Paolo Banchero’s ability to welcome — and ignore — pressure helps power Duke basketball
Paolo Banchero arrived at Duke entering a spotlight others have felt in the past and one that will be uniquely his this basketball season.
A freshman already projected to be among the top picks, if not the No. 1 overall pick, in next summer’s NBA Draft, the 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward is similar to other recent Duke one-and-done players who had those expectations before playing a single college basketball game.
But Banchero will play what’s expected to be his lone college season in what will be coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last as Duke’s head coach after a Hall of Fame career.
If Duke is to win a sixth NCAA title under Krzyzewski, it’s up to Banchero to lead them there.
That added pressure makes Banchero different from previous top Duke recruits, like Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, Brandon Ingram, Jayson Tatum, Marvin Bagley and R.J. Barrett.
But he needs only to look at one of his tattoos for a personal reminder of how to handle it all.
“I literally have a tattooed on me: No pressure,” Banchero said. “So that’s just kind of the mindset I have, you know, just, it’s never really pressure. It’s all fun. Like, it’s basketball. I’m gonna go out there. I’m gonna be locked in. I’m gonna play as hard as I can to win.”
But Banchero’s tattooed message isn’t about ignoring pressure. It’s about embracing it. That’s why it says “know pressure,” with the “no” in “know” capitalized.
“You got to know when there’s pressure,” Banchero said, “but then you’ve got to realize that at the same time, it’s no pressure.”
All that said, the college basketball world will be watching Banchero as his season progresses. Not only was he voted preseason all-ACC first team and preseason rookie of the year, he was also the preseason ACC player of the year.
No other player in league history was named preseason player of the year prior to playing a college game.
But Banchero has that kind of talent, a player big enough to do damage inside but also athletic enough to play on the perimeter at both ends of the court.
“He can handle it, pass it, grab or rebound it, initiate himself, run his own break,” said ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, a former Duke player and graduate assistant coach. “He’s a supertalented player.”
How talented? Bilas drew a favorable comparison to one of his former Duke teammates from the 1980s.
“Banchero is ridiculously talented,” Bilas said. “He’s probably — he may be the most gifted guy of his size that Coach K has brought in as far as a skill level is concerned, not necessarily athletically or all this stuff, but skill-wise, as gifted a big guy since Danny Ferry was there, and Danny was incredibly skilled as a big guy.”
In Duke’s lone exhibition game on Oct. 30 against Division II Winston-Salem State, Banchero scored 21 points in 20 minutes of play. He grabbed nine rebounds and didn’t turn the ball over.
His skill allows Duke more options to get out in transition for easy baskets.
“We really have four ball handlers, including Paolo,” Krzyzewski said, “so that’s why we advance the ball fast. When one of those guys gets it, they don’t need to throw it to somebody to bring it up, they bring it up, and we’re very comfortable.”
Banchero will be expected to play fast and play well for the Blue Devils from Game 1 until the NCAA tournament. He’s more than ready to meet those expectations. All he needs to do is read his own body art.