Before the 2020-21 college basketball season began, multiple analysts did not have Chris Duarte as somebody who would have his named called in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Fast forward to today and the 6-foot-5 combo guard definitely has a chance to go in the lottery.
The Athletic's Sam Vecenie and Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman updated their mock drafts Wednesday, and both have the Warriors snagging Duarte at No. 14 overall.
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The Dominican Republic native averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.8 steals per game for the Oregon Ducks last season, while shooting 53.2 percent overall, 42.4 percent from deep and 81 percent from the free throw line.
He was a Third-Team All-American and claimed one of the five spots on the Pac-12's All-Defensive Team.
Duarte was fantastic in the NCAA Tournament, registering 23 points and seven assists in the Round of 32 against Iowa, and 21 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals vs. USC in the Sweet 16.
He is viewed as a prospect who should be able to make immediate contributions from Day 1.
"It's all the stuff I bring on and off the court. I'm a great kid, great player [and] I can do a lot of things for a team," Duarte told ESPN's Mike Schmitz. "Great family guy. All those little things.
"I'm a hard worker. That's my mentality -- outworking everybody. They can talk about my age and this and that. Hey man -- everybody's got a different path. I had to go to JUCO for two years, I had to reclassify a year in high school because I came here without knowing the language.
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"I'm here and I'm ready. And I know I can bring a lot of stuff to the table."
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Duarte worked out for the Warriors at Chase Center last week, and he will be in the green room during next week's draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
"Duarte has high-level role player written all over him," Vecenie writes. "He chose to sit out the 2021 NBA Draft Combine, leading some teams to speculate that he has a promise from someone."
Could that be from the Warriors? We'll find out soon.
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