Paolo Banchero on Untold KD Exchange, Magic Disrespect & Advice to Wemby | Taylor Rooks X

Paolo Banchero on Untold KD Exchange, Magic Disrespect & Advice to Wemby | Taylor Rooks X

Poo it is such a joy to speak with you I was thinking about this on the way here that now I feel like I have talked to you at very like important moments of your career like I interviewed you right after you got drafted then I interviewed

You right after you won Rookie of the Year in can and now I get to interview you as an Allstar so this is our first Allstar poo interview I’m very excited about is it still like surreal surreal to hear that you were an All-Star it was

It was uh I think just the whole process of sitting there you know with my team watching The Selection and then me being the last name called like just the way it happened was pretty suspenseful and then uh once you get there you know uh especially Sunday night just the game

Itself like that was just a crazy experience uh being around all those guys and just in the locker room and just the whole experience of being an Allstar it was it was dope so forever when you think about your first ever Allstar Weekend What will be the memory

That’s sticks out the most from yeah this past allstar game I would say just the the congratulations and the and the love that I got from all the guys um whove been there before you know uh pretty much everybody came up to me at least once and just said you know

Congrats like you know and just show their love and support um you know just reminds you that the NBA is is a Brotherhood and guys you know even if you don’t know them like that you know they’re paying attention and you know they recognize when you’re a young

Player coming up you know how uh how big it is to to be an Allstar so I think just hearing it from you know Steph Braun you know kawhai like all these guys who I’ve watched my whole life it it meant a lot to me for sure do you

Leave that weekend feeling almost like a different respect level exists about you I think for sure you know cuz I think coming into the league like as a young player like that’s what you you know that’s what you want that’s what you search for you know that’s kind of what

You’re trying to get to is that that level of respect amongst your peers where where you know guys kind of recognize what you do and you know respect your game and who you are as a player and uh you know to be All-Star you got to be consistent you know you

Got to win and do all the little things so just to be there like I said with those guys it it meant a lot and I think those guys also just recognized um just what I’ve been doing so far yeah and I know you got all your East teammates to

Sign your shoes I know Dame was the last signature yeah who was the first who was the first uh I think it was I think it was Brown cuz he was right next to me um but I I didn’t start that I picked that up from the other guys so guys I think

Dame um uh JT couple other guys brought them brought me their shoes and had me sign so I was like okay this is what we’re doing like I’m definitely got to get my I definitely got to get my shoe signed in yeah like I need my collectible yeah that’s why I was like

One of the last guys which is why I was searching for Dame cuz I was kind of late to the party but I seen that’s what guys were doing and so I I definitely tried to get mine now now I know that they all mean a lot to you but is there

One signature that like you really hold close on that shoe um I would say I would say Giannis and Dame those are the probably the two I think those two the oldest guys probably been around the longest um Giannis obviously got a ring um but all those guys though you know great players

All guys are on their ways to having great careers you know some are already there so um you know hopefully it can be every year thing for me where you know I get the team to sign it every time I’m there and uh it’s just something to look

Back on you know I got the shoe already propped up nice uh so that won’t be getting touched yeah is it next to your rookie of the year it is oh look at that so you just want to get that all built out then exactly what do you think being

An allar in your sophomore season says about where you stand in this league um I just think it it just shows that I’m I’m trending upward you know my game um I think I improved a lot from my rookie season um and just I think I became a

Much you know better player but also more productive efficient you know I think my rookie year was was good um but I was a lot of you could just tell I was a rookie I think just the way I played some of the struggles I had at certain

Times but I think this year I really kind of built that consistency um on both ends of the floor and just became better in all areas and so I think it just shows I’m trending upward and that you know I’m I’m here to stay you know I

Don’t want that to be my only Allstar um I don’t want that to be you know once in a every once in a while type of thing like I want to be there every single year you know I think one of the things about your first allar is that you want

That again and again you want to you know feel that feel that feeling being be in that environment with those guys um because it’s a it’s a highest honor yeah it’s special what moment in the NBA really showed you that you belong amongst the elite like what ingame

Moment for you uh I think I I mean yeah I felt like I belonged you know right away um I think I started off very well I think my first like five games were were very you know I think I scored whatever it was I think my first five

Games were all above 20 points and I came out playing well but um I think I think playing against KD for that first time in Brooklyn which was like in November or December um and and he he said something to me during the game and

Was like yo you know I need that Jersey after the game and this is like middle of the game you know while we’re going at we’re guarding each other so you know just him showing that respect and US battling out for the rest of the game

They beat us um it was a close game and I just remember kind of feeling that you know that validation you know coming from a guy like him um you know cuz those are the guys that I look up to you know the top of the top so uh obviously

I feel like I belong just amongst the league as a whole but when you get that kind of stamp from a guy like Kevin or anybody else it’s uh it’s a little different absolutely because it also means during that game like KD saw something in you for sure do you feel

Like a star in this league I think I’m getting there coming in as number one pick you got a lot of expectations you know you’re expected to be a star and uh you know I’ve always been very confident in myself in my game um I think I’m just

Trying to learn the other stuff that comes along with it you know the media and um just carrying that load of you know being the face of a franchise you know you got to be you know not only a model on the court with your game but

Off the court you know you got to be someone that the franchise wants to represent and so just trying to keep keep getting better with that and learning the the ins and outs um but yeah I think I’m definitely um on my way to being a star and uh you know I’m just

Going to keep working cuz that’s where I want to be so yeah you better say it with your chess I hear you I feel you you know you just mentioned confidence there and that’s something I’ve heard you speak about at length your teammates have talked about it too what changed in your confidence

