As the Kings look forward to the back half of the 2023-24 offseason, they appear determined to build from the ground up organizationally through development and continuity. With an offseason full of transactions and teams making moves to improve for next season and beyond, the Kings chose to bring back a nearly identical roster from this past season while improving around the edges.
The Kings did improve around the edges by acquiring Indiana Pacers wing Chris Duarte for two second-round picks, among other moves the Kings made. With Sacramento set to focus on building around De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, and potentially even Kevin Huerter, Duarte has a chance to improve Sacramento in multiple facets of the game this season.
1. Shooting
Duarte is a career 35% shooter from three in two seasons with the Pacers. After a strong rookie campaign where he shot 37% from three (13 PPG, 4 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG on 43% shooting in 28 MPG across 55 games and 39 starts), Duarte’s number dipped in his second season with the addition of Bennedict Mathurin in the backcourt. Coupled with a full season without Domantas Sabonis, with whom Duarte built a strong connection, the young wing struggled in year two.
Those struggles produced significantly worse shooting splits (37/32/84), with just 8 PPG, 3 RPG, 1 APG, and only 20 MPG across 46 games (12 starts). Duarte’s durability has been a concern in his first two seasons in the league, as he is yet to play over 55 games in a single season, constantly missing time in the lineup with injuries. The change of scenario to a contending team in a stacked Western Conference should give Duarte a chance at a fresh start for a deep Kings roster.
2. Wing Versatility and Defensive Length
Another advantage of the franchise taking a flier on the young former lottery pick is what he can potentially offer defensively for the Kings. In an area where the Kings struggled mightily last season as a bottom-ten defense in the league, Duarte offers the ability to guard several positions with his length and size as a more oversized guard at 6’6″. In Duarte’s rookie season, he averaged a steal per game for the Pacers and has amassed 81 in his career.
Along with that versatility, Duarte’s ability to off of from several different types of players and situations will allow him to adapt smoothly to Sacramento’s style of play. Duarte’s experience as a starter and role player off the bench will prove an asset as the season wanes on, injuries pile up, and the rotation changes throughout the season. He’s not just a body on the court either, as he can be a productive player in different ways for Sacramento.
3. Off-ball Movement and Offensive Versatility
With Sacramento’s high-powered offense returning nearly its entire offense, Duarte has a chance to contribute to Sacramento’s bench as a versatile player off the bench. Duarte’s offensive game comes with the ability to not only make shots at a consistent rate but also offer more weaponry to the Kings bench this season than they had last season.
With so much of the Kings’ offense coming from off-ball movement, screens, and handoffs with Domantas Sabonis, Duarte has a chance to rekindle the offensive excellence he once had in his rookie season. In addition to that, Duarte will be playing alongside Sabonis once again, who will surely open things up for him offensively in any role.
Chