Just like most kids his age, Oregon’s Chris Duarte looked up to LeBron James and Kobe Bryant

Former Duck guard Chris Duarte grew up idolizing LeBron and Kobe, and now he could play with the former should his spot in the NBA Draft go as projected.

Depending on age, your basketball heroes may differ. For those of us in an “older” generation, Michael Jordan was the absolute God among men. In Oregon, it was Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, and Jerome Kersey.

But to no one’s surprise, for kids that are Chris Duarte’s age, those heroes were Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Now for Duarte, there’s a decent chance he may wind up playing on the same team as LeBron and Kobe.

In a story on LeBronwire.com, it talked about how Duarte went on the HoopsHype podcast with Michael Scotto and discussed who he liked watching while he grew up in the Dominican Republic:

Growing up, we used to watch a lot of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Back in my day where we’re from, I’ve got a couple of friends, and we used to make teams of Bryant and James and go against each other.

Most mock drafts have Duarte being selected in the mid-first round or a little lower. The Los Angeles Lakers currently have the No. 22 pick in the NBA draft, so the former Duck guard landing in LA isn’t inconceivable, as ESPN predicted this past week.

[lawrence-related id=3215]

It would potentially be the perfect spot and team for Duarte to begin his career. There’s is no other player Duarte could learn from than the future Hall of Famer and to learn more about Kobe’s legacy than in the Lakers organization.

[listicle id=3382]

Oregon Ducks predicted to be Pac-12’s second-best team in early 2021 basketball rankings

A flurry of offseason moves has Oregon basketball on the map, with many believing they can vie for a Pac-12 title and deep tournament run.

Five years ago, saying that your team was one of the best in the Pac-12 was a lot like bragging about your kid’s third-place finish in the elementary school talent show. Great job, but what are we really doing here?

The past decade for the conference has left a lot to be desired, with a lack of national champions and a select few deep tournament runs marring the Pac-12 as a whole and shedding doubt over the quality of teams. However, a resurgence in March of 2021 has things on the upswing. Impressive showings in the NCAA Tournament from Oregon, USC, UCLA, Oregon State have the conference registering a pulse for the first time in a while, and there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.

For the first time in years, there is a belief that some teams out west can actually make noise on the national landscape, and a formidable opponent in March might be coming into form.

Among those teams to be a potential late-season darling is the Oregon Ducks, who are currently riding a high of landing numerous top-ranked transfers, and look to be as talented as any team that coach Dana Altman has ever had.

In his most recent conference rankings, The Athletic‘s Eamonn Brennan picked the Ducks to finish second in the conference, ranked only behind Johnny Juzang and the UCLA Bruins. Here is what Brennan had to say about Oregon:

And, yes, this roster looks unfamiliar. Will Richardson is the most important returner, and he was typically Oregon’s fourth or fifth offensive option; the losses of Chris Duarte (who is going to be a really good pro, just you wait) and Eugene Omoruyi especially will give this group a completely different feel from last season’s. But there will be similarities: With perimeter transfers De’Vion Harmon (Oklahoma), Jacob Young (Rutgers) and Quincy Guerrier (Syracuse), it’s not hard to imagine Oregon’s outside-in offense and matchup zone looks functioning in more or less the same way. The Ducks at their best were a matchup nightmare, a team of four fast 6-foot-5-ish shooters who could smell blood in the water. (Just ask Iowa.) This group will look a bit different in the specifics, but Altman’s ability to trim his team’s weaknesses and accentuate its strengths is a fixture of the Pac-12 men’s game each and every year. He’ll get them humming eventually.

The projected starters of Will Richardson, De’Vion Harmon, Jacob Young, Quincy Guerrier, and Franck Kepnang are impressive, but what the Ducks are bringing off the bench could be even more enthralling.

Rivaldo Soares, a JUCO All-American in 2020, will be joining 5-star prospects N’Faly Dante and Nathan Bittle. Oregon will also have Eric Williams Jr. returning, as well as a potentially dangerous Lok Wur in the paint.

With an impressive mix of size in the middle and speedy shooters on the perimeter, this really is shaping up to be one of the most talented teams that have come through Oregon in quite some time. The pieces may need a little bit of time to fit together in a perfect fashion, but Altman is a master artist who fans should have complete confidence in.

Getting picked to finish second in the Pac-12 is surely encouraging this far ahead of the season, but a deep tournament run seems to be in the cards for Oregon once again.

[vertical-gallery id=2464]

Big-time transfer from Syracuse lists Oregon Ducks in final four destinations

Quincy Guerrier was a huge piece for the Syracuse Orange last season, but he is looking for a new team in 2021 and has eyes set on Oregon.

Dana Altman certainly isn’t finished trying to add some of the top talent in the transfer portal to his roster.

Later this week, Syracuse forward Quincy Guerrier is set to announce where he will play next season after entering the transfer portal and marking his intention to leave the Big Apple. Oregon has been listed as one of the four places where he might end up, with Illinois, Arizona State, and Memphis also being in contention.

Guerrier was a surprise addition to the transfer portal, seeing as he had what seemed like a good situation going with Cuse. The sophomore started all 28 games in 2020-21 and was the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 13.7 points and 8.4 rebounds on 49 percent shooting. Playing time wasn’t an issue, and production was good, so why did he want to transfer?

In essence, a lot can be contributed to the new talent being infused at Syracuse, which would force Guerrier to compete for playing time going forward. The sophomore must have felt that he had a clearer path to the next level if he were to continue his career elsewhere.

You can almost guarantee that Altman is working hard to convince Guerrier that Eugene will be a perfect trampoline for his hopeful jump into the NBA. Adding a solid forward to the frontcourt that already boasts elite talent at the center position could be electric for the Ducks.

Guerrier will announce his intentions on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.

[vertical-gallery id=1644]

Big-time transfer from Syracuse lists Oregon Ducks in final four destinations

Quincy Guerrier was a huge piece for the Syracuse Orange last season, but he is looking for a new team in 2021 and has eyes set on Oregon.

Dana Altman certainly isn’t finished trying to add some of the top talent in the transfer portal to his roster.

Later this week, Syracuse forward Quincy Guerrier is set to announce where he will play next season after entering the transfer portal and marking his intention to leave the Big Apple. Oregon has been listed as one of the four places where he might end up, with Illinois, Arizona State, and Memphis also being in contention.

Guerrier was a surprise addition to the transfer portal, seeing as he had what seemed like a good situation going with Cuse. The sophomore started all 28 games in 2020-21 and was the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 13.7 points and 8.4 rebounds on 49 percent shooting. Playing time wasn’t an issue, and production was good, so why did he want to transfer?

In essence, a lot can be contributed to the new talent being infused at Syracuse, which would force Guerrier to compete for playing time going forward. The sophomore must have felt that he had a clearer path to the next level if he were to continue his career elsewhere.

You can almost guarantee that Altman is working hard to convince Guerrier that Eugene will be a perfect trampoline for his hopeful jump into the NBA. Adding a solid forward to the frontcourt that already boasts elite talent at the center position could be electric for the Ducks.

Guerrier will announce his intentions on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.

[vertical-gallery id=1644]

Former Duck Chris Duarte projected to be a first-round pick in 2021 NBA draft

A new mock draft has former Duck Chris Duarte being selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 19th overall pick in the draft.

[mm-video type=video id=01f5cd8v2jtx8h603mrf playlist_id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f5cd8v2jtx8h603mrf/01f5cd8v2jtx8h603mrf-c1f7a5d4e5b53d73d6871eca04560c9b.jpg]

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.

[vertical-gallery id=1489]