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Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero would not be a permanent starter for Duke basketball.
Instead, Banchero would opt for a top five led by Dallas Mavericks veteran Kyrie Irving and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, he said Friday on ESPN’s broadcast First attempt.
“I’ve been asked that question a few times and I always say I don’t like to put myself in that position because there are so many legends,” Banchero told Stephen A. Smith.
“I would say Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, JJ Redick, and at center I would take Jahlil Okafor. I think he won a championship as the best player as a rookie. I saw it live and first hand.”
Smith told Banchero that he couldn’t put together a new starting lineup for Duke without Christian Laettner or Grant Hill.
“That’s fair,” Banchero replied. “I’m going by what I saw with my own eyes. I watched Zion, I watched Tatum, I watched Jahlil, I watched Kyrie. JJ was with us my year at Duke and he helped us and he’s obviously a Duke legend, so I brought him in there.”
Banchero started the 2021–22 season for Duke, averaging 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game to help the Blue Devils reach the national semifinals.
Redick, who played for Duke from 2002 to 2006 and became the program’s all-time leading scorer, was apparently still a presence at the school during Banchero’s tenure.
It appears that even before arriving in Durham, Banchero had watched Irving play for the Blue Devils in the 2010-11 season, followed by Okafor in the 2014-15 season, Tatum in the 2016-17 season and Williamson in the 2018-19 season.
Laettner, who played for Duke from 1988 to 1992, and Hill, who was with the program from 1990 to 1994, both finished their college careers before Banchero was born, so it makes sense that the 21-year-old would build his all-time starting lineup from players he watched growing up.
Banchero, who has earned Rookie of the Year honors and an All-Star nomination in his two NBA seasons since leaving Duke, will look to take another step forward in his third season as a pro when the Magic’s 2024-25 season begins on Oct. 23 against the Miami Heat.
