"Grilled me the whole time": When former Duke star Paolo Banchero reflected on Coach K's intense practice sessions
Paolo Banchero has been making waves in the NBA since being drafted as the top pick by the Orlando Magic in 2022. The guard also played previously played college basketball for one season at Duke, where he was coached by the legendary Mike Krzyzewski.
During an appearance on the DraftKings' "The Old Man & the Three" podcast in December 2022, Banchero recalled the intensity of practices. He also mentioned a time when Coach K gave him a grilling during practice.
"Some days you can tell when Coach K is like, he's getting ready to get on your a** you know what I'm saying," Banchero said. (1:30) "So, I kinda had that vibe early. And he's seeing the clip and it was paused with me holding the ball. So, I'm like 'here we go, he's probably going to get on me.'"
"And I didn't kinda play that bad on the scrimmage, but like, I was kinda sluggish. I was scoring, but my intensity, especially on defense, just wasn't really there. And he just took the whole 20-25 minutes and grilled me the whole time, like clip after clip after clip. Even on clips when I was scoring he's like, 'look how you're moving, you're sluggish, mosey up and down the court.'
"Then, there's another clip, where I just dribbled the hell out of the ball and like, I don't get anything. He's like, 'See, this is your problem. That soft a**, West Coast Seattle sh**. This isn't the fu****g Seattle Pro-Am. Nobody wants to watch you dribble up and down the court.'"
During the podcast, Banchero also heaped praise on Coach K, for his development and success. Krzyzewski coached at Duke from 1980 to 2022 and won five national titles. He also won 13 regular season titles and 15 ACC Tournaments with the Blue Devils.
Paolo Banchero scores game-high 43 points in Orlando Magic's defeat to Minnesota Timberwolves
Paolo Banchero scored a game-high 43 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on Friday. However, the Magic came up short, losing 118-111, and suffering their 37th loss of the season. Banchero has been arguably Orlando's best player this season. He is averaging 25.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
The Magic are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference and still in the hunt for a playoff spot. However, Paolo Banchero's teammates need to offer him more support in the closing stages of the regular season if Orlando is to play in the postseason.