Duke freshman Paolo Banchero declares for NBA Draft

Duke freshman Paolo Banchero declares for NBA Draft
from Mike Santa Barbara, with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com

In a video posted on his Twitter account on Wednesday, Duke freshman phenom, Paolo Banchero, declared for the 2022 NBA Draft.

The 2022 NBA Draft will be held on June 23, where the 6-foot-10 forward is expected to be a top-three lottery pick.

“It has always been a dream of mine to play at Duke; it has always been a dream of mine to play in the NBA,” Paolo said. “Duke has prepared me for that on and off the court. I’m excited to announce that I’ll be entering my name into the 2022 NBA Draft. It has been a great journey, and I’m blessed to be a part of the brotherhood for life.”

Banchero started 39 games and averaged 17.2 points per game, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists during his freshman season at Duke.

The Seattle, Washington, native out of O’Dea High School led the ACC in total scoring (671) and field goals (245) and was second in total rebounds (304).

Banchero earned several awards for the 2021-22 season, including Second-Team consensus All-American, ACC Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-ACC, ACC All-Freshman, First-Team All-ACC Tournament, NCAA Tournament All-Region and All-Tournament Team.

ESPN.com ranks Banchero as the second-best player available ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft.