Paolo Banchero has been playing top basketball as a sophomore and it clearly seems as if he’s off to improve his stats from his Rookie of the Year season. However, some experts believe the sky is the limit for the Magic star, as former NBA champion Mike Miller explained why he believes the player might become a Hall of Famer in the future.
In a recent episode of “The OGs” podcast with co-host Udonis Haslem, Miller made this audacious prediction and added that Banchero will also get an All-Star call this year. Six years ago, he made the same prediction about Nikola Jokic and look at him now.
The two-time NBA champ praised Paolo’s game mostly pointing out how he aggressively attacks, gets easily to the rim and has even improved his three-point percentage to 40%. Miller has experience playing next to All-Stars, as he was part of the Heat during LeBron’s Big Three era.
Mike Miller believes Paolo Banchero has the potential to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the future. 👀
(Via: The OGs Show)
pic.twitter.com/yinuH0h1TV— OutOfSightSports🚀™️ (@OOSSports) December 20, 2023
“Obviously, I talk to him all the time through the process and through everything, and the reason he’s going to be an All-Star this year and going to be a Hall of Famer is the way he answers…” he said during the podcast.
Miller insists he’s improving day by day. “He can go out and get 35 every night, he can attack; he can get to the foul line, he can shoot 12 free throws a game. He’s actually got his 3-point up to about 40 percent this year, maybe above 40 percent,” he expressed.
The podcast host also shared about the rising star’s elite mentality. “He continues to evolve his game, but his whole thing is, ‘I just want to win’, and he told me, he goes, ‘Coach, I told you this when I got here were going to make the playoffs the second year’, so to see this and to do this without Wendell Carter too cause their core is elite,” he said.
The Magic are also playing their best basketball in years, currently sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference
One thing are individual stats, but Paolo Banchero’s form is inspiring his entire squad, as they’ve grown collectively this 2023/24 NBA campaign. Not only are they currently standing in the Eastern Conference’s fourth place, but they have also seen their bench become the second-best offense in the league.
One of the main reasons for their early success is due to their bench’s contributions, as they’ve scored 45.1 point per game this season. Their bench lineup include Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac, Moe Wagner, Joe Ingles and Gary Harris, and have all earned valuable minutes on court when their starters rest.
Probably the two most outstanding have been Wagner and Anthony, who have shined with averages of 14.8 and 11.6 points per match, respectively.
Harris reveals the confidence behind their benched roster. “I think our second unit is confident as a unit. We are one of the best second units in the league. Just do whatever we can to help the first unit and for us together get some of these wins,” he said recently.
