There’s a moment in the season when rookies sooner or later realize they’ve made it to the NBA. A blocked shot or a poster: they are often moments in a game in which an opponent “blesses” a freshman’s debut making him understand that he has landed on another planet than in college.
That time has also come for Paolo Banchero when last November 28 he had to defend on Kevin Durant. There was nothing to do: KD recorded his best performance ever against the Magic in his career.
The game against Kevin Durant was my “Welcome to the NBA”. I defended on him almost the whole match and there was nothing to do. He only thought about the game. He didn’t say anything to the referees, he scored more than 40 points shooting only 4/5 free throws
Paolo Banchero, via The Old Man and The Three
45 points, 19/24 from the field. Banchero, on his side, didn’t make a bad impression on his debut against Durant. 24 points shooting with 9/17 from the field, but in defense, when the number #7 is in the day there is no story.
I think it was the first time in my career that I had to defend a player thinking there really was nothing they could do. I tried, but it was like I wasn’t even there
Paolo Banchero, via The Old Man and The Three
