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The last month of news concerning former Oregon Ducks to make a leap to the professional level has had to do with the football team, where a total of five players were selected in the 2021 NFL draft.
Coming later this summer, though, the 2021 NBA draft will get underway, and there’s a good chance that former Oregon star Chris Duarte hears his name called in the first round of the draft.
According to CBS Sports Gary Parrish, Duarte is being mocked to get selected by the Memphis Grizzles with the 19th overall pick.
Some might discount Duarte as a prospect because he’s already 23 years old, and because he’s not an elite athlete. But the former National Junior College Player of the Year is an accomplished player who made better than 42% of the 5.5 3-pointers he attempted per contest this season, and there’s little doubt he has a game that’ll translate to the NBA.
If Duarte were to go to the Grizzlies, he would be joining fellow Oregon alum Dillon Brooks, who has turned into an extremely valuable asset for Memphis.
Of course, the NBA season is still finishing the regular season, so we don’t know the draft order just yet, or how the lottery is going to shake out. The Draft Lottery Show will take place on June 22nd, with the NBA draft happening on July 29th. We will see where Duarte ends up, but there’s a good chance he goes somewhere in the first round.
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