From last year to this year I think my thing’s always been like my confidence comes from being in the gym and working so like if I go two months without touching the ball I’mma step back on the court and be and I’mma Be shaky yeah I’m

Not one of those guys that can just go you know of extended period and you know I got to be in the gym I got to work on my game and and build that confidence through my work so I think this summer I just really honed in um probably was the

Best probably hard I worked in my life this past summer um just in the gym you know a lot of unseen hours just with different you know even when I was going City to City out the country like I was always in the gym if I wasn’t in the gym

I was lifting weights I was doing conditioning cardio like just doing every little thing I could you know I was talking to a bunch of vets or and guys who have been in the league trying to get little pointers and advice like I really just wanted to you know have a

Big Improvement in my second year and so you know know when you get you know Allstar and you get these other accomplishments you know it just makes you proud because you know how hard you worked um you know in the offseason so I think my confidence really just comes

From just being in the gym and and working on my on my craft so you talk about the offseason being kind of one of the hardest working off Seasons that you had I would assume on top of it being hard physically it was probably hard mentally too because you saw the mindset

That you needed to have to make that next jump what is that mindset and how did you kind of grow mentally through the off season yeah I think just looking back at your first year and realizing you know I think for me it was more of

The struggles I think um I think I did some did a lot of things well but you know I I wasn’t necessarily satisfied I I came in you know wanting to ring Rookie of the Year and I did but like soon as you win Rookie of the Year like

At least my mentality was like all right like I was the best rookie like that was expected that’s what I wanted but like now it’s time to jump to being one of the best in the league so that comes with a whole different you know mindset a whole different work ethic so that’s

Just what I was chasing the whole the whole offseason like and it just was uh I think just the anxiousness of like am I going to be able to get there like you know my second year you know I remember Russell Westbrook told me the second year is your hardest year you know

Because you actually have expectations and you know teams and players know who you are now so you got to just work even that much harder so that was just kind of what drove me the whole summer was just how much better can I get like

Where can I improve and uh you know I came out my first four or five games and played terrible you know of this year so that was kind of like another mental block that I had to like you know I had to get past that and realize like you

Know regardless of the start like I put in all this work like I got to you know calm down relax get back to who I was and and show it so I think that was was uh the biggest thing yeah and you are showing it to be very clear so you

Mentioned Russell Westbrook saying to you that the second year is the hardest year I think that’s very profound because it likely is true you obviously hear about the sophomore slum but what they’re really just saying is okay now we’ve seen you y we know what to do kind

Of we understand how you play and I also think your first year of course you won Rookie of the Year and you had a stellar season but there were moments where you could tell you were still figuring it out 100% now there’s no time for that

Figuring it out aspect of it do you feel what Russ meant when he talked about the challenges of this second year yeah 100 yeah completely I mean just my just the difference from my habits my mentality from my first year to second year is night and day I mean and I’m sure my

Coaches and teammates will tell you that you know like you said my rookie year it’s a lot of like just figuring it out you know you’re dealing with on the court off the court you know traveling all the games you never played that many games let alone

Just you know the the the difference in you know being at Duke where it was like you know I’m in the final four I’m you know top dog and then you come to a team and then you guys are struggling you start 5 and 20 you know you start

Feeling like I remember we lost like 11 in a row and I was just like damn like damn yeah I’ve never really experienced this so just trying to you know deal with that and then we got better as the season went on and then so coming into

This year you know I think we improved our wins from my rookie year like plus 12 I think we won like 34 games so we had a lot of expectations coming into this year so on top of you know my expectations for myself you got expectations for the team and like the

Team you know we want to be in the playoffs we want to be you know one of the top teams in the East so you got to figure out how to not only better yourself but how how can I better myself and also help lead the team to the

Height stat you know we want to reach so uh it was it was tough but I really just locked in on you know my habits trying to eat the right way sleep I think sleep’s been very important for me getting the proper amount of sleep so

That my energy is consistent you know on a night toight basis you also said something else I think is important which is essentially that sometimes with winning Rookie of the Year there can also be a level of complacency like you had a goal you met it and it’s easy to

Feel like okay done but for you winning it meant I am no longer judging myself by the other rookies like I’m judging myself against the field exactly I’m judging myself against everyone else how are you stacking up I think I’m stacking up well man like um you know I look

Forward to every matchup you know no matter who it’s against just cuz I always feel like it’s a chance to prove myself I still don’t feel like you know I’ve I’ve proven myself like obviously I’ve been all I’m an Allstar now and you know whatever but I think you know

Myself and even my team like we just feel like we got you know we got more to prove and so you know best way to do that is to win and and and the play you know play well so I think that’s been the main thing is winning um doing

Whatever do whatever I can to help the team win but also just every night you know going out there with a chip on my shoulder trying to prove something you did an interview with Slam Magazine and in it you were talking about how you were at home watching the playoffs and

That it just left bad taste in your mouth yeah what was that taste how’ you feel it just felt like kind of lame like like that looks so fun like this is what it’s all about right here you know um obviously I haven’t experienced that yet but I think it hits different when

You’re actually in the league you know playing and then you’re at home just watching you know rather than just being a fan you know when you’re actually in the league and then your season’s over while all these other guys is still you know playing their hearts out trying to

Win these series like that’s just something that as a competitor like you know kind of kind of irked me that I wasn’t there and um just as a team you know I felt like we had started to play better and so I I knew that we were

Going to have a a shot you know this year to get to the playoffs and I think that just the whole preseason uh training camp like that was just the message you know from me from all the other guys is like look like this is

