Orlando Magic All-Star Paolo Banchero says that balancing out his offensive game has been a major focus in year two.
(via Orlando Magic):
Reporter: “With your size, do you feel like a lot of people try to put you in that 4 to 5 when you have the ability to play 1 through 5 instead of just always being a 4 and 5 man because of your size?”
Banchero: “I’m not going to sit here and say I’m a point guard, but I definitely think I can handle the ball, initiate a lot of things, create plays. I think I’m growing a lot as a playmaker, being able to set up my teammates. That’s something I take pride in, being able to play whatever position that’s needed. Obviously, I know how my size is an advantage. So I don’t want to get too much into staying on the perimeter, I want to be able to mix it up and always keep the defense off balance. So that’s something that I think me, my coaches, we always try and balance and work on how much I’m handling, how much I’m inside, and just trying to find that perfect balance.”
Reporter: “I guess you’re a 4, but you do everything. Wemby, is he a 4 or a 5? We ask all the time. Is Bam [Adebayo] a 4 or a 5? Are positions dead? Great players can play and defend all five positions, or at least four of them. Do you think the position thing, it’s over?”
Banchero: “I wouldn’t say it’s over, but I think it’s just changing. I think it’s more of it really varies from team to team, system to system, how guys fit, what the team’s running, how they use a certain player. I think like with Victor, I think I saw like the difference in his stats from playing power forward and center. So when you’re out on the perimeter, like I said, with my size, I don’t want to be on the perimeter too much because then you become inefficient or taking bad shots. So you want to stay kind of around the rim, but also you want to be able to use your versatility to keep the defense off balance and make plays from the perimeter. Finding that for me has been a challenge since coming into the league, because I think when I first came in, I kind of just wanted the ball and wanted to like dribble around and see what I can do. Now in year two, I’ve been a lot more intentional with how I get to my spots and how I’m being used and where I’m trying to get to on the floor. Even if I do have it as a handler, I’m still trying to get to this spot on the floor. So, that’s been a big learning curve for me.”
