Chris Duarte is one of the NBA’s great sensations at the start of the 2021-22 season, proving to be a solid candidate for the Rookie of the Year award, thanks to his brilliant performance with the Indiana Pacers.
Beyond that this may seem a surprise to some fans, this Dominican was not chosen with the 13th selection of the NBA Draft 2021 by chance, since he came from being one of the most important figures of the Oregon Ducks between 2019 and 2021.
He played two years at the NCAA level, taking a notable leap in quality in his second season with Oregon, maintaining a statistical line of 17.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. His effectiveness in three-point shooting is noteworthy, as he finished with 42% correct answers.
However, Duarte does not only have a presence on offense, as he won the award for the best defensive team of the PAC-12 conference after averaging 2 steals and almost one rebound in his 26 action games.
Chris Duarte on top of the NBA Rookie Ladder through 2 weeks of play #Pacers: pic.twitter.com/B2IuWuQ4Rc
— Zach Pearson (@zapearsonNBA) November 1, 2021
There is still much to see from Duarte, who at 24 years of age wants to show that his talent is worthy of leading him to become one of the best players in the NBA, something that does not seem far-fetched so far.