Where we got to get to you know we had a decent year last year we improved but like we can’t be satisfied we got the talent you know we know we got regardless of what anyone else is saying we know we got you know inside this

Locker room and we can be there so I think we’ve uh we’ve done a good job this year of of keeping that mentality and you know we got 20 games left and we’re in a good position so we just got to keep that mindset and you know we’ll

Be where where we’ve been trying to get to well what did you see in the team because I think there are a lot of people that are kind of surprised how good the magic have been but you don’t seem surprised I know your teammates seem surprised that you knew this was

Coming so what is it that you saw that maybe everyone else didn’t yeah I mean right when I got there soon as I got drafted um you know I remember playing summer league uh I think my first game in summer league I looked to the court and literally the whole team damn near

Was on court side I mean it was Cole Jaylen France Jonathan Isaac uh Mo Wendell car like the whole team and so I was like damn like okay and then we had dinner and so I got to be around them and I just you know saw the guys that we

Had and then early in the year we had injuries but then once we got healthy later in that season like we started beating a lot of teams and people could have say oh well they’re not taking y’all serious but whether they like it or not like we was beating teams and we

Had teams number so uh we all had that confidence I think built up through my first year and then coming into this year I think everybody was healthy going into the off season which was huge and um we just have a team full of winners I don’t think people really realize like

We got a lot of guys who been winning their whole life so when you put all of us in a locker room like how are we not going to win like we all know what it takes we’re all selfless is you know we’re not really worried about who gets

What attention or who gets you know what accolades like we know that winning trumps all we’re all going to get what we want if we win so I give credit to to the guys in the locker room the coaches coach Mo he you know he pumps that

Belief in us you know every single day uh along with the rest of the staff so I mean it’s it’s a it’s a real you know team effort and uh we all love playing with each other too so it makes it it makes it easy yeah no it shows for sure

You know when I interviewed you at sport I remember us talking about how dedicated you were to this path to greatness that like what you wanted above all else was to be seen as a great yeah and we talked about how you are very self-driven now that you have a season

Under your belt you’re now on your sophomore year how do you stay motivated by internal factors and not external ones because when you’re in the league it gets harder and harder to not be motivated by those things outside of you yeah I I think is just um having a

Vision of myself as a player regardless if that Vision may seem realistic to some or not I think it is and so I’m just chasing that and so I really I don’t know if I’ll ever reach it but like that’s the player I’m chasing you know that damn near perfect like no

Weaknesses you know no holes in his game you know can do everything winner like that’s just what I’m chasing so um that’s just what driv me you know I might have a game where I score you know 25 and I feel like I should have had 35

Or 30 and I should have had 45 and it’s just like that’s what drives me is like I got to be better I got to you know tighten up on this I you know I might have 10 assists and five turnovers and I’m like damn I shouldn’t have had you

Know two turnovers you know what I’m saying so I think just watching film always critiquing myself you know it just it just drives me and I like I said I just try and I try and Chase perfection even though you know you may not ever reach it it’s just it’s just

What I’m chasing you know I hold myself to that standard and a lot of my teammates and coaches they always you know tell me you know take it easy and so I’ve also had to get better at that too cuz I think my rookie year was like

It was way too much of that I was way too hard on myself getting way too frustrated forgetting that this is my first year in the league and so this year I think I’ve helped myself a lot by just you know when I do mess up

Realizing you know what it was that I didn’t do right and then instead of just getting upset and and you know digging myself in a hole you know kind of taking it with a different approach and you know really stepping back and seeing how I could have you know been better and

Applying it to the next game or the next practice and uh I just I think my coaches and teammates helped me a lot with that too well correct me if I’m wrong but you seem like a person who is good at things fairly quickly would you

Say that’s accurate yeah or I’m able to I’m able to like adjust very quick yeah so your frustration comes from when you feel like you aren’t getting it maybe in the ways that you should have exactly yeah and how do you work on that what is it that you’re doing now to make

Sure that you aren’t so hard on yourself that it messes up all the other things you’re trying to accomplish because it’s like I think the more you I think criticism is always you know valid but beating yourself up or telling yourself you know you’re not you’re not good

Enough or you’re not you know whatever like that’s hurting that’s that’s hurting you so I think transitioning from doing that to more of like like if I get this right I’m going to be so much better I’m going to be you know I’m going to be at the level that I’m trying

To get to so I think more of just like using it as motivation to to better yourself rather than you know a reason to just you know kill kill your you know kill yourself or your game and take it there so I think I’m still getting

Better at it I’m not there yet there’s there’s some moments where I got to chill but I think it’s been a big Improvement for me well it’s interesting you say this because and of course this is just me as as an observer I might be totally wrong but you of course had that

Really beautiful moment when you hit the gamewinner against the Pistons and you had the emotional post game but what stuck out to me in it is I remember you kept saying how frustrated you were because you played badly and I remember thinking I wonder how much of this emotion and the tears

Is actually that he’s upset with himself yeah mix with the fact that he hit the game winner no it was it was more of that I mean because like that whole game I was just battling myself in my head because I was I was really sick but my mentality

Was like look I’m out here like no like Mind Over Matter like I got to like we got to win this I got to play like forget being sick like I got enough in me to be out here so I got enough to have a you know a solid decent game and

My body just wasn’t responding like I remember I airball I took took a wide open 3 airball it completely I think I drove one time had like a shot right in front of the rim airball it and I was like what the hell like I ain’t never

Airball a layup it’s just and like my body just wasn’t responding to me so the whole game I’m just shaking like I just couldn’t believe it I’m just like man this is bad like I can’t I can’t even barely be out here right now and so they

