The greatest 13th pick in NBA history was naturally Kobe Bryant, and since then, there have been many excellent 13 picks. Lavin in 14 years, Booker in 15 years, Mitchell in 18 years, they all grew up to be All-Stars. In 19 years, Telesiero also became a very promising player, a player that Riley was reluctant to sell. In the 21-year draft, a player with a very high maturity was selected with the 13th pick. As a senior, he averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.8 blocks and 1.9 steals per game, shooting 53%, 42% and 81% of the three shooting rates, respectively. Arguably, it is a very good rebuilding core!
Because of his outstanding maturity, this talented and athletic player was selected with the thirteenth pick in the first round. 24 years old, 17 years old Fultz is only 23 years old, which is enough to show how old Duarte is! Among the Pacers' players, there are actually many older rookies like Duarte, Brogdon also started his career at the age of 24, Hield also started his career at the age of 24, and McConnell started his career at the age of 23. This also shows that the talent of the Pacers is really not high, and now the Pacers have a record of 25 wins and 47 losses, which is relatively low and has a lot to do with the talent of the players.
Having said all that, let's take a look at Duarte's debut. Facing Joe Boss Hornets in his debut, Duarte played 32 minutes and had 27 points and 5 rebounds on 9-of-15 shooting, which was very good! It is worth mentioning that the three-point shot is 6 of 9, which is in line with the shooting attributes of the draft report! Duarte also quickly took the starting spot, but as the game progressed, as the trade progressed, the more talented Halliburton came and Duarte's status as the team declined. Today, the average per game is only 13+4 data, the shooting rate is just over 40%, and the three-point shooting rate has also dropped to 37%, compared with the early season of their own, there is a big gap.
Let's take a look at cunningham's debut, Cunningham made his debut with only 2 points and 7 rebounds on 1-of-8 shooting; Jaylen Green shot 4-of-14 and got 9 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, a mediocre performance. In terms of debut, Duarte completed the explosion of the title. But now, Cunningham's stats have come to 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists, heading for the best rookie; Jaylen Green also averaged 15.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, and after the All-Star Game, Jaylen Green even played 20+4+3. As far as the performance of the top list eye is concerned, the top list eye that has established the core position has completed the current small role Duarte.
In fact, Duarte's debut reminds me of McAvoy. McAvoy made his career debut, with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists and 9 steals, and defeated the luxurious Heat Big Three at home in Philadelphia. After McAvoy won the best rookie that year, it was thought that this was the starting point of McAvoy, but it turned out to be the peak of McAvoy. McAvoy's later weaknesses were exposed very obviously, playing the No. 1 position could not pass the ball, and playing the No. 2 position was too inefficient. Under the attack of repeated injuries, McAvoy has now become a wandering player in the NBA, and it seems that it is difficult to mix a bowl of rice!
I think Duarte's current position in the Pacers is somewhat awkward, TJ Turbo has not returned, Brogdon is the core of the team, Hariburton is younger and more talented than Duarte, and Hield is also the league's famous shooter. How duarte can compete with these big names, we will call them "big names" in the Pacers for the time being! On the flanks, there are also brisette and Isaiah Jackson, who are more athletic. The author feels that today's Duarte feels like he has been beaten into the "cold palace" and is in a very bad situation! If you continue to play, Duarte may also affect the growth of Halliburton and other young players, becoming a burden to the team!
Due to his weak athletic ability, he has also recently suffered a toe injury, which can be said to be worse than Duarte. I think it's too hard to get around the walkers! The Pacers' future hope is to make the playoffs, but in terms of current member talent, they don't have the strength of the second round! Duarte is an older rookie with a very high maturity, and he needs to go to some very competitive teams, such as the Suns, or the Warriors, or the Heat, and Philadelphia. The author feels that after these teams, Duarte's maturity will be played, just like the old Huang Zhong of the Suns, who is really good at the Suns!