Paolo Banchero entering NBA draft

Paolo Banchero is entering the NBA draft after one season at Duke.

The move, which was announced Wednesday afternoon, is an expected one for the star freshman. Banchero is projected to be a top-three pick in the draft and could be the No. 1 overall selection.

Banchero arrived at Duke as the No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2021 and the 6-10, 250-pound forward met the hype. He was Duke’s leading scorer (17.2 points per game) and rebounder (7.8), and was second on the team in assists (3.2).

Banchero was the ACC’s freshman of the year, earning 72 of 78 votes, and was a first-team All-ACC selection.

"Paolo had a truly incredible season and is absolutely ready to attack the next phase of his playing career," said coach Mike Krzyzewski through a news release. "He put up remarkable numbers and won awards, but he always put the team first. Paolo is a great leader in that regard and someone all of our players admired, even though he was just a freshman."

After a dip in production in February, Banchero played his best down the stretch of the Blue Devils’ Final Four run. He averaged 18.8 points per game and 7.6 rebounds during the NCAA tournament.

Banchero shot 30.6% on 3-pointers (34 of 111) during the regular season, but made 10 of 19 (52.6%) during the NCAA tournament.

The Seattle native came to Duke with considerable hype and was expected to be a one-and-done player.