They ended up coming back we were up the whole game and so the fourth quarter they ended up coming back and and you could just feel our Vibe as a team was was sinking and so you know and I was out of it I can’t lie and so my

Teammates and coaches like they seen me and they just kept you know telling me like you’re good you going to make a play like stay with it you going to make a play you going to make a play and I wasn’t sure honestly like I was like man

I don’t know like not how I’m feeling right now and so when the game got to where it was TI game like coach was like you taking the last shot and I was like all right and so in my head I’m just like look all this energy that you

Haven’t had just give me give me one play like give me this one shot right here cuz I had just missed two free throws in the clutch yeah to put the game away we were up two and I missed two free throws and they came back and

Scored so I was already like messed up like God I just miss these free throws like this is this is bad like I don’t even like every every time I get some clutch free throws I knock them in so the fact that I missed him was like

Already messing with me so when I got the chance to take the last shot and then just the way it all happened like it went in it was and one like it was super emotional and like our damn near almost was about to cry right after like

It was that emotional like I was just so had so much pinch up you know emotion through that game and when I had to do the interview I was I was like please don’t please don’t cry but it was just it was too much to hold in so yeah you

Know a lot of people hit me cuz everyone that knows me know I I don’t cry about nothing let alone in front front of some cameras so people were hitting me like man is everything all right like are you going through something yeah and I was

Like man I just I’m just sick as hell like that’s all it is yeah like it’s just yeah but no this this makes total sense like hearing you say that you were just mad at yourself because I could tell by how you were answering the questions like one of the first things

You talked about was just that you were frustrated with how it had gone because you knew that you were better than what you were showing yeah like that’s what was so frustrating is like I’m out there playing so bad I’m like these dudes on the other team probably think I’m trash

I know whoever’s watching this thinks I’m trash like but I don’t feel like myself and there’s really nothing I could do so yeah but I I got a lot of positive feedback though a lot of people you know said that you know they appreciated me a great moment it was a

Fantastic moment because it showed really honestly that you care very deeply about this yeah and I think that a lot of the times in the league the more you do this the care goes down but it is is so clear that like this to you

Is your gift it is your craft like you care about the product that you are putting out there night in and Night Out regardless of who you’re playing 100% yeah and I think that honestly was everyone’s takeaway from that moment but what did you learn about just your

Mental fortitude that night yeah I mean I think it’s it proved to me what I think I’ve been proving myself this season cuz I think I’ve had a couple moments where you know my first year I would have spiraled and probably took myself out the game but just being able

To you know keep a keep a steady you know just a keep a cool head and being able to realize like look regardless of how this game’s going you know I got a chance to win this game and you know like that that game went from being the

Most forgettable game ever like if we just won that game by whatever six points and it was I would never think about that game ever again but the fact that it ended how it did and you know I hit that shot and I played you know so

So miserable like it uh it’s a game I’ll never forget just because I think it just showed the perseverance um in that moment you know it was a regular game you know against Detroit and you know it C it came down to the wire and so I was

I was pretty proud of myself after it you know just being able to gather up the the energy to knock that shot down but you know I I give my teammates a lot of credit cuz I’m telling you they they they kept me like I was sinking in they

Kept me above water cuz I was I was ready to to give up for sure do you remember anything like your teammate or coach said to you that really kept you afloat in that moment yeah I mean God I mean I’m talking about every because everyone could see I was just so I

Couldn’t even like really talk like I was just had no energy and so guys were just telling me like like P you good like we rocking with you you know we’re rocking with you we we got you like you know that last play came I remember

Jonathan Isaac when Co coach said I had the last shot Jonathan was right there and was like let’s go like come on and so you know when guys are doing that like you got to respond and so I given them all the credit uh I remember there

Was a point in the game like earlier in the fourth where I was came to the bench I said look man I ain’t got nothing for y’all like I’mma try and do all the little things I’mma box out I’mma grab a rebound like but scoring like I don’t

Got nothing right now fellas like and so just them keeping that belief you know it me a lot to me for sure and you all leave games like that so much stronger so much closer and things you all absolutely need in the playoffs too so that was an important game um so I

Wanted to have you on the show for a variety of reasons but the number one to me was that despite having a fantastic season leading a four seed magic team I feel like you aren’t getting much attention or at least the attention that you deserve do you feel that way at all

Uh um I would be lying if I said I didn’t but I don’t look at it as a bad thing cuz I also I feel like it’s been the story of my life basketball-wise I mean I’ve always been a fairly highly touted player but like since the 9th

Grade it’s been the same story I mean you know I got I got screenshots from 201819 of articles that were written where they would say you know I was this I was that I wasn’t wasn’t going to be this or I was only going to be this I

Couldn’t get to that point so like it’s always been there and so I got I’ve been I’ve gotten used to it and I’ve gotten used to kind of working in the shadows and then popping up at the right time so I feel like that’s what’s happening

Right now like for me and and the team and the magic in general you know it’s like you know whatever we not getting the attention the TV games whatever you want to say but we’re the four seed and we going to be on TV in the playoffs so

It’s like you know eventually it’s going to come to the light and so I feel like that’s what’s been happening you know my whole career and I’m used to it but uh I definitely think that is I I I don’t really know I don’t really know

Um I I mean I I I don’t I couldn’t tell you uh I think we’re a very entertaining team you are yeah I think I think if people watched us they would fall in love with us fairly quickly but for whatever reason you know we haven’t got

That recognition but I think no one in the locker room is tripping like we know that winning Trump song and so you know once we get in the playoffs all those games will be in front of everybody and we’ll get a chance to show it but uh

