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Jayson Tatum On Paolo Banchero

Suffice it to say he was impressed

By JD King
High School Basketball: NOV 08 Pangos All-American Festival
 CHANDLER, AZ - NOVEMBER 08: Paolo Banchero, from O’Dea High School, drives to the basket against Jabari Smith, from Sandy Creek High School, during the Pangos All-American Festival on November 8, 2020 at AZ Compass Prep in Chandler, AZ.
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Duke will lose Matthew Hurt to the NBA but in the old cliche, Duke just reloads and so it will be this fall as Coach K brings in Paolo Banchero.

He’s a highly impressive young player, not just because of his talent but also because of his personality and leadership abilities.

People are noticing, too. This story talks about how impressed former Blue Devil Jayson Tatum and Boston Celtics announcer, and former NBA player Doug Christie were after seeing a video of Banchero.

Christie called him “a damn PROBLEM” while Tatum just breathlessly said “DAMN.”

By the way, the other day we said we didn't know much about his shotblocking abilities. Turns out they’re pretty good, so it’s hard to imagine a scenario next season when Duke won’t have at least one or two shot blockers on the court at any given time.

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