2. Oklahoma City Thunder — Paolo Banchero, F, Duke
NBA Comparison: Blake Griffin
Banchero projects to be an offensive superstar. He’s answered all questions about potential flaws in his game. Though he’s not a knockdown shooter quite yet, Banchero is shooting 33-percent from beyond the arc on over three attempts per game. The NBA is all about matching skill with size, and the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Banchero has both in spades. Plus, he’s already shown the willingness to step up in big games after a huge performance in Duke’s win over Gonzaga earlier this year.
OKC’s two franchise players are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey — a pair of perimeter playmakers who thrive when dishing the ball to teammates. Banchero could be the beneficiary of said passes, and is also willing to be a distributor himself. Having smart passers with high basketball IQ is never a bad thing, and by picking Banchero the Thunder would have collected at least three of such assets.
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