Till then you know we’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing so you mentioned that having the screenshots of things from a while ago and I’m wondering how you kind of used this fuel because as I do when I do these interviews I saw one of the um tweets

That you faved and it actually said Paulo is the most disrespected number one pick in some time said it doesn’t make sense do you use that is motivation and is that a tweet that you also somewhat see the validity in for sure for sure I mean I just think you know

People have been very critical of me uh you know just at certain times and it is what it is um but I think the one thing people can never say is that I’m not a winner you know no matter where I’ve went no matter where I played I’ve

Always won and so from high school to college to the league like winning follow me and so that’s what I take pride in like I’m I’m going to be you know as a player I’m going to get better I’m going to improve you know I’m going

To work tirelessly to get better in you know all the areas but winning is like that’s my addiction that’s all I really care about and so that’s what matters to me and so regardless of the critique and the you know whatever you may have to

Say it’s like I’m going go out there and I’mma win I’m G find a way to win and um so that’s always been my thing U but as far as like the disrespect or you know whatever that is like I think I think it all will change

You know eventually but I mean I can’t really put a put a reason that’s to why it is that way but I think if you watch me play you know you’ll realize that you know I’m I’m uh I’m on my way yeah and how important is it to you or I guess

How do you make sure that whether it is someone not talking about you or someone not giving you the attention that you need that it does not affect how you see yourself how do you make sure of that yeah I think that’s just all I mean it’s

Just in me I mean just that self-confidence that self-belief uh like I said I know how much work I put in and how crazy I am about just being the best and so and I also know like my peers respect me coaches respect me absolutely you

Know so it’s like you know the media or whoever Talking Heads like they’ve been saying you know they’ve been critiquing me for a while now like they told me I wasn’t even a top three player coming out of the draft they told me I wasn’t

Going to be you know this I wasn’t going to do that um literally since the ninth grade like I got receipts so it’s like I’m used to it but uh I love proving people wrong and I love just winning and I love you know

When I do win or when we do win it’s like everybody’s like oh well I want how how did oh and it’s like man it’s the common denominator you know what I’m saying so I’m just uh just going to keep doing it yeah I also think too it is

Genuinely a testament to just you aren’t who or what people say you are like you are just who you are and you are who you believe you are and you are right you have won at every level that’s not anything they can take away from you and

Something I know you’re seeing now too is winning cers all exactly in the NBA when you’re winning everything else takes care of itself but I was reading how your teammate Cole was like Paulo is just the most underappreciated player in the NBA I know that before the league

You probably heard people say that about players now that you’re in the league do you have a different understanding about what appreciation means in the NBA yeah I think I think a lot of it is just the public perception you know so whether that’s Media or what they’re

Talking about on ESPN I think that plays a big part but like I said I think what means the most to me is like just the peers and what your peers say and what coaches say and you know the feedback that you get from them is what means a

Lot to me because those are the guys I respect the most you know um but I think that perception of you know what Cole said and whatnot I think it’s just you know the lack of attention that I get we get as a team just on the national scale

Um you know you get a lot of people saying you know oh who cares about the magic or the magic haven’t been good in forever and it’s like okay that was then it’s like what about now you know what I’m saying so um it’s early though you

Know we still we got we got a young team uh I’m in my second year so it’s a lot I’m sure I’m sure there’s going to come a point where we’re going to be tired of you know of all the camera exactly so you know and that’s something that coach

Mo he he always reminds us is like look no one’s talking about y’all right now but it’s going to come a point where it flips so you got to be ready for it for sure and I mean this is such a fun exciting team to watch it’s interesting

Because normally young teams are not good at defense but you guys figured it out yeah how how have you been able to figure it out I think uh so combination of things I think our Personnel the guys we have on the roster we have a lot of

Very smart high high IQ players um I think it starts with Jaylen Suggs Marquel folz um Anthony black those three in the back Court guarding the way they guard they set the tone and then on the back end we got a lot of size and versatility um me and France’s guarding

We can guard bigs we can guard Wings we can switch um and then it’s the coaches you know they they that was like the staple right away is like look defense is going to be our calling card offense you know we’re going to figure it out

We’re going to uh you know that’s going to come as we get better but like defense has got to be the thing we can fall back on and so I give credit to them just not letting us um slack on that in you know make sure we we’re

Always giving 100% on that side of on both sides of the floor but you know really on defense focusing on our schemes and locking in on that in game in and game out um and I can’t fail to mention Jonathan Isaac um he is uh ridiculous a Defender um I don’t I don’t

Honestly I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Defender quite like him um and uh I think he’s a guy who when he gets on playoff scene or in front of you know on T I think a lot of people are going to realize just how great he is on that end

Like he’s 7 foot ridiculous instincts like the best instincts on defense I’ve ever seen I kid you not I love this answer yeah yeah I I I taking time to talk about him because he doesn’t get talked about and he’s like I said a special special

Defender so when he’s on the court like I literally would let a guy go to the rim just cuz I know he’s right there to block it so that just speaks to kind of how he covers for everybody yeah that’s so great so on the subject of Defense so

I just had Trey Young on the show and we were talking about this for your team to be so good at defense in a league where there we don’t always see defense how much pride do you taken that but then also knowing that you all have made that

Your calling card how have you seen it really separate you just the sheer fact that you are putting a focus on defending yeah yeah no it it uh it defin just it’s a game changer I think just with how hard we play and like you said

The the focus that we have on that side of the floor game in and game out I think um like you said in the league like offense comes I ain’t going to say it comes easy but you know teams you you you score you know sometimes the game

