Rookie Wire took a look at how each lottery pick played in their debut game and offered a grade for each performance.
Excitement spread across the sports world on Wednesday as the NBA continued to tip off its 75th anniversary season with 22 teams in action around the country.
The evening saw several elite performances from the biggest stars in the game, while the bulk of the rookie class also hit the court for the first time. Several of the top first-year players were in action as the final results produced a mixed reaction.
Of course, No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham was absent from the Detroit Pistons’ lineup due to a right ankle sprain but Wednesday saw plenty of other high draft picks make their debuts, including Jalen Green, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs among others.
Rookie Wire went through and took a look at how each lottery pick played in their debut game. We offered a grade for each performance, and some analysis on how they looked on the court.
It’s finally that time of year again, y’all. The NBA is back. The season is here.
This is the single moment of the year where everyone — yes, even YOU, Thunder fan — can have optimism and hope for your team because everyone starts from the bottom and works their way up.
It’s the moment where everyone is absolutely sure each and every player on their team will operate at the peak of his powers and it’s the moment where you expect every projection to be shattered. Reality hasn’t set in quite yet.
It’s also the moment where the takes are the hottest and, boy, do I have quite a few for y’all.
Welcome to the Hot Take Cannon, where toss you five takes on the NBA like they’re T-shirts. The thing about them? Some will be hot, some will be lukewarm, all will eventually be cold, probably.
And approximately one game into the season, we’ve already got some good ones cooking.
Put on your seatbelts, folks. This is going to be fun.
Do you think former Oregon Ducks star Chris Duarte is ready for the big leagues?
In his first NBA action on Wednesday night playing for the Indiana Pacers, Duarte made history scoring 27 points with 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 33 minutes. That is the most points scored by a rookie in their debut for the Pacers, and also the most three-pointers (6) in a debut as well.
Duarte started at the guard position for Indiana and was a regular member of the rotation in the eventual loss to the Charlotte Hornets. In the first half, he even provided a nice highlight with a buzzer-beater to close the first quarter.
Many people were claiming that Duarte was one of the top steals of the draft, going to the Pacers at No. 13. It appears, if his first career game is any indication, that these projections were correct.
Duarte earned the start on Wednesday, and made a bit of Pacers team history in the process of his NBA debut.
Indiana Pacers rookie Chris Duarte earned the start on Wednesday in the season opener versus the Charlotte Hornets, and made a bit of history during the process.
Duarte finished with 27 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal in 33 minutes of work. He went 9-of-15 from the field, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, during the 123-122 loss as the Pacers blew a 23-point lead in the third quarter.
The 27 points and six 3-pointers by Duarte were a Pacers franchise record by a rookie in a debut game. He also became the first Pacers rookie to record at least 25 points and five rebounds with five 3-pointers in a game since Jamaal Tinsley in 2002, according to StatMuse.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle previously praised Duarte for being a fearless player on the court and he showed just that on Wednesday. He started off hot, scoring 11 points in the first quarter alone and looked to be in a rhythm for the rest of the game.
He would later hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minutes to give the Pacers the lead but they were unable to hold it. Domantas Sabonis had an opportunity to win the game as time expired but his jump shot was too long and the Pacers lost.
The Pacers believed Duarte could play a large role to start the season and his spectacular debut on Wednesday certainly offered a glimpse of what he can do on the court. The team may have lost but Duarte proved that he is capable of producing this year.
Duarte led the Pacers in scoring during his preseason debut on Tuesday in a loss to the Knicks.
Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on Tuesday offered high praise for rookie Chris Duarte after a strong preseason debut versus the New York Knicks.
Duarte produced a team-high 15 points, five assists, two rebounds and one blocked shot in 19 minutes off the bench. He finished by shooting 5-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range, in the 125-104 loss on the road.
He was highly touted entering the NBA draft given his knack as an offensive player. On Tuesday, he had seemingly every area of his game on display, from his ability to drive into the paint and draw contact to pulling up and hitting from beyond the arc.
Carlisle said Duarte gives the Pacers another dynamic scoring option.
He did a lot of good things. He made some mistakes, too, that are correctable mistakes but when you’re in your first NBA game, these kinds of things can certainly happen. Overall, he is a fearless guy and I loved the way he played.
The Pacers certainly have high hopes for Duarte this season.
They believe he can play an integral role with the team, and his scoring could give them a huge boost off of the bench throughout the year. Though the performance came in the preseason, his ability to pick up things this quickly bodes well for the team.
Overall, Duarte felt good in his debut game with the Pacers.
“It’s crazy, my first game at Madison (Square) Garden so it felt good,” Duarte said. “I felt good out there, my first time playing in an NBA game. I’m just trying to learn from mistakes and try to learn each and every day.”
