The Harsh Truth About Paolo Banchero…

The Harsh Truth About Paolo Banchero…

Paulo Bancero, for whatever reason, this summer has become a very polarizing figure in the NBA community. It really feels like fans are either on the overrated side and he’s just an inefficient empty stat number one option. Then you have the other extreme. He’s the next superstar in the making. And the weirdest thing about this whole thing is the biggest question is who’s better, Jaylen Williams or Paulo Bancero? First off, who cares? Why are we comparing like complete opposite players? One is a second option who mainly does his work off the ball, but also can be on the ball as we saw in the NBA finals. To me, the answer is so simple. Do I need a number one option or do I need a number two option? If I need a number one, I’m going Paulo. And if I already have a Shay type of player, then of course, I’m going to go Jaylen Williams. But even I think that’s up for debate because Paulo’s situation is just much different than Jaylen Williams. He was drafted as a number one option. He was given the keys since day one in a bad basketball context. What I mean by that is Orlando has been one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA over Paulo’s entire career. Not only that, but they haven’t had a natural point guard that can take the ball out of Paulo’s hands. then you say, “Oh, I trust him more than I trust Paulo.” Since day one, Paulo was coming into the NBA with a 27% usage as a rookie. Meanwhile, Jaylen Williams only 18.4%. So, naturally, Paulo’s put in a position where he has to be the offensive system. That’s how Orlando has been developing him because it’s their best option moving forward. I’ve seen people bring up, you know, Jaylen Williams is a much better defender, which is very fair. He’s been incredible defensively throughout his NBA career, but also it’s much easier to develop into that type of defender when you’re not a number one option. That’s why once again, I think this whole debate is so pointless because they’re on two completely different pathways as players. And honestly, both of them are succeeding at such a high level in their different scenarios. So, in reality, I don’t think there really is a wrong answer. I’ve also seen the detractors of Paulo bring up that Orlando wasn’t a very good team last year, completely ignoring that if they stayed healthy, they probably would have been a top five team in the Eastern Conference. And also, when Paulo started the year, he was playing like an MVP caliber player the first couple games. Extremely extremely small sample size, but still he was efficient doing so. And then when he came back from that oblique injury, he really struggled and seemed like people were using that against him because he was just getting back into the flow of things. But again, he ended the season very strong. The last 20 games, he was averaging 29.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 49% from the field. And Orlando had an 11 and9 record. In terms of play style, I truly think he’s the closest thing to Giannis. I mean, this dude is in the category of Shaq and Giannis where he’s just physically imposing at 20 years old. Immediately, he came into the NBA and averaged 7.4 free throws per game. That that’s just absolutely incredible. Last season, once again, 8.4 free throws per game. Shot 72% from the free throw line. And obviously, he’s not at the level of Giannis quite yet, but keep in mind, he’s 22 years old. their their styles really remind me of each other. Where Giannis, if you watch him play, at times it’s not very pretty, but he gets it done at just being relentless, continuing to attack, continuing to use his physical abilities against the opponent. Last season, he averaged 13.9 two-pointers attempted per game. At the age of 22, Giannis also averaged around the same amount of two-pointers attempted, 13.5, was more efficient, 56% from the field compared to Paulo’s 50%. Once again, bringing up his efficiency feels fair to me. He definitely has to improve in that aspect, but also I think he was set up for failure to begin with in that area because he’s been given the keys so early on. And also the spacing around him hasn’t been the best. The fit with Fron Vagner hasn’t been the best because Vagner’s three-point shot has been on and off. But next season bringing in Desmond Bane, the context, the spacing is going to be way better. And that’s when I expect him to have a jump in terms of efficiency. Once again, I I just feel like his haters talk about him like he’s a finished product. Last year was his third season and he was dealing with injuries for most of it. And once again, Orlando was not the best offensive team. They weren’t built to be the best offensive team. For example, let’s play a little game here. I saw this screenshot and this is the type of attention he was garnering and the type of defense he was consistently going up against every single night. Clearly, the defense is afraid of him. You’re thinking, “Okay, just kick it out to your teammate.” Well, Wendell Carter Jr. 23% from three. Contavius Caldwell Pope 34% from three. Cory Joseph was the best option, 36% from three. Last, but certainly not least, Fron Vagner 29% from three. And oh, by the way, Orlando was so injured last season, Cory Joseph was actually one of their better options at the guard position. They threw him in a playoff series versus the defending champions, the Boston Celtics. And that’s when Jason Tatum was healthy. That’s why it’s just beyond ignorant to throw around advanced numbers about the Orlando Magic’s offensive rating last season that their season was destroyed by injuries. So many players were in and out of the lineup and then they came back, they weren’t fully healthy. They had to get a rhythm. It’d be one thing if they were fully healthy the whole entire season and the advanced numbers still looked hideous, but frankly that just wasn’t the case. His haters like to bring up his net rating and all that, but how about we talk about he was one of the main reasons why Orlando broke their playoff drought since 2023. Take away his rookie season. Orlando has a 67 and 59 record with Paulo Banero. Overall, I’m excited to see the Orlando Magic next season. I’m really excited for the addition of Desmond Bane. I feel like he’s going to open up the floor for their two best players. Also, there hasn’t really been many players that can run a dribble handoff with Paulo where he’s the screener. And I’m hoping the coaching staff and Paulo accepts him doing a little more dirty work like setting a screen for Desmond Bane because that would make him a more dynamic player. Also, I see him only averaging one offensive rebound during the regular season. He can definitely average two offensive rebounds. He does it in the playoffs. So, I would like to see him improve in that category. And also defensively, just keep making strides. And of course, as a decision maker, try to cut down those turnovers. Once again, he’s not a finished product by any means. But that’s also scary to think about because he’s been very, very productive and impactful on winning despite what the advanced numbers say. And remember, only 22 years old, yet he’s built like Giannis in his prime already. He’s a damn football player out there. I’ll end off by saying it just feels like people judge Paulo like he’s a finished product, and he’s far from a finished product. Just relax, pump the brakes. Let’s see him a little more. The one thing I always say is players got to go through failures to become what they are. A lot of times what players need to take that next next step is shortcomings in the playoffs because it makes them realize what they need to continue to get better. Overall, just bizarre discourse with Paulo in my opinion. Let me know your thoughts below. Have yourself a great day and peace out.

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