MANILA, Philippines–“I’m worthy of the top pick.”
That’s how confident crack Fil-Italian point guard Chris Banchero is of his game even if GlobalPort is set to select athletic guard and former Penn State slotman Stanley Pringle as the first overall pick in the 2014 PBA Draft this Sunday.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where I go. I believe that I’m worthy of the top pick,” said Banchero as the first day of the 2014 PBA Draft Combine wrapped up Monday at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong. “I believe that my ability shows that.”
Banchero, though, was quick to add that he’d gladly play for any team that wants his services.
“But I want to go to the teams that want me so regardless of 1-2-3-4-5, it doesn’t matter because I’m gonna go in there regardless what team it is and I’m gonna do my best,” he said.”
“Regardless of what team I go to, I feel like I’ll be able to make an impact at the end of the day.”
The 6-foot Banchero took his game to Philippine shores as part of the San Miguel Beermen in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) before entering the PBA D-League where he played for the Boracay Rum Waves just this year.
Banchero averaged close to 15 points, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game in seven of the possible nine appearances in the elimination round of the 2014 Foundation Cup. He missed two games due to a shoulder injury.
As far as the brand of basketball in the PBA is concerned, Banchero is wary of the physical nature of it and the wear and tear his body may endure.
And as confident as he is of his capabilities, Banchero also knows that he still has a lot to work on his game.
“Like I said before, it’s a physical league. I got to focus on my ball handling because the defenders are very physical and my outside shot because players are very physical,” he stressed. “So I wanna stay out of the lane because the PBA is a long season–I believe it’s 10 months out of a year–so I want to keep my body healthy so as much as I can, I’m going to stay in the perimeter and knock down my jump shots.”
The 25-year-old Banchero shot close to 50 percent from the two-point area in his last D-League conference but attempted just nine triples and missed them all–an indication of how he has yet to develop a 3-pointer in his arsenal.