Chris Duarte's Emergence is Critical for Sacramento Both Now and Going Forward
Over the last five games, Chris Duarte has provided some terrific play on both ends of the floor for the Kings.
After a slow start with his new team, Duarte is just now beginning to tie things together. He's in the midst of transforming himself from the somewhat disappointing offseason acquisition to a role player that embodies the key traits of a Swiss Army knife.
It may seem surprising given the first two-thirds of the season went by without many good things to say about Duarte. He held the starting shooting guard spot for a moment and propelled an interesting discussion about that role and Kevin Huerter, but outside of that and a few standalone moments, the third year player out of Oregon was never able to string anything together in order to earn time.
In the simplest terms, Duarte's defensive upside was diminished by his habit of being just too physical and fouling while his offensive skill was absent due to a visible lack of comfort within the offense.
Those factors hid him for most of the season, but they were always issues that seemed mendable. With March getting underway, Duarte has made his strongest case that he can consistently help this team and provide an additional level of versatility.
So what has he been doing?
For one, he's continued being physical, but he's now fouling far less despite playing more. On the season, Duarte is averaging 1.6 personal fouls in about 13 minutes per game, but in these last five, he's got it down to 0.6 in about 17 minutes.
This allows his physicality—which mostly surfaces through the use of his chest and his ball pressure—to actually stand out and make a positive difference for Mike Brown's defense. Lately, fans have seen Duarte shroud opponents, ranging from guards to wings. His strength is on display when manning-up drivers and using his chest in the post.
Equally as pleasing is his frenetic activity. As of late, Duarte's been practically everywhere a lot of the time. He runs hard to draw illegal screens and he flies around to the perimeter time after time.
Of course, his hands are simultaneously working along with his legs as he happens to get them on the ball in a variety of scenarios. He can instinctually manage to connect with an opponent's pass or their shot attempt. Alternatively, he can combine relentlessness with sneakiness to poke the ball loose from behind. And on top of that, he can generate the will for multiple efforts in order to recover and turn mistakes into beautiful defensive moments.
Perhaps the biggest critique of Duarte in the last five is his off ball help and rotations, which have not always been sound (see here, here, here, and here). Even still, he's limited the mistakes for the most part and has shown signs he's improving in that regard. With his physical traits, athleticism, and instinct, he just needs to shore up his awareness and the troubles will begin to go away.
All of that is amplified by the fact he's versatile. He can guard the point of attack, whether that's a guard or a wing, and he can guard a lot of forwards. Duarte can be a defensive upgrade over Kevin Huerter when needed and he can function as a defensive substitution for guys ranging from Keegan Murray to De'Aaron Fox or Davion Mitchell.
It's no wonder Duarte's been included in some small lineups that have generated success in some of the recent contests.
Offensively, Duarte has looked more comfortable and confident among the group. Make or miss, there's absolutely no hesitation on open shots and he's more synchronized with his teammates. An example of the latter can be seen in the loss to Miami where, just before the end of a quarter, Duarte worked seamlessly with Malik Monk; and while Monk missed the open look, Duarte looked sharp and decisive.
The most noticeable—and perhaps most important—thing to look at is the fact Duarte's shot 44.4% from three-point range in the last five games, including a 4 for 8 night in Denver on Wednesday.
Furthermore, in his 18-point performance in the previous game, he displayed how he can score with his fadeaway jumper and by finishing at the rim.
It's only been five games. It isn't a sure indication that he'll be a big contributor to close the season and going into what follows that. After all, he's shown glimpses of promise earlier on before falling out of the shuffle again.
Still, this is a completely different Duarte. There has not been a point prior to this in his Kings tenure where he's looked more sure of himself and at ease.
It'll be fascinating to see what he'll do going forward. If all goes well, he can be a versatile weapon for Mike Brown in the playoffs, where the need for adjustments requires players like Chris Duarte. He can be as nearly important in those terms as a guy like Trey Lyles.
And it doesn't stop there. With his club option exercised, Duarte will be with the team next year, and if he can close this season out in a strong manner, he can set himself up to hit the ground running when training camp starts up again in the autumn.
So continue to watch Chris Duarte. His absence in the first-two thirds of the season may cause some to overlook him, but he's made a sudden ascent. And there's still room for him to keep climbing.