Banchero shines with 30+ points, embracing defensive challenges and driving team momentum after a crucial win.
On how big Jalen Suggs' shot was and whether it reflected the offense they want to play:
"Yeah, big shot for sure. Being up one, make it a two-possession game. Just drawing two, kicking it out, and then guys making plays from there. Usually if you can get two on the ball and pass out, you can get an open shot. Swung it around a couple times. Dez did a great job of driving and then finding Jay and he was wide open and knocked it down."
On what's been working for him offensively in his third straight 30+ point game:
"Just out there being aggressive really. Nothing more to it."
On asking to guard DeMar DeRozan after the second quarter and what it says about him stepping up:
"He had it going. He had 20 in the first half and that's a guy who scored a lot of points in this league. He was kind of having his way and I just wanted to take a shot at him and try to make it tough. Didn't want him having a huge night. He still had 33, but didn't want him to explode. He's a guy that if you let him just keep going, he can close you out and beat you. So just wanted to accept the challenge and try to make his life a little more difficult as a group, especially with the way things happened during the last few weeks."
On what it says about the team to be tied at 95 and then extend the lead and make the plays to scratch out the win:
"If we want to be a playoff team, you got to be able to do stuff like that. So I think we just did what we were supposed to do out there."
On how he evaluates his play since the All-Star break (averaging 26.8 & 6) and crediting teammates:
"Always give credit to my teammates for finding me and just encouraging me to be aggressive. But yeah, I think I've just been playing to the level I'm capable of since the All-Star break. Like I said, just being aggressive and imposing my will on the game each and every night, whatever that looks like."
On Jamal Cain's increased role, their relationship, and his hustle plays:
"He's making big-time energy plays out there—cuts, rebounds, transition finishes. He's athletic and he has solid feel for the game out there. He's just been staying ready this whole season, waiting on his opportunity. You got to give him all the credit for being able to stay ready this whole season. It's been a long season and he's just now kind of getting to get out there and see some consistent minutes. All the credit to him for sticking it out and being ready when his number's been called. He's helped us a lot out there for sure, both sides of the ball."
On hunting contact, euro steps, and finishing at the rim (and working on it with Coach Shamgod):
"Yeah. I would say just the way I play—always trying to use contact to my advantage. That's something I feel like we've been working on all year. Coach Sham, he's been great just helping me out with small details of the game."
On reading the defense and deciding which moves to use in the moment:
"I think it's just reading and reacting—reading the defense, seeing what type of defender is on me or how the defense is playing me and kind of just trusting my instincts. A lot of it's just split-second decisions. You don't want to try and predetermine too much. Attacking a guy, if I got him on his heels, you might go to a certain move or if he's being overly aggressive, trying to be physical, you might spin off or something like that and use the aggressiveness against them. It's just all kind of split-second decisions in the moment. It comes with practice—like you said, before the game, on off days when getting in the gym. Continued practice makes it easier in the game."
On the importance of building momentum off this win heading into the final stretch:
"Super important. We're in a tight race and put ourselves in a tough position losing six in a row. So we got to dig ourselves out of it. Don't want to be in the play-in, but that's where we're at right now. So got to find a way to get out of there and get some momentum going into the playoffs. We got nine games left to do that. We just got to be on our P's and Q's every night."
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