Surprising detail emerges about Paolo Banchero ahead of draft

Former Duke star Paolo Banchero is the running to go No. 1 overall in this year’s NBA Draft, and now his case may be getting further bolstered.

Speaking this week on “The Mismatch,” Chris Vernon of The Ringer shared a surprising detail about Banchero — that he may be taller than we thought.

“This dude is big,” said Vernon, who ran into Banchero at a recent workout. “Like big, big. I talked to somebody there and I was like, ‘Yo, like, what did he measure at? … They told me that he, I want to say it was in Houston, maybe he went to go workout or something, that he measured 6’10.5″ or 6’10.25″ without shoes.”

Banchero, a lengthy, physical forward, is officially listed at 6-foot-10. At the NBA Combine this year (which Banchero did not participate in), many draft prospects were an inch to an inch-and-a-half taller with shoes, according to NBA.com’s numbers. If Banchero is already well over 6’10” without shoes, that means that he could be close to a true seven feet in shoes … at just 19 years old.

Along with Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, as well as (possibly) Jaden Ivey, Banchero is in the top-of-the-lottery conversation now. But even with this latest alleged revelation about Banchero, one particular lottery team may potentially still avoid him.