While Chris Duarte was the only Oregon Ducks player selected in the 2021 NBA draft, he was not the only one to get a step closer to realizing his professional dream.
Eugene Omoruyi, a Rutgers transfer who starred for the Ducks in his lone season with the team in 2020-2021, signed a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks shortly after the draft concluded on Thursday evening.
A two-way contract indicates Omoruyi will split his time next season between Dallas and the team’s G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, based in nearby Frisco.
Omoruyi was one of a handful of undrafted free agents signed by Dallas, who did not have any picks in the draft. Omoruyi joins Feron Hunt from SMU, EJ Onu from NAIA school Shawnee State, and Carlik Jones from Louisville.
For Omoruyi, trying to crack Dallas’ rotation this season will be an uphill battle, thanks to the presence of multiple young wings already on the roster including former Pac-12 foes Tyler Bey and Tyrell Terry.
However, Bey and fellow shooting guard Nate Hinton are restricted free agents, while starters Josh Richardson and Dorian Finney-Smith are set to hit free agency after the upcoming season.
Expecting Omoruyi to work his way into a starting role after one year on a two-way contract is obviously bold, but it would not be surprising to see him stick around this year and eventually play his way into a real role with this team, which could be enhanced next year if some of their wing depth departs in the offseason.
Perhaps the biggest area Omoruyi can make himself valuable is as an outside shooter. He was an abysmal 23% three point shooter in three years at Rutgers, attempting less than one per game, before blossoming into a 37.6% shooter on 3.9 attempts per game with the Ducks.
If his outside shooting continues to improve, and the rest of his well-balanced game plays up at the next level, he could easily become a solid role player for a very good Mavericks squad before the year is up.
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