Paolo Banchero Projected More Success Than Thunder Star Chet Holmgren

Despite an impressive rookie season from Chet Holmgren, The Athletic still picked Paolo Banchero over the Oklahoma City standout when projecting "long term" success.

Apr 14, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) walks up court after a play during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at KIA Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

After being selected with the No. 1 and No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren's professional careers will be permanently linked.

Even before the two dominated college basketball, Holmgren and Banchero were both elite 5-star high school prospects who competed for the top spot in 247Sports' recruiting.rankings, with Holmgren finishing No. 1 and Banchero coming in at No. 2.

Now, just a few years later, both players have proven to be high-level NBA players as well, with Banchero winning Rookie of the Year, earning an All-Star berth and leading the Orlando Magic to the playoffs in the first two years in the league.

Holmgren, on the other hand, suffered a foot injury that prevented him from playing his entire first season, but performed even better than many had hoped in his de facto rookie year.

The former Gonzaga star was the runner up to Victor Wembanyama in Rookie of the Year voting and anchored the No. 1 team in the Western Conference as just a 21-year-old.

In a recent episode of The Athletic NBA Show, a popular NBA media podcast, Law Murray of The Athletic gave his opinion on who he would rather have long term between Holmgren and Banchero.

"I'm going to go with Paolo," Murray said. "It's for two reasons. No. 1, I know that Paolo continues to try and get better with his own efficiency. He is a foundational piece where you can give him the ball, at the power forward position, and run your offense through him as a No. 1 guy. There haven't been a lot of guys in the NBA who got to be an All-Star in year two.

"I think Chet is an amazing player and an amazing prospect, there are two things that I worry about with him. No. 1, he's already missed an entire year due to a serious injury. ... No. 2, Chet plays with a crazy level of ball-in-hand talent, and that reduces the responsibility that Chet has. So Chet does a great job in the role that he has. I would say that Chet is more efficient than Paolo, better defensively than Paolo, but you're not asking Chet to do any of the stuff Paolo is being asked to do on the offensive end of the floor."

During his first season on an NBA court, Holmgren averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 53% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc.

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