It’s a very cute cuteness. The kind of confession that an NBA player, by the power of his ego, rarely lets slip out of his mouth. But now, in his first NBA season, Paolo Banchero had no trouble entrusting all the admiration he has for Kevin Durant. Even more when the latter stuck 45 on his face.
“You started with 27 points on opening night and then you found some kind of continuity. Did you have a Welcome to the NBA moment where, no matter what, you felt your opponent was different? ».
A question remarkably posed by Tommy Alter, co-host of JJ Reddick’s podcast, The Old Man & The Three.
In front of the performances of Paolo Banchero, it is natural to wonder if the former Duke has already had moments of weakness since his arrival in the elite. At 20, the 1st pick of the 2022 Draft has played 27 NBA games and finished only seven under the 20 point mark. He is already shooting at 45% success and displays a maturity which, in the eyes of unanimous observers, makes him different and better than Jalen Green.
Still, Tommy Alter’s question did not go unanswered. On November 28, the Magic moved to the Barclays Center to face the Nets… Kevin Durant.
The rest is told by Paolo Banchero.
“Against KD, it was my welcome moment in the NBA. I literally thought “there is nothing I can do”. KD had slammed 45 points on me, with like… five free throws.
The guys scored on the line, they talked with the referees. KD didn’t say anything. He was just doing his job. He didn’t even see me.
Boom, 45 prunes of the big tige on a vulnerable Banchero, and this feeling of helplessness still anchored in the memory of the new Floridian.
Each rookie has his moment of introduction in the NBA, for Paolo he will tell his kids that it was signed Kevin Durant.
