#1 Chris Duarte – Guard – Oregon
Memphis has found a lot of success taking a shooting guard/wing out of Oregon in Dillon Brooks, so why not do it again? Chris Duarte is the epitome of a “3-and-D” player in the modern day NBA and he is one of the highest rated seniors in this draft class.
Duarte skipped going to the combine this year, which could mean a team gave him a promise in the first-round of this year’s draft. Are the Memphis Grizzlies the team that promised to take Chris Duarte with the 17th overall pick if he is available?
This very well could be the case because Duarte fits their system perfectly as a versatile defender that can guard multiple positions. In two seasons at Oregon, the 24-year-old shooting guard only improved as an on-ball defender, but the best aspect of his game defensively is how well he defends pick-and-roll sets.
His opponent may be faster than he is, but Duarte sets himself up in the best position to defend and also cut his opponents off from getting right to the rim. Shooting threes is one thing in the NBA, but being able to defend on the wing at a high-level is equally as important.
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As mentioned with Cameron Thomas, the Grizzlies have a ton of talent at shooting guard, but passing up on Chris Duarte could be too much to ask. He can positively impact a game on one end of the court and then hit a three on the other end, which is invaluable.
While he may be an older prospect at 24-years-old, Chris Duarte should be viewed as one of the best two-way players in this year’s draft class and should absolutely be on the radar of plenty of teams with playoff potential. Memphis needs difference-makers and that is exactly the kind of player that Duarte is.
