Pro-Am tournaments are the flavor of the season right now as stars around the league look to hoop this offseason. It all kick-started with LeBron James returning to the Drew League for the first time in 11 years and the latest NBA players to ball out at these were Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren.
Banchero and Holmgren, the top 2 picks of the 2022 NBA Draft, returned to the CrawsOver Pro-Am which was created by former NBA player Jamal Crawford in Seattle, having made their debuts there last summer. They suited up for the Sonics and went up against Ball is Life, who were led by Jaden McDaniels of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Sonics ended up coming out on top, but all 3 of them ended up balling out, as they put up some ridiculous numbers.
Sonics with a win over Ball Is Life @thecrawsover
Paolo Banchero: 50 PTS, 9 REB
Jaden McDaniels: 52 PTS, 11 REB
Chet Holmgren: 34 PTS, 14 REB, 8 BLK
📷 @shobasketball pic.twitter.com/G0UZEtqA2q
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) July 30, 2022
Banchero and McDaniels exploded on the offensive end as they both hit the 50-point mark while Holmgren once again put his shot-blocking ability on display with 8 blocks while also scoring 34 points.
It’s only Summer League and pro-am, but Banchero has been really impressive since being drafted first overall by the Magic. There were some eyebrows raised when he they picked him, as many had him as the third best player after Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr., but early impressions would say otherwise. Holmgren, meanwhile, continues to show flashes of just what he is capable of, and the two of them hung out after the game as well!
— chet holmgren (@ChetHolmgren) July 31, 2022
It’s nice to see them link up here as the top 2 picks and their respective teams will hope that the two of them can carry on and become franchise cornerstones for the upcoming decade or so.
Banchero, a Seattle native, also expressed in a recent interview that the NBA needs to bring a team back to Seattle and that might be happening too, as a report had indicated previously that the league plans to bring in two expansion teams in 2024, with one of them in Seattle. It seems like the fans in the area might soon have more than just pro-ams to look forward to.
