It’s not a bad time to be Paolo Banchero. The former Duke forward is almost guaranteed to be a top-three pick in this week’s NBA Draft, meaning that, this time next week, he’s likely to be a member of the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder or Orlando Magic. Any of those teams would tell you they’d love to have him: Banchero is a wizard on the offensive side of the floor, a coach’s dream in a half-court offense and in transition. His nearly seven-foot frame can dribble around defenders, or just go through them to get to the rim.
As recently as a few years ago, a prospect like Banchero would be an absolute lock for the top pick. But his sole college season was without its difficulties. His Duke team, arguably the most talented in recent history, lost to rival North Carolina, at home, in Coach K’s final game leading the storied program. It didn’t help that Carolina also closed the door on Duke’s chance at a national title in March Madness barely two months later, beating them in the Final Four. And after a defense-heavy NBA Finals, Banchero’s come under some criticism on that end of the floor.
Accordingly, he’s been hyper-focused on prepping his defense for the NBA level while training for the draft this offseason. In between workouts, Paolo sat down with GQ to his draft hopes, being compared to Patrick Mahomes, and having his mom double as his basketball coach growing up.
GQ: How’s life been as the son of a basketball coach?
Paolo Banchero: It’s got its goods and bads [laughs]. She was always there making sure I was going to the gym, doing what I needed to do. She didn’t really have to tell me about it because I wanted to do it, but she was always there: whenever I had bad games, whenever I was doing something I wasn’t supposed to be doing, she was the first person to let me know. She was a stickler about it. It helped me build good habits.
What did it sound like when yo’ mama chewed you out?
[laughs] Depends! She don’t usually gotta get on me about not working out or anything, because I was always willing to do that. But, sometimes it would be after a game or tournament and I wasn’t playing well, she was gon’ let me know in the car and definitely tell me what I didn’t do right or what I needed to do better.
Do y’all still talk about your game now?
Yeah, but she’s definitely, like, kinda chilled out [laughs]. Just because, you know, as I’ve gotten older and into new levels of basketball she understands my coaches will do that. But she still, definitely, gives me pointers and tells me what she sees and thinks I could do better. I would say the delivery is a little different because I’m not a young kid so she’s not yelling at me as much.
But you know how moms be, they always gotta sneak one in.
Well [laughs]...she’ll definitely let me know that I’m not playing well. She just is less intense about it.
What’s her number-one critique about your game?
She always tells me that I don’t have my hands up enough. Whenever I’m not getting the ball enough, she’d say: “Well, you never have your hands up, you don’t call for the ball, you don’t demand the ball!” That was her biggest thing growing up, that was her biggest critique.
That’s a big thing for an NBA player: it takes a specific mindset for a professional athlete to tap into something that’ll allow them to take over minutes, runs, quarters or whole games. Do you think that criticism still resonates? Or have you become a more aggressive player?
I’ve become much more assertive and aggressive and she acknowledges that. She’s been proud about the way I’ve changed that about myself. Like you said: in the league everyone is talented. It’s all about who is willing to be the alpha, who is gonna step up when it’s needed. I’ve definitely learned that and understand that now. That’s something I’m gonna have to always be willing to do.
It comes from being a great teammate. I make it a point, when I’m on a team, to be cool with everyone on the team, and build relationships with everyone on the team off the court. Because, on the court: you have to be able to hold everyone accountable just like they should hold you accountable. I’ve been really locking in on that. That’s how you become a great leader and build into the role of taking over and being assertive.
Who is the greatest hooper to ever come out of Seattle?
Jamal Crawford, definitely. There’s a lot of other players that were talented and had great careers from Seattle, but Jamal, his overall effect on the city and his great career seals it.
Okay, who’s the greatest athlete to play in Seattle?
Ahhhhh! I don’t wanna mess this up! There’s a lot you can put there, but maybe Ken Griffey Jr.