Can get to just back and forth where it’s just you know you’re kind of trading baskets and so we take pride in like not doing that you know if we you know we could be up you know couple points on a team but if they got 6 five

Or 62 at the half like we’re in the locker room pissed like you know that’s not acceptable so you know we’re trying not to let guys score you know that’s our thing like we got to get stops you know offense we’re going to score we’re

Going to be at the rim and we’re going to make shots but like we got to get stops to win yeah so that’s been our our thing all year and um you know like I said it it’s easier said than you know said than done you know it takes

Togetherness and it takes also the Personnel we got a lot of guys that can go out there and defend and uh takes a lot of just communication like there’s a lot of little things that go into being a good defensive team that you know I think we do just effort exactly just

Effort night in night out you know we got young legs we got guys who you know like the guard so um it’s just a combination of all those things and you know we we know that that’s our superpower is our our defense and using our length and

Athleticism okay so on the flip side tell me the three guys that have defended you the best three it’s a good one um yeah yeah it’s interesting I I always love like going into a game and I love like right when the ball tips off

You see the guy who steps in front of you to guard you like that’s always fun for me um but I would say I would say Lou Dort you know he’s like 6’4 but he’s like 230 so like he’s moving side to side and he’s pretty strong you know um so l d

Um l d I think Jimmy Butler Jimmy Butler is a pretty good Defender what makes Jimmy good uh in your matchups yeah I think he’s just one he’s very smart very cerebral um he’s like he roams a lot so like he’ll like you’ll have the ball he might not even

Be guarding you but he you’ll have the ball and he’ll just you know random double team and just come steal it you know or he’ll shoot the Gap steal the pass like he’s just very smart in that area um he’s also strong athletic it can move with great hands like he’s just a

Very solid smart Defender um and then the heat the heat in general yeah yeah it’s so ingrained in there yeah like coach SPO is is a is a dog man I got to give it to him um so Jimmy and then third I would say I would say Drew Drew

Holliday of course Drew holiday yeah it’s usually the smaller guys that that give me the most problems you know big bigger guys I feel like I can usually take off the dribble yeah you can get a step on the but the the the smaller stronger guards that are you know very

Good moving laterally you know great hands those are the guys that that I struggle with sometimes yeah well I mean outside of the defense that you are playing outside of also the great offense that you are playing and the team camaraderie and all the things you also have just brought What It Feels

Like A Renewed spirit and energy to Orlando I see how big the Crowds Are this year it’s not what they used to look like what responsibility do you have to Orlando into this franchise I think just you know bringing helping bring back you know that feeling

That they you know had you know whether it was with Shaq penny with T-Mac with Dwight like those were the golden days and you can just tell the fans like when I got there like the fans just were so you know just ready to feel that again

And so so you know I just felt the love and support right away and then you know as the number one pick as the guy they’re all looking at like you want to bring that like you want to bring that feeling back and uh like I just remember

You know my rookie year I think we played the Celtics it was our home opener against the Celtics like third game of the year and uh it was like sold out the arena was sold out and this was coming off of rough season the year before and we were just on the sideline

In the Huddle and um I think Gary Harris came up to me and was like P this is crazy like it hasn’t been like this since I’ve been here like just the the crowd the energy and so I was like damn you know that made me think just how

Much those guys who had been there already before me appreciated you know just the crowd and the energy being there for the team and so like once you feel that you know you want that every game and so this year has been you know I’ve seen I think we’ve probably had

Four or five different sellouts yeah where it’s been setting records attendance records and you know there’s been couple games this year where whole crowd standing up you know chanting defense and just stuff that you know some like we haven’t experienced in a minute you know so that’s just what you

Want to bring as on a consistent basis and you know playoff basketball and all those things I think is what Orlando deserves and as a city as a as a franchise and um you know play as players you know we want that you know we want that you know responsibility we

Want that you know that burden of you know trying to bring Orlando back to you know Great Heights yeah I mean you mentioned I mean the magic have had a plethora of great players and as we talk about that being where your goal is and what you’re chasing now that you’ve

Played like does it really feel more attainable than ever like being a great for sure for sure I mean you just you go through these games and the seasons and you know you reach New Heights you get these wins and you see your team you know we’re fourth and we’re playing

Really well and so it just you know you you believe it and you believe in and we’ve been talking about it but now it’s happening so it’s like you know why can’t we go you know make a run you know we’ve been talking about that like we’ve been everything we’ve talked about we’ve

Done so far so it’s like you know why can’t we keep doing that and so it’s exciting it’s exciting I’m I’m I’m glad to be Orlando Magic like you know everybody was I think when I first got drafted you know everybody was like wondering like what it was going to be

Like was it going to work was I the Right pick and so I’m just happy that you know I am where I am and um it’s it’s it’s working out because I think we got a special group and got some special guys man and we’re uh we’re headed in

The right direction yeah no that was by the way one of the crazier draft nights that I part it crazy so I mean I know it was really crazy for you but to your point it’s like everything worked out um the way that it was supposed to um well

Off the court I absolutely love your dedication to the Boys and Girls Club what you’re doing in Seattle what you’re doing in Orlando I first want to know why you feel so connected to that organization uh just because that’s where I spent majority of my childhood

Days you know if I wasn’t in the gym with my mom I was in the gym at the Boys and Girls Club um you know I used to go there you know after school plenty of days do homework um then would have basketball practice be there from 5:00

P.m. to 10: p.m. you know just having fun being a kid you know I built a lot of friendships there growing up a lot of mentors there coaches counselors just taught me how to just be a person you know just build relationships you are around different kinds of kids and

