Chris Duarte showing impressive flashes early on

The Indiana Pacers selected Chris Duarte with the 13th overall pick in the NBA Draft and it was kind of surprising to see him still remaining on the board. The Warriors, Thunder, and Hornets all had an interest in drafting him before the Pacers had the chance to. 

With guys like T.J. Warren, Caris LeVert, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, and others on this roster, it was expected that Duarte would have to prove himself early on in the season to earn a spot in this rotation, but with Indiana dealing with injuries this preseason, the rookie shooting guard has really stepped up and delivered for his team. 

In his first-ever NBA preseason game against the New York Knicks, the Pacers ultimately lost, but Duarte had 15 points on 5-11 shooting from the floor and he also ended up with 5 assists and a block in just over 19 minutes.

Since then, Chris Duarte has gone on to score 11 points on 5-11 shooting against the Cavaliers and recently, he had his best performance of the preseason, scoring 21 points on 9-18 shooting and he had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block in 35 minutes. 

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Getting a lot of playing time this preseason has been great for the rookie guard and as a result, he has been able to showcase what he brings to the table for the Pacers this season. “A guy like me — that had to come from the Dominican Republic — I had to work extremely hard to be here. To be in this type of moment, you have to make sure you’re ready. That’s my focus. You have to work hard,” Duarte told reporters after his 21-point performance on Wednesday night.