A lot of y’all also don’t fuck with the Thunder, which I get, given your hometown lost their franchise. You said earlier this year that you didn’t grow up a Thunder fan and that you “never liked the Thunder…”
Nah, nah! I definitely will retract that statement [laughs]. Being from Seattle, obviously, everyone was sick when the team left. But it wasn’t like I had a hatred for the Thunder. Obviously, they also have the No. 2 pick [in this year’s draft], and I’ve visited and worked out for them and really, really enjoyed it. I’d be really blessed to get drafted there. I definitely, definitely don’t have a grudge against the Thunder for taking the Sonics. It is what it is. It was a bummer, but I don’t hold that against them.
The [Thunder] organization is really high level, from the general manager to the coaches, everything is very professional. They do everything the right way. You can tell they try to create a winning environment where players can really thrive.
I feel like all my homeboys from Houston would act up if I didn’t ask you the same about the Rockets.
I liked Houston a lot. It’s a great city, just super hot. I met everybody, met the coaches and you can just tell, even though there’s a lot of young guys there, they all really work hard and want to be great. So, I could definitely see myself stepping in there, with the young guys, and building with them. It’s a great organization and the general manager is from Seattle, so that’s a hometown connection and I also had a great workout. There’s a good feeling in Houston.
What was it like playing at Duke? What attracted you to that school?
It was the overall experience of what they had to offer. On the court, that speaks for itself, from Coach K, to the history of Duke to Cameron Indoor. That’s hard to say no to. Off the court, it was all the alumni, academics, and opportunities you can have just from playing there. I fell in love with it. That’s what made it a pretty easy decision.
Playing there was everything I expected and more. The home games at Cameron, the environment and crowd, it’s a basketball player’s dream. Just putting on the Duke jersey was an honor. I realized how important it was and what it meant to a lot of people, the die-hard Duke fans. You wanna go out there and play and win for them.
Did it help that Coach K had the respect of players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant? The people who’ve changed the language of basketball have routinely pointed to Coach K and said he will make you better.
LeBron, KD, those are some of my favorite players ever. When you see just how much they love Coach K and them giving Coach K their stamp of approval and how they talk about how much they love playing for him, it makes you want to do the same. You want to be like those guys and reach the level those guys have reached. Coach K, there’s no one who he hasn’t seen, no one who he hasn’t reached, he knows what it looks like to be the best of the best and I wanted that around.
Part of being the type of prospect you are means you rarely have the chance to have bad games. Did that happen at Duke? Did you ever feel like you couldn’t have a bad game, or practice?
It wasn’t even Duke making me feel like that—some of it was myself and the expectations I had for myself. I didn’t want to have bad games or bad days. But, also, I know that isn’t the case. No matter how hard you try to be perfect, it’s not gonna be like that. For the most part I had a great season, but there were days or games when I didn’t play my best and struggled. That was the challenging part. But, it was also the fun part. I wanted to see how I would respond [to adversity] and challenge myself to be better and make changes.
Did the pressure ever feel like too much?
It might seem like a lot, for a lot of people from the outside looking in I’m sure it seems like a lot. And, honestly, it is a lot. But, like, I don’t think I struggle with that part. Just because I’ve always felt like I’ve been able to regroup and get back to normal and what I know. I try not to put too much on myself because at the end of the day: it’s basketball. I’m trying to have fun. So, I wouldn’t even call it “pressure” most of the time. It’s really just a unique challenge that I get a chance to try. That’s how I look at it.
Was that mentality ever put to the test? Because the criticisms about your game, no matter how good you are, can be loud—especially after, let’s say, Duke loses to North Carolina in Coach K’s last game at home. I wonder how you deal with it all. How will you approach it over an 82 game season?
I don’t really pay too much attention to what other people are saying or criticizing me on. Usually, if I have a bad game, me or my coaches have a good idea at what I need to be better at. So I’m not really worried about outside opinions, I’ve got my own idea of what I need to do better.
