The shortest star in the NBA peak? After only 7 days of being a "Bryant" and became a vagabond

He is one of the shortest peak stars in the NBA and a representative figure of high and low opening. In the first seven days of his career, he handed over a perfect report card. In addition to his No. 13 pick, fans mistakenly thought that the man was back. But a week later, he showed a step-by-step decline and eventually became a homeless man. He was eliminated by the NBA in just 4 years. This person is a flash in the pan: Chris Duarte. At the 2021 draft, the Pacers used the No. 13 draw in their hands to get the father Duarte, a Dominican, who was only 13 years old, and played the NCAA senior show for four years. In his last year of college, he averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for Oregon. He is a scorer with rich offensive means.

In the summer league, Dualte shined and announced to the entire NBA that he would continue the miracle of 13. In his limited playing time, he handed over a report card of 18.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.8 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 45.6% and a three-point shooting percentage of 48.3%. In the subsequent preseason, Dualte was still in shape, averaging 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and a three-point shooting percentage of 45%. His high-yield and efficient performance was not like a rookie at all.

With the entire Inn City and the expectations of Kobe fans, Dualte officially started his rookie season, making 9 of 15 shots in the first game, 6 of 9 three-pointers, scoring 25 points and 5 rebounds. Looking at his back who jumped up to shoot again and again, he really had a shadow of "No. 24". Next, Dualte scored 18 points and 19 points respectively in the game against the Heat and the Bucks. His outstanding performance made him the top spot in the first rookie list, surpassing geniuses such as Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley.

Average of 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game fascinated Pacers fans, but who would have thought that in just 7 days, Duarte used up his peak. Since November, his performance has continued to decline, his scoring efficiency has plummeted, and his three-point shooting percentage has dropped to only 30%. Scoring in double-digit scores has become a big difficulty, and his rookie ranking has also dropped again and again. Fortunately, he has recovered his sight in the later stage and barely maintained his average data at 13+4+2 and was selected as the second team of the Best Rookie.

Rookie Wall, this is a problem that every rookie logged into the NBA. If you break it, you will inevitably be wandering around. Unfortunately, Duarte has not been able to find a solution until this season.

From the Kings to the Bulls, the problem of offensive inefficiency is still not able to solve the problem of offensive inefficiency. His playing time and tactical status are getting lower and lower. Before the trading deadline this year, Dualte was tragically laid off and has not been called by other teams for a long time. In the just-concluded Puerto Rico League, Dualte joined forces with former NBA stars Garlinari and McGee to win the championship. He was really happy standing on the podium, but after stepping off the stage, Dualte had no need to worry about the future.

"NBA, can I go back?"

Duarte's fall is actually traceable. Although his sudden outbreak is also a reflection of his strength, it is more of a benefit from age and experience. When he participated in the draft, Duarte was already 24 years old, so we cannot completely measure him by considering rookies.

And with Dualte's explosion, other teams will naturally focus on this newcomer. Unfortunately, his weaknesses are all exposed to the NBA's precise calculations. They lack static talent, average explosive power, dribbling without rhythm, and are only good at shooting quickly after receiving the ball...

Then you will see that there is always someone who will stick to Dualte's side, making it difficult for him to get space for shooting, and the defensive end is constantly being clicked. After all, the Pacers only have an arm span of 1.98 meters. At the 2022 draft, the Pacers got Nembhard. Although the latter looks a little smaller than Duarte, his defensive awareness and prediction are more trusted by coach Carlisle. Of course, this year, the Pacers also took off Matherin with the No. 6 draw this year. The backcourt became crowded instantly. His talent was better than Matherin, and his comprehensive ability was not as good as Nembhard. Duarte became a victim without any suspense. The selling point of older rookies is that they are fighting power, just like Hilde back then, because no one will spend time training them, and once they don’t contribute to the game, their outcomes are often miserable.

Duarte's story also once again confirms the NBA's survival rules: talent determines the upper limit, and adaptability determines the lower limit. When the halo of "magical ranking" fades away, only continuous evolution can prevent becoming a meteor.