DickGrayson wrote:If you guys remember clearly, Brogdon was 24 when he won rookie of the year. People said it was a fluke ROY because the other young players would eventually develop "better" than him. It turned out Brogdon improved every season and had a break out year in 2021 averaging 21 ppg.
As someone who watched that year, let me tell you that it was not a break out year at all. Brogdon isn't a better player than what he was when we got him. He is the exact same player that just played way more minutes (34.5 MPG, up from 30.9 last year and 28.9 two years before) and took more shots (17.5 FGA up from 13.8 FGA last year and 11.7 FGA two years before).
And that's alright. Brogdon was a great pick at #36 and I'd be elated if Duarte turns out like him. I simply believe that he'll turn out like Doug McDermott or Justin Holiday. A good role player and nothing more.
DickGrayson wrote:Duarte isn't just a 3 and D, he's top in his class at scoring off the dribble, in transition and off the pick and roll.
Duarte going from running the P&R with Clifford Omoruyi to now having Sabonis and Turner who are both elite....it will open the floor more since Duarte is a deadeye shooter.
Yeah but he's also going to be running the P&R against actual NBA players and not against kids who are 4 and 5 years younger than him.
DickGrayson wrote:Duarte has a good chance to finish all rookie first team. It's not that he's NBA ready, he can develop as good as any 19 year old. The same way Brogdon did and earned himself a role in this league.
What exactly can he develop? Where are the areas that he can improve on? How can he develop as good as any 19 year old? His offensive game is polished, isn't he? He knows where to be defensively, doesn't he? What is there for him to work for?
Sure, he'll have a role in this league. He's going to be fine a role player for the duration of his rookie contract. After his rookie deal, though, he'll be 28 and at the end of his peak.
DickGrayson wrote:Brogdon/Duarte in the backcourt ....Duarte has deceptive speed and will surprise people with athleticism. He's better shooting Zach Lavine with active hands on defense. I wanted CD5 on the Knicks because I believe it would address the Knicks biggest need. I think being away from the NY media it would give CD5 more room to grow and focus.
I mean, if Duarte is Zach Lavine with active hands on defense then this was a home run. Lavine is an All-Star that plays minimal defense. If he played defense as well, he'd probably be an All-NBA guy. I really hope that Duarte is anything clsoe to that. If he is, I'll gladly eat gobs of crow
DickGrayson wrote:Indiana is a great place to develop your game...Pacers could make the 5th seed if they use their cap space to get some wing players and a downhill guard.
We could make the 5th seed without adding anyone in the draft. Our roster isn't as bad as Bjorkgren made it look and I have full faith in Carlisle doing a good job. We will also be getting Warren back (if he isn't traded) so that's a bonus. We were 7 games away from the 5th seed last year so that's a jump that could easily happen just due to the coaching change and Warren's return.
We were definitely in a spot where we could someone with more long-term potential. GSW, on the other hand, was in a spot where they needed help now. Frankly, we still should swap Duarte and Moody. Let GSW take Duarte and us take Moody. That makes more sense for both teams.
DickGrayson wrote:I'm also a fan of Moody, but Duarte is more creative offensive and has better handles. Moody would need a PG to get his offense off until he develops. Duarte is a sure thing and can run an offense. He's a gym rat who study tape constantly. Indiana trusted Duarte with the 13 pick for a reason.
We trusted him because he was the safest pick. That's not a good reason, imo.
