Grant Hill Reveals Paolo Banchero as NBA Draft Preference for Magic

Former NBA star Grant Hill sees Paolo Banchero as the Orlando Magic's best option with the No. 1 overall pick.

The Orlando Magic will set the tone for the 2022 NBA Draft as they hold the No. 1 overall pick. The most frequent projections with the selection include Jabari Smith Jr. and Chet Holmgren.

In an interview with USA TODAY Sports, Hill shared his preference for which draft prospect the Magic should select with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. 

While Hill sees Smith Jr. and Holmgren having great NBA careers, his preference for the Magic is to select Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 overall pick. 

"The three top guys have, obviously, separated themselves from the pack and one of those three will be the No. 1 pick," Hill said. "I followed Duke a lot this year and I covered them a lot in March Madness. Paolo has a great combination of size, skill and feel, and you don’t see that a lot in players. He is 6 foot, 10 inches and 250 pounds so that in itself is great size and not everybody has that."

"Jabari Smith and Chet Holmgren are great players as well. They’re all different in terms of what they do best and how they approach things but they’re all very talented. I think they have great careers in front of them. Since I live in Orlando, and Paolo went to Duke, I’d like to see them take Paolo Banchero but I think they have three really good options and it’ll be interesting to see who they choose."

Banchero had an impressive season at Duke with averages of 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals. He displayed intriguing potential with his overall. His isolation scoring ability and post-game have caught the attention of many scouts.

While it remains to be seen which prospect the Magic will take with the No. 1 overall pick, the most frequent projection for Banchero remains him going to the Houston Rockets at No. 3 in the order.

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