Duke Star Freshman Being Linked To San Antonio Spurs Ahead Of 2022 NBA Draft

Duke standout freshman Paolo Banchero, one of the top prospects that has declared for this year’s NBA Draft, has been linked to the San Antonio Spurs in recent weeks.

The San Antonio Spurs are going to be searching for answers on how to build their roster moving forward in this offseason’s NBA Draft and they may not have to look much farther than Paolo Banchero.

The now former Duke Blue Devil is highly regarded as one of the best prospects in this year’s draft class and is in the running to be the No. 1 overall pick come June.

Standing 6’10” with a 7’1 wingspan, Banchero can be utilized at almost any position on the floor and fits the mold of an athletic forward that the Spurs have been searching for in recent years.

According to Jeff Garcia of KENS5.com, if Paolo Banchero was to have “his wish” in the 2022 NBA Draft, it would be to put on the Silver and Black jersey in order to team up with first-year All-Star Dejounte Murray on the San Antonio Spurs.

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Banchero attended O'Dea High School, the same school former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson and former world No. 1 and major golf champion Fred Couples attended.

His ties to the city of Seattle and his home state of Washington run deep, as the potential No. 1 overall pick has been in contact with Dejounte Murray, Isaiah Thomas and Spencer Hawes throughout the last year, all of which are from Seattle or the surrounding area.

Teaming up and playing with Murray would instantly create one of the more athletic “one-two punches” in the league, but the Spurs will have to have some luck with their ping pong balls come time for the NBA Draft Lottery on May 17.

According to Tankathon, the Spurs currently own the ninth-best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft at 4.5% and they have a 20.2% chance altogether to land a Top-4 pick, the range that Banchero is currently projected to go in this year's draft.

Based purely on the odds given by the NBA, San Antonio has the best chance of receiving the ninth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

In June of 2021, as noted by Garcia, Banchero was asked on social media what player in the NBA would he want to be drafted to play with and he was quick to mention both Dejounte Murray and Houston Rockets’ guard Kevin Porter Jr.

dejounte murray or kevin porter https://t.co/WTlwSpcxwh

— Paolo Banchero (@Pp_doesit) June 27, 2021

The Rockets are tied with the Orlando Magic and the Detroit Pistons for the best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick, so this was a pretty smart answer by the Duke freshman!

Trading up to have a chance at drafting Paolo Banchero based on their draft position after the lottery is definitely a possible option for the San Antonio Spurs, but there is still plenty of time before this year’s draft for ideas and scenarios to change.

After all, the Spurs could end up with the No. 1 overall pick and draft Banchero if he truly is “their guy” at the top of their draft board.

The 2022 NBA Draft is set to take place on June 23 in Brooklyn, New York. 

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