Indiana returns to play on Friday versus the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Former Oregon Ducks wing Chris Duarte made his NBA preseason debut on Tuesday for the Indiana Pacers, tallying a team-high 15 points and five assists in their 125-104 loss to the New York Knicks.
Duarte was tied for the team lead in minutes played with All-Star Domantas Sabonis, and he looked comfortable right away – teaming up with fellow rookie Isaiah Jackson to score 12 straight points over a five minute span in the first quarter.
“It’s crazy, having my first game at Madison Square Garden,” Duarte said after the game. “It felt good. I felt good out there. First time playing an NBA game, just trying to learn. Trying to learn from mistakes and trying to learn each and every day.”
Indiana made Duarte the 13th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft following a successful senior season in Eugene where he was named the Jerry West Award Winner – given to the nation’s top shooting guard.
Now, he’ll look to carve out a significant role for a rebuilding Pacers squad in his first NBA campaign.
Duarte joins Cade Cunningham and Jonathan Kuminga from the draft this year to sign with Nike.
Indiana Pacers rookie Chris Duarte is reportedly finalizing a multiyear shoe endorsement contract with Nike, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Duarte joins Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga from the draft this year to sign endorsement contracts with Nike. They join a star-studded roster of athletes, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and others.
The Pacers selected Duarte with the 13th overall pick in the draft after a strong senior year with Oregon. He was named to the All-Pac 12 first team last season after averaging 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals in 29 games.
He was one of two Division I players to average at least 17 points and 1.9 steals on 50% shooting from the field.
Nike and Indiana Pacers lottery pick Chris Duarte are finalizing a lucrative multiyear endorsement deal, CEO of @ICONLEGACYGROUP Charles Briscoe tells @YahooSports.
Prospects last season signed fewer endorsement contracts with brands due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, it appears as though companies are working fast to sign the top players this year with the marketplace turning around.
In addition to the players that joined Nike, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs each signed endorsement contracts with Adidas ahead of the NBA draft.
A look at former Oregon Ducks star guard Chris Duarte and his fit on his new NBA team, the Indiana Pacers, who selected him 13th overall.
As the oldest player in the 2021 NBA draft, former Oregon Ducks guard Chris Duarte was generally expected to be selected by a team on the verge of an NBA championship, where he could contribute right away as a bench option.
Instead, he was gobbled up by the Indiana Pacers with the 13th overall pick, just sneaking into the back end of the lottery while joining a team that missed the playoffs in the Eastern Conference last year, and looks more like a team entering a rebuild than one trying to win a trophy.
Still, looking at Indiana’s second unit, particularly defensively, makes it pretty easy to see how Duarte could be a good fit.
The Pacers dealt Aaron Holiday to the Wizards on draft day and seem poised to let Doug McDermott walk in free agency, giving them limited scoring options on the second unit.
Duarte can fill the role as a three point specialist coming off the bench, something Indiana is lacking on their current roster, while also providing a much, much needed defensive presence.
Duarte can slide in alongside Justin Holiday and/or Oshae Brissett on Indiana’s second unit, which should create a much more stout defensive group especially if paired with Goga Bitadze and Edmond Sumner.
The 24-year-old rookie from Oregon should carve out a decent role in his rookie year, launching a few three pointers per game which will open up the floor for Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis to flourish in the two-man game – and his defense will be much needed for a team that struggled on that side of the floor last year.
It may not be the bright shiny lights of Los Angeles or New York, but Duarte looks like a key piece for a Pacers team that might be looking to make a push sooner than expected.
Here are all the Ducks that were called up in the first round of the NBA draft to shake hands with the commissioner.
Oregon has had a long history of players being a part of the NBA draft, which is usually in June. A total of 14 Ducks have now been selected in the first round, with Chris Duarte being taken at No. 13 by the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The first Duck to be a first-round selection was Jim Loscutoff way back in 1955 when the Boston Celtics picked the 6-foot-5 forward No. 3 overall. The most recent Oregon player was last season when, again the Celtics, selected some guy named Payton Pritchard. Both Ducks and Celtics worked out for Beantown.
Here are all the Ducks that were called up in the first round to shake hands with the commissioner.
Chris Duarte landed with the Indiana pacers in the 2021 NBA Draft, giving him a chance to help get Nap-Town back into title contention.
For the third time in the past four years, an Oregon Ducks basketball player has been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
Oregon star Chris Duarte kept that trend going on Thursday night when the Indiana Pacers drafted him with the 13th overall pick. As we expected, Duarte’s supreme summer that was filled with high-level workouts propelled him into the back-end of the draft lottery, which was not expected earlier in the spring.
Duarte is just the 6th Duck to be drafted in the first round this century, and just the third to do so since 2010. Now with the Pacers, Duarte will look to be a plug-and-play guard who can immediately contribute and look to help a young roster that is looking to get back into championship contention.
