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Paolo Banchero gets his test at center in first U.S. Basketball showing

When the Orlando Magic drafted Paolo Banchero, the ideas of what he could do were part of the reason and possibilities he would provide.

There was a 6-foot-10 forward who could handle like a guard, pass deftly over defenses and stop and hit all the superstar kind of shots from the mid- and low-post. In fact, the Duke Blue Devils used him almost exclusively as a center with screens and post-ups. It lacked the imagination the NBA typically has for its teams and players.

The Magic changed that really quickly. They put the ball in Banchero’s hands on the perimeter and quickly put him in more pick and rolls in his first month with the team than he had his entire freshman season at Duke.