Jamal Crawford Praises 'Franchise Cornerstone' Paolo Banchero Before Pro-Am Return

No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero will be returning to his home state of Washington this weekend to compete in the Crawsover Pro-Am League.

Orlando Magic fans will have another opportunity to witness their franchise cornerstone before the season tips-off.

Paolo Banchero is just a few days out from suiting up in the CrawsOver, a Pro-Am league founded by 20-year NBA veteran Jamal Crawford.

The three-time Sixth Man of the Year has always thought very highly of Banchero, speaking on his game prior to the Magic selecting him in last month's draft.

“He’s a problem," Crawford said on the All The Smoke podcast earlier this offseason. "He’s a worker, a gym rat... knows he doesn’t have all the answers so he listens…Whoever gets him is getting a franchise cornerstone.”

This will be Banchero's, a Seattle native, second stint in the league after playing last summer prior to his freshman campaign at Duke.

Toronto Raptors guard Malachi Flynn's 73-point performance last weekend for “Washington’s Finest,” showed just how much potential can come from the state, with the two actually being teammates last summer. 

Putting on for his birthplace has been an emphasis from Banchero, who sports many tattoos showcasing monuments and other landmarks from Seattle.

“Part of my mission is to try to put Seattle on the map and get us as much recognition as I can,” Banchero said to Slam Magazine.

The No. 1 overall pick will be playing for team “Real Ballers” alongside newly acquired Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray.

Other NBA players expected to participate in the league are Kevin Porter Jr., Tari Eason (Houston Rockets), Jalen McDaniels, Jaylen Nowell (Minnesota Timberwolves), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Atlanta Hawks), Malachi Flynn (Toronto Raptors), Isaiah Thomas (free agent) and MarJon Beauchamp (Milwaukee Bucks).