As far as letting words affect me or get to me: I definitely wouldn’t say I cancel everything out. There’s stuff I hear and see, but I don’t let it affect how I play. Like you said, after those North Carolina games, like the one at the end of the regular season, I definitely heard and saw some of the stuff people were saying. But, that never took away confidence or made me any less aggressive than I already was. That motivated me to turn it up more during the end of the year. That’s how I use [criticism].
Losing that game…definitely wasn’t fun at all. I wish we would’ve won. But we knew it wasn’t the end of our season. Obviously that was Coach K’s last game in his house and unfortunately we weren’t able to win, but we wouldn’t let it define the end of our season.
How do you approach the defensive end of the floor? And what have you been working on during the draft process?
I’ve really been working on my body, my lateral quickness and all that. I feel like I’m perfectly suited to defend at the NBA level. I don’t feel like I'm gonna be a liability, at all. I’m not gonna be a perfect defender, but I’m gonna come in and exert the same energy on both sides of the floor and make an impact on the defensive end because I know I can. I have the ability to do it, so that’s my plan: to not only come in and be an offensive star but also carry that over to the other end.
Do you find any comparisons in your game to older players when you watch film? Any inspiration from watching old tape?
For sure, there’s a lot of guys I’ve been watching my whole life and a lot of guys I watch today. Some of those players like: Carmelo [Anthony], LeBron, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Giannis [Antetokounmpo] in how he gets downhill and attacks the rim. Players like that who are bigger forwards, but are skilled and can go out to the perimeter. That’s the mold I see myself coming from.
I try and take parts of their games and put it in mine. But, also, I feel like I’m really unique in my own way and can be my own kind of player. I want people to eventually say “he plays like Paolo” or “he reminds me of Paolo.” I want to be unique in my own way.
If I’m an NBA GM, why should I pick you over Chet Holmgren or Jabari Smith? What puts you over them?
My versatility—my ability to be anywhere on the floor and be comfortable. There’s nowhere on the floor that a coach or a team could put me where I wouldn’t be comfortable or wouldn’t be able to operate. I think being a great leader with the ability to be the star and carry that load, I think I’m built for that and ready to carry that weight on my shoulders. Not being afraid of that and not being afraid to fail, those are my biggest qualities.
Coming into the college season I had the most expectations and lived up to them. I helped Duke get to a Final Four for the first time in eight years. I feel like I showed everything throughout the year: the ability to score inside or outside, distribute to my teammates, defend and guard the best players while switching on guards. I feel like I really don’t have any weaknesses. There’s nothing that a coach could do to expose me. There’s parts of my game that might not be as strong as others, but there’s no area of my game that you can expose, all my skills are polished and ready to translate to the NBA.
What have you disliked the most about the draft process?
Definitely only being able to do 1 vs 0 workouts. Not really being able to play 1v1 or 3v3 or 5v5—what an offseason usually looks like for me—that’s been the [worst] part. Not being able to go live against anybody. Just being able to compete with myself…not being able to have a challenge or having to defend or score that person and figure out how to beat them, that’s my least favorite part.
I saw a funny video of you at F1 Miami and some white man thought you were Patrick Mahomes.
[laughs] No one’s ever mistaken me for Patrick Mahomes, so that’s a first. Everywhere I go now people recognize me and want to take a picture. I’m not really used to that.
Are you used to being compared to Matisse Thybulle, at least?
I was gonna say! That’s the one guy most people mistake me for and come up to me and ask me if I’m Matisse Thybulle. Like, people have called me “Mattise!” It’s funny that people get us confused since we from the same place.
What makes you truly happy off the court?
Being around my friends and family, playing video games, watching basketball and I’ve been bowling lately, so I like bowling now. That’s my new hobby. When I’m in Seattle, especially during summer time, there’s a lot of water. So I’m always trying to get in the water or be on a boat.
Klay Thompson said the “ocean has healing powers.” Is it the same for you?
[makes a face, laughs] I wouldn’t say….[laughs]....I would say I’m on Klay’s level, but….I feel like he’s a little more connected to it, you know? I wouldn’t be against buying a boat and being able to go out there, though, because being on the water is dope.
