season

Went you know for me I one thing that I noticed is you weren’t getting to that between the legs cross when you get to that a lot of dangerous stuff happens bro so just talk about that you know learning from them five games and then

What you did after to you know get on that stretch and now become an Allstar too yeah no so coming into this this season you know I had just played in the World Cup and uh you know when we got done I think it was like two or 3 weeks

Until training camp and so usually that’s like when you get built up and ramped up to get in the training camp and me it was the opposite like I didn’t touch a ball after that for 2 weeks so then I came in the training camp just

Body like you know had been sitting down you know not really um into it so I had to kind of ramp up through the training camp through the preseason and that takes you know that that can take from two weeks to maybe a month um and then

So the start the year you know I was kind of out of rhythm um and I was kind of playing like I was kind of having trouble fitting back in I think to you know our team team after playing so long with the guys so and I think I also just

The role I was playing on USA kind of I would I wouldn’t say it uh clouded you know how I played the first four games but it just kind of I had to get back to who I really was you know what I’m saying having the ball in my hands being

That guy so like you said the first I think it was first four games I know it was that West Coast trip um where you know I wasn’t playing well really wasn’t even uh shooting the ball I was kind of just out there floating and so that uh

That Utah game was when I kind of you know had to snap out of it I remember I went to dinner the night before with uh two of my coaches you know had a good talk with them and just wanted to come out with a clear head and after that

Game I knew it was over you know I just didn’t want to look back but like you said had to start getting to that tween cross had to start getting back in my bag for sure oh sorry do you feel like a uh you know what your size do you feel like a

Lot of people try and put you in that four to five when you know you have the ability to play one through five instead of just always always being a four and five man because of your size yeah I think uh I’m not going to sit here and

Say I’m a point guard but I definitely think you know I can definitely handle the ball initiate a lot of things create plays I think I’m you know just growing a lot as a playmaker um being able to set up my teammates and uh you know that’s just something that I take pride

In being able to play you know whatever position that’s needed um obviously I know how you know my size is an advantage so I don’t want to get too much into like staying on the perimeter I want to be able to mix it up and always keep the defense off balance so

Uh you know that’s something that you know I think me my coaches you know we always try and balance and work on is how much I’m handling how much I’m you know inside um and just trying to find that perfect balance last question Tim on the right that that Segways weirdly

Into exactly what I was going to ask you like I guess you’re a four but you do everything wemi always is he a four or a five we ask all the time is Bam a four or a five like it our position’s dead I mean our are they just pretty much I

Mean great great players can play and defend all five positions or at least four of them you think the position thing and it’s just it’s over I wouldn’t say it’s over but I think it’s just changing you know I think it’s more of it it really just varies it varies from

Team to team you know system to system you know how guys fit um what the what the team is running how they use a certain player you know I think I think with with like with Victor I think I saw um the difference in his stats from playing power forward and Center you

Know so like when you’re out on the perimeter like I said with my size I don’t want to be on the perimeter too much because then you can become you know inefficient or taking you know bad shots um so you want to stay kind of

Around the rim but also you want to be able to use your versatility to to keep the defense off balance and make plays from the perimeter so just finding that for me has been it’s been a a challenge just coming since coming into the league

Cuz I think when I first came in I kind of was just I just wanted the ball and want wanted to like dribble around and see what I could do so now in year two I’ve been a lot more um intentional with how I get to my spots and you know how

I’m being used and you know where I’m trying to get to on the floor you know even if I do have it as a Handler you know I’m still trying to get to this spot on the floor so uh that’s been a a big learning you know curve for me thank you sir

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