Different schools and like it just teaches you how to be in the real world and so it was just very important to me and uh I remember being in the Boys and Girls Club being growing up and I remember like Seahawks players would come and they would always like do give

Backs come do school visits do all these things and this is when the Seahawks were top of the top of the world legion of boom like golden days and so I remember looking at those guys and I played football so like those guys were like superheroes to to me and everybody

Else and so just when I made it and made to the NBA like that was one of the first things that I wanted to do was give back to the Boys and Girls Club you know not only in Seattle but also around the country just cuz um I think it’s

Just a great way for kids to you know even if you’re less fortunate you can go to the Boys and Girls Club and you know you can literally do whatever you want you can you know play basketball get into wherever Sports you learn how to

You know be a good student and be around you know just different people so been able to interact with some of the kids in different cities around the around the country and it’s been it’s been it’s been dope getting to know them yeah because because you said so it’s more

Than just what you’re doing in Seattle and Orlando you try to do this when you’re traveling for games correct yeah so like Road games uh Atlanta this year Minnesota love it um New York um I’ve done you know a couple different cities as well as Orlando um where you know you bring

Like 12 15 kids um sometimes High School sometimes middle school and uh they get to come watch the game Watch me warm up uh come down to the court you know say hello and that’s the starting five that you’re yeah that’s the starting five and

You know just get to talk to them and like you know I always try and spend you know a good amount of time you know I don’t just try and hi and by I always trying and talk to them see what they do some of them play basketball some of

Them don’t you know boys and girls so it’s uh it’s cool and you know they always got you know they’re always happy and uh you know have you know just great looks on their faces cuz you know they don’t really get to experience stuff like that and so I know how important it

Is you know to them and and to me as well well you know how you’re talking about growing up and the Seahawks would come and see you and to you they were like superheroes yeah you know that’s exactly what they’re thinking about you that’s when I got to pinch myself

Sometimes like that’s that’s the moments that really kind of make me you know realize where I’m really at you know cuz I that doesn’t seem like long ago when I was you know I got pictures with Bobby Wagner Earl Thomas like those guys were

Like I said top of the world to me so getting to see those kids and the way they you know talk about me the questions they ask me it’s like dang I used to the same exact thing so I love that it’s uh it’s nice no it’s it’s

Really beautiful that you get back in that way especially because it is so meaningful and personal to you so that’s great um a few more for you you just mentioned some football players I know you played football I think you played quarterback yeah quarterback okay so I

Have to ask you is is Mahomes the best you’ve seen or who’s your goat uh yeah I mean I was Tom Brady broke my heart so it’s it’s hard giving him you know he is the goat s chips but he uh he should have six I’ll just say that uh should

Have six as a Falcons fan I feel the same way unfortunately should have five right he always finds a way he should have five he always finds a way but no Mahomes is definitely I think the most just pure Raw Talent I’ve seen play quarterback uh and I actually got a

Chance to to meet him too and talk to him uh after I got mistaken we kind of became cool just by just by that in itself uh but he’s a cool dude great guy and uh but he’s a guy who you can tell is like when it’s go time he turns into

A whole different animal and I respect that about him yeah so I know you played of course but like were you good like do you feel like you could have really done something or you were just like I’m Too Tall I can’t do it I mean I got to that

Point where I was too tall but there was definitely I definitely could have done something if I would have topped out at like 6’4 65 for sure would have stuck with football really who’s your comp QB comparison comp oh oh I would say I would

Say see I could run like I was I could I could really run but I love sitting in the pocket so maybe like a Josh Allen maybe maybe cam but cam probably ran more than me yeah um but I would say I mean Josh Allen runs a lot too maybe

Like a who’s who’s like a pocket pater that can run I would say CJ I was about to say maybe a CJ yeah I would say probably CJ cuz CJ’s not these other players do this at all but CJ’s first instinct is never to run yeah he’s

Always looking to throw but if he knows it calls for it exactly he’s gonna get I would give I would that’ be my comp CJ you CJ okay so Paulo is another CJ strad you heard it here first um so funny enough I hit up Jason and said that I

Was going to be talking to you and sometimes I just ask him you know what should I ask a player is there anything interesting I don’t know what this means but I guess maybe you do he said as him to tell you about the Wilson dorm and how every oneandone player basically

Stays in the same dorm room yeah exactly yes that is true okay so what is it like what is he talking about Wilson is uh a dorm on East Campus at Duke and uh it’s very storied you know when you first get there as a freshman in the summer you

Get the you get the or on your visit you get the you know the history lesson on it you know like you said you know every freshman going back to whoever has been in that dorm stayed in that dorm lived in that dorm and uh it’s a legendary

Dorm for sure it’s pretty old yeah um you stay with all other students boys and girls and so you’re just around you know everybody you’re not off to the side you’re not isolated you’re just in it you know like a regular student and uh that’s something that coach Kay uh he

He took pride in he wanted you know his players to have that college experience of you know not being elevated you know just kind of being a student and being around everybody else so I remember at first I was like what like CU you take visits to other schools and guys stay

They got their own buildings and gated off places and Duke’s like n you guys are with everybody else so at first you’re kind of like okay and then you know you get into it and it’s it’s dope man I I was I was glad that I did that

And you know Wilson is definitely a Legendary Legendary building but it also has to be cool knowing with how storyed the program is generally that like so many greats have stayed in the place that you were at is there one like Duke player that you think this is cool that

Like this person was also in Wilson dorm I mean I mean yeah when you think of like every yeah I mean it’s all of it’s all of them yeah who you want you can name it Zion RJ JT bi you know the list goes on and on um and yeah it’s just

