Pacers select Duarte with No. 13 pick
With the No. 13 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers have selected Chris Duarte out of Oregon.
The Dominican shooting guard had an inauspicious start to his collegiate career. He played two years of junior college ball at Northwest Florida State College - earning NJCAA Player of the Year honors in his second season - before joining the Ducks in 2019.
Duarte averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.9 steals, and nearly a block in just over 34 minutes per game with Oregon last season. His defensive acumen netted him a conference All-Defensive team selection, and he shot efficiently across the board, too: 63.1% on twos and 42.4% on threes (for 53.2% overall), and 81% from the free-throw line.
Duarte, 24, ranks as one of the oldest players in the draft. Still, there's much to like about his game. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame agreed, awarding him the Jerry West Award as the nation's top collegiate shooting guard in 2020-21.
Bio
Position: SG
School: Oregon
College experience: Senior
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 190 lbs
Wingspan: N/A
Max vertical: N/A
Strengths
- Uses constant off-ball movement to spring open for 3-pointers
- Hustles hard to disrupt passes on defense
- Ambidextrous finisher
Weaknesses
- He's 24; the odds of him discovering a well of untapped potential are low
- Not a creator; averaged 2.7 assists to 2.3 turnovers as a senior
- Reliance on outside scoring limits his ability to get to the free-throw line