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Prior to the start of the 2020-21 college basketball season, several analysts did not have Chris Duarte as a person to have his name called in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Fast forward to today and the 6ft 5in combo guard definitely has a shot at entering the lottery.
Athletic’s Sam Vecenie and Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman updated their fake drafts on Wednesday, and the two have the Warriors hooking Duarte at No.14 overall.
The Dominican Republic native averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.8 steals per game for the Oregon Ducks last season, while shooting 53.2% overall, 42.4% from depth and 81% from the free throw line.
He was part of the third All-American team and won one of five spots on the Pac-12 All-Defensive team.
Duarte has been fantastic in the NCAA tournament, registering 23 points and seven assists in the Round of 16 against Iowa, and 21 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals against USC in the Sweet 16.
He is seen as a prospect who should be able to make immediate contributions from day one.
“That’s all I bring on and off the pitch. I’m a big kid, a great player [and] I can do a lot of things for a team, ”Duarte told ESPN’s Mike Schmitz. “A good family guy. All those little things.
“I’m a hard worker. It’s my mentality – to outdo everyone. They can talk about my age and this and that. Hey man – everyone has a different path. I had to go to JUCO for two years, I had to reclassify a year in high school because I came here without knowing the language.
“I’m here and I’m ready. And I know I can bring a lot to the table.”
RELATED: Chad Ford Hot Take: Warriors Shouldn’t Draft These Two Players
Duarte trained for the Warriors at the Chase Center last week, and he’ll be in the green room in next week’s draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“Duarte has a top role player written all over him,” writes Vecenie. “He chose not to participate in the 2021 NBA Draft Combine, which led some teams to speculate that he had a promise from someone.”
Could it be from the Warriors? We will find out soon.
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