"Chris Duarte No Matter What"

A quick NBA Draft "Preview" that doesn't do Chris Duarte justice, but you can also win a shirt again.

I slacked off and didn’t write anything about Chris Duarte and the NBA Draft that was comprehensive, nuanced, or good enough to justify a whole extravaganza, but I couldn’t let tonight roll by without letting you all know where I stand on the subject.

NBA Mock Draft heads have never loved a twenty-four year-old scrapper guard more than they love Chris Duarte.

It’s not hard to see why. He can find a shot from anywhere on the floor. He never takes a defensive possession off. And on top of that unmatched motor, he also has the basketball IQ of point guard and the athleticism of a 6’6” Robert Covington.*

My brother told me that the sportsbooks have set the O/U for Duarte’s draft pick at 16.5, and—being the homer that I am—I’ll take that under and then some.

My lizard brain says that Duarte is going to end up as a Top 14 guy.

Perhaps a more “rational” or “grounded” version of myself doesn’t hate the fit he might find at Memphis (who is currently sitting at 17, but if you’re ever going to trade up for a twenty-four year-old, Chris is THAT twenty-four year-old).

Just to make this post worth your time, I still have some SAVE MAC COURT shirts laying around, so if you want one, drop a comment below and predict where you think Chris Duarte will get drafted tonight. It’s on TV tonight, August 29th at 5 PM pst. on ABC/ESPN. And for your enjoyment, I’ll also throw down the First Round draft order—as of 3 PM pst.

ADDITIONALLY, in the interest of sharing information, I’ll also link you to this helpful draft guide from The Ringer. Kevin O’Connor puts Duarte at 18 on his Big Board—which is distinctly different from a Mock Draft—but KOC is also perpetually wrong anyway. Like that time he said RoCo gave the Blazers “nothing in the way of defense.”

But the guide looks really pretty.

2021 NBA Draft First Round

1. Detroit
2. Houston
3. Cleveland
4. Toronto
5. Orlando
6. Oklahoma City
7. Golden State (from Minnesota)
8. Orlando (from Chicago)
9. Sacramento
10. New Orleans
11. Charlotte
12. San Antonio
13. Indiana
14. Golden State
15. Washington
16. Oklahoma City (from Boston)
17. Memphis
18. Oklahoma City (from Miami via the LA Clippers, Philadelphia, and Phoenix)
19. New York
20. Atlanta
21. New York (from Dallas)
22. Los Angeles Lakers
23. Houston (from Portland)
24. Houston (from Milwaukee)
25. LA Clippers
26. Denver
27. Brooklyn
28. Philadelphia
29. Brooklyn (from Phoenix)
30. Utah

Anyway, you all have two hours to get your guesses in! The winner will be determined by whoever gets closest to the draft pick (by number) and if there’s a tie, the t-shirt will go to the person who commented it first. Don’t worry about getting the exact team right or wrong, the trading around can get hectic on Draft Night.

Example Comment: “Duarte will be drafted at 10th overall.”

Go Ducks.

*For reference, RoCo is 6’7”.**

**This was a much bigger Robert Covington post than I ever imagined I’d send out through here.