It is a skill that doesn't help nearly as much as it should unless he adds shooting or becomes more efficient inside. I don't care about fancy dribbling unless a player can turn that into easy plays for teammates or able to finish at a high efficiency. Paolo didn't get enough assists for his turnovers in college. Paolo didn't score efficiently enough for as much as he had the ball for me to think he will translate that easily to the NBA without efficiency problems against good NBA defenders.
I think this just makes Stone's draft haul last year even better for the long run. Christopher and Garuba were slated to be above average to elite in terms of defensive potential and they still have opportunities to fulfill it. Banchero might not be the defender that Holmgren or Smith are projected to be but if Garuba can play into a solid rotational player having him in a 2nd unit lineup where Banchero becomes the primary focal point on offense wouldn't be bad at all.
Tari Eason. [Insert Chapelle as Rick James "Come Here" gif]. Three other related musings -- 1. Kyrie Irving is tied for 6th in blocks per game in the playoffs. Kind of tells you how much rim protectors have been played off the court. 2. Robert Covington is an archetypal fit (if he were a lot younger). 3. If KJ Martin were 2 inches taller, or had a 7 foot wingspan, how much money would he be set to make?
Paolo isn't a bad defender in a vacuum. His issue is that he isn't a rim protector and at times is inconsistent. If he has a genuine 5 that can protect the rim and stay on the court in the playoffs, then he will at worst be neutral. My issue isn't that I dislike Banchero I just think that what Holmgren brings is more rare and easier to build around. If Banchero ends up on the Rockets, I am not going to complain.... but will focus on the Rockets efforts to get a rare 5 that can rim protect and switch and a long 3 that can help pick up the defensive issues in the back court. Banchero isn't a stupid man.... and he has basketball IQ
Shot blockers have been played off the court..... rim protectors in the playoffs are the guys teams don't even bother challenging..... but it is really a rare group of guys that can do that. Boston and Miami have those types of players. Holmgren can do that ..... but the Mavericks and Warriors don't have that (although the Warriors have the best defender in the NBA)...... Teams a few years ago really started trying to use guard play defensively to prevent penetration and improve their defense.... it helps, but less so in the playoffs. If Martin had even a 6'10" wingspan and could shoot, he would be a max player. I am not sure what to make of him honestly. He is a very under rated athlete.
Ehh.... Holmgren, Daniels, Eason, Sochan, Duren, Williams, Dieng, Agbaji, Brown, Keels, Lidell and Nzosa all are interesting and potential plus defenders. This draft is deep on quality wings and shot blocks (can they stay on the floor?)
I'd be content with Paolo. He gives me improved version of Corey Maggette vibes which should make for at the least a perennial all-star that compliments whichever direction the Rockets plan going forward.
Imo Banchero is way more versatile on offense (can create for himself and score from anywhere, also be used off-ball for cuts) and also higher defensive potential due to his athleticism and ability to be put on guards and bigs. It's easier to put him into a lineup and situational position 3-5 imo, whereas Sengun has a pretty specific role.
So you don't acknowledge that spacing and coaching will be much better in the NBA? It's amazing that efficiency seems to be the new buzzword to discredit a player, but it's not a catchall phrase because different players are asked to do different things which affects their efficiency. And we are not talking about a pg here, Banchero's asst/to was about the same as the other big 2, so there is that as well.
I’m not disagreeing with some of your general analysis, but Hollinger’s point was that advanced stats show Chet was pretty good on switches but the denominator really isn’t that big, so if there was some sort of flukey situation with guys missing some bunnies here and there (idk if that’s 5, 10, or what number) then Chet’s advanced stats don’t look as good. I’m not saying Hollinger is right either and I suspect he might not be giving Chet enough credit for those missed “bunnies” as you seem to think as well.
Paolo is probably the best passer in the lottery. He's certainly a WELL above average playmaking big. You seem to be inferring the quality of his playmaking from ... assists per game? Do I have that wrong?
Here's what I remember about Magette. He was good at getting to the FT line, had an excellent mid range game, was incredibly athletic coming out of Duke and was someone you could run your offense through in stretches. He was 6'6 225 lbs. with a wide frame and consistently was able to body bigger defenders in the paint and score. Paolo is 6'10 250 with a wide frame with a similar ability to draw contact in the paint and still score, which to me is an improved version of Magette. The scouting reports often tout Paolo's midrange game and his ability to handle contact while driving in the paint, which again was a strength of Magette especially as a veteran in the NBA. Both technically had/have frames able to defend against bigs in the NBA but are more perimeter oriented defenders who can be good in stretches. Both are small forwards that came from Duke and filled a similar role while there and left after their freshman year, which was especially rare back then when Magette was in college. Magette only averaged 17 minutes per game yet still averaged over 10 points and 3 boards per game. Chances if he averaged 33 mpg like Paolo, their stats would probably be similar enough to where the comparison wouldn't draw such outrage. Don't take the comparison as an insult. It's a compliment. If the Rockets get an improved version of Magette, you're at least getting a 20/10/4 guy for the next 14 seasons that will consistently put the other team in the penalty while being able to run ISO through him in stretches but also simply fill in the role of scorer able to defer to other players and still put up points.
