Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Former Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett believes that Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero could make a leap going forward, and he compared him to Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
“Paolo man, he gotta take another step,” Garnett said. “He gotta take the MVP step, bro.”
Garnett revealed that he saw Banchero at Fanatics Fest and told the young forward that he’s a “bad motherf—–.” He also told the former No. 1 overall pick that he can “dominate.”
“I like him a lot because he got so much room to take up and develop,” Garnett said of Banchero. “Like when I watch Jayson Tatum, Jayson Tatum was quiet, but you could see that dog in him.”
Garnett talked about when Tatum dunked on LeBron James early in his career “that St. Louis came out.”
He thinks that Banchero has a similar “dog” in him.
“That’s how he look,” Garnett said. “He got that dog in him to be like – not 24, just when you got it on, instead of two minutes, go four minutes with it.”
Garnett also said that he believes that Banchero “got another level” that he can go to in his career.
Banchero took a step in the right direction early in the 2024-25 season, as he dropped 50 points on 16-of-26 shooting from the field in Orlando’s win over the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 28.
In that game, Banchero nearly had a triple-double, as he finished with 13 rebounds and nine assists. The Magic are off to a fast start in the 2024-25 campaign, going 3-1 in their first four games.
After Orlando earned the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference last season, it appears the team could be headed for another playoff berth this season.
Banchero already has a bunch of accolades to his name, as he was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in the 2022-23 season, proving that the Magic made the right call to take him with the first pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Then, he was named an All-Star in his second NBA season, showing that he’s on a great career trajectory. That may be why Garnett is so high on the young forward, as he can sense that he’s ready to take another step – potentially to become an All-NBA player – in his third season.
Banchero and the Magic will be back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 30 against the Chicago Bulls.
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