It’s lineage like I mean I’m the guys are there I’m sure they got guys staying in Wilson Cooper flag be up there in Wilson next year so uh yall gonna be crazy next year oh yeah oh yeah we gonna have a monster class the roster monster

Class coming in shout out to coach Shire but uh no it’s just a good experience and you get to you know you get to be around other students and talk to other students and you see them every day walking in walking out so it’s just very

Nice and uh it’s something that I don’t think you appreciate until you leave you know cuz I think I remember you know my last couple days in Wilson after season was over and you know it was time to leave like I remember being like damn

I’m I’m G Miss I’m G miss this place man I’m G miss being in Wilson driving driving through campus and uh you know people bringing their families to the dorm and you know being like this is where Paulo stays this is where the guy stays like it’s cool so it’s definitely

Colleges especially in Duram like I tell people all the time I don’t have one bad memory from from duke or being in Durham like everything from the people you know from the coaches classes like it was just a overall positive experience like it was definitely a shock at first just

Kind of having that celebrity status of being the oh yeah and there’s a lot there is so much Spotlight there yeah it is it is but like I said it’s no bad memories like people were so supportive like win or loss people always you know were there like lifting you up I’d come

Back you know after a loss and people would be like hey like you guys are going to get them next week or you guys going to get a win and it’ just be like thank you I appreciate that you know I love that yeah so yeah amazing okay two

More questions for you and then I will let you go something you have discussed before is just your high IQ and of course we see it when we are watching you play but I wonder what having a high IQ means to you and then also tell me

Some guys around the league that you look at and say that is what it means to have high basketball IQ yeah I think um having a high IQ you know obviously is I think being able to not only have a feel for your game um but also your teammates

And and everyone around you so you know sometimes you know you got to know when a guy has it going or when a guy needs a touch um and be able to you know facilitate that I think that’s my one of my responsibilities um you know just

Having that feel for you know okay this guy has it going like let’s let’s get him the ball like in his spots where does he like the ball where does he you know where is where is he you know getting his shots at you know and just

Learning that I think that’s been some something this year that I’ve gotten a lot better at is knowing my team teammates and where they wanted um and then also just having to feel for um I think after your first year in the NBA you realize how repetitive it is how

Repetitive the game is whether it’s the actions the coverages and so being able to manipulate that like you look at some guys um like LeBron obviously is like I think the Pinnacle of that you know my first time playing against LeBron I was like like this guy is like different

Like he was just controlling everything like literally literally up there standing pointing that guy like yo come here like set here you going to cut like it’s going to be open trust me like I’m just watching like damn like he done seen this for 19 20 years like this is

Probably like he knows he could do this with his eyes closed um I think Luca a guy who manipul manipulates the game at a high level um you know there’s a lot of guys who are just Savant when it comes to that and so I think having the

IQ um but also defensively too I think there’s a lot of guys who have that IQ on on that end and knowing you know guy Tendencies Yeah you mentioned Jimmy Jimmy uh Jonathan Isaac yeah he’s he’s very good at that so I think uh that

That piece plays a is a big part and um I think just having that IQ though um I think some of it’s naturally but also some of it is experienc like you can’t there’s a certain level that you you know you can’t reach without the experience yeah some comes from just

Everything that you have seen all right well lastly um I think that of course NBA as a Brotherhood and it’s a responsibility of so many of you to make sure you are educating the people that come up next you have one many awards you have broken the records done the

Stats all the things but with Rookie of the Year you really know what it means to be that and of course wimy is a huge favorite to win Rookie of the Year this year what would you think wimy should know about what it means to win that

Award what do you wish you knew after you won that award I think uh I think the biggest thing is you know he was the number one pick I’m sure he was the favorite coming in to be rookie of the year so now it’s

You know he has to reach a new level I think that was my biggest thing like I said like okay I’m the best rookie like as I should but like now it’s the field and I’m sure in his head you know he’s not going to be satisfied being a rookie

Of the year he wants to be you know the best center in the league so I think that’s next like I think me and him are both chasing that you know and I think that’s just going to be his battle is like reaching that new level taking it

To the heights that I’m sure he knows he can take it to and uh I think that’s just the great thing about being a young player in his League um especially number one pick rookie of the year is that you have all these lofty expectations not only from yourself but

Everybody else and so just being able to you know motivate yourself and live up to that is the biggest thing so I think I mean he’s he’s having a great year he’s probably going to be Rookie of the Year and uh I think he’s going to like I said like

That rookie you’re just figuring it out so next year I’m sure he’s going to take another big jump and he’s just going to keep reaching new levels so I love that beautiful answer Paulo you’re a pleasure thank you so much for your time I feel

Like I learned so much about you and I appreciate you giving me your time and your space so thanks so much Paulo and good luck in this final stretch thank you and in the postseason because it’s coming y thanks Pa

Orlando Magic All-Star Paolo Banchero sits down with Taylor Rooks for exclusive interview to discuss his first All-Star experience, how an exchange with KD helped him know he’d arrived in the NBA, how he’s grown in his 2nd season, and why he’s chasing perfection. Paolo also breaks down his game-winning shot vs. the Pistons and emotional postgame interview, reacts to Magic disrespect, lists the 3 best defenders he’s faced, weighs in on the Brady vs. Mahomes debate, and shares advice to Wemby.

@statefarm

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/BleacherReport?sub_confirmation=1
Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/f/bleacherreport
Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bleacherreport
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bleacherreport
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bleacherreport

#nba #paolobanchero #orlandomagic