Paolo Banchero is one of the brightest superstars to enter the league this season. The Seattle native is the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award and deservedly so. After all, his first year in the NBA wasn’t exactly easy.
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Despite averaging 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists per game, Banchero came across some stiff competition. Granted, playing on a rebuilding team like the Orlando Magic didn’t help, but there were matchups that made him feel especially frustrated.
A particular one that comes to his mind, are his battles with the Miami Heat. A division rival, Miami was a source of constant dread for him. Why? Because he had to go up against Jimmy Butler.
Paolo Banchero names Jimmy Butler as one of the toughest opponents he has faced this season
The 2022-23 NBA season has been a fairytale for Paolo Banchero. The former Duke superstar made his league debut and wowed fans and players alike. With the pace at which he is progressing, he is certainly destined for greatness.
However, not everything in the NBA worked out as he had hoped. There were certain matches, where he felt helpless. One of them, came early in the season when he faced off against Kevin Durant. But, the Slim Reaper wasn’t the only one that left him frustrated.
In an interview on the Knuckleheads podcast, Paolo revealed that Jimmy Butler was one of the toughest opponents he faced all season. An exceptional player, it was Jimmy’s shot-making, ability to draw fouls, and hard work on both ends of the court that made things tough for the Magic star.
“Jimmy Butler…Jimmy Butler. I think we’ve played him three times so far. It’s fun playing him because he’s so good, but it’s just frustrating playing him at the same time. He’s just so good at drawing fouls. So, it’s hard to guard him, cause he keeps drawing fouls. And, just the way he closes games! We played them three times. The first two times, we were up and every time in the fourth quarter he takes over on both ends. He usually guards me and that’s another thing. He makes it tough on me.”
It’s hard to disagree with Paolo’s assessment. Jimmy Buckets is a hard man to match up against. But, it was nothing compared to the “welcome to the NBA” moment KD gave him.
Banchero claims that Kevin Durant is a player you can do nothing against
Jimmy Butler is a hard player to go up against. But, for Paolo Banchero, perhaps the scariest he has faced in his young NBA career is Kevin Durant. Banchero faced off against the Slim Reaper early in the season, when the latter was on the Brooklyn Nets. And, to hear him describe it, when guarding KD, there is nothing you can do to stop him.
Paolo on defending @kdtrey5 . “there’s nothing u can do” pic.twitter.com/eFMpUMZDkS
— TA (@talter) December 21, 2022
Both Durant and Butler are players obsessed with winning. If there is anything Banchero can take away from his matches against them, it’s that he knows exactly where the “bar” is.
