Third-year option picked up The Pacers exercised Duarte's $4.12 million team option for 2023-24 on Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. Impact The 13th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Duarte opened his rookie season as a starter on the wing and played 30-plus minutes in eight of the Pacers' first nine games, but he saw both his performance and playing time drop off a bit as Indiana reclaimed health on the wing. The 25-year-old still earned a spot on the NBA's All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 three-pointers and 1.0 steals in 28.0 minutes per game over 55 appearances, so the Pacers' decision to pick up his third-year option comes as no surprise. He'll likely open the upcoming campaign as a starter on the wing alongside Buddy Hield, though Duarte could lose out on minutes as the season unfolds if lottery pick Bennedict Mathurin proves worthy of more playing time.
OCTOBER 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE