If he can continue to produce, Duarte will be a name to watch in the Rookie of the Year race. The Pacers believed Duarte could play a big role to start the season, and the rookie is showing he is capable of contributing on a nightly basis. Duarte has drawn high praise from his peers, recently earning a shoutout from Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton. The 13th pick was described by Turner as being fearless on the court, something Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle also said. He has started every game this season and has scored in double figures in all but one. All the other guys get the hype just because of the social media and the markets they’re in, but I think Chris deserves all the praise he’s getting and more.ĭuarte came out of the gate hot, producing 27 points in his first game, which set the Pacers team record for a rookie debut. I think he’s one of the better rookies in the league. He’s someone who’s going to be important for us down the stretch. He doesn’t play too fast, and he gets to his spots. His being 24 years old, he has some poise and a calmness about him that you don’t see a lot from rookies coming in. ![]() ![]() John’s, said of Duarte on the team website. Chris is everything a coach wants in a student-athlete,' DeMeo, now an assistant coach at St. Chris Duarte Oregon 2020-21 Full SZN Highlights Montage - 17.1 PPG, 1.9 Stls, Pacers Bound Frankie Vision 31.2K subscribers Subscribe 1.7K 120K views 1 year ago FrankieVision Youtube. Duarte was named the NJCAA National Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American. I think he’s someone that’s been talked about for a while now. Northwest Florida State again fell in the Elite Eight, to Ranger College (TX), 66-63. He plays with this confidence that I saw him play with in the summer league, and he carried it right over into training camp and into the game. ![]() No disrespect to any other rookies right now, but I’d say Chris has firmly put himself in the Rookie of the Year conversation. Turner, speaking in an interview with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, loves the confidence Duarte is playing with to begin the season with the Pacers. He leads all rookie players in scoring, field goals and 3-pointers made. He looked at the body of work Duarte has put forth to this point and believes some of his intangibles are responsible for his quick start.ĭuarte, through 11 games, is averaging 16 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 44.7% shooting from the field, including 42.2% from 3-point range. Turner recently vouched for Duarte in the race to become the top first-year player this season. If there can be a conversation surrounding the NBA Rookie of the Year race just three weeks into the season, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner believes teammate Chris Duarte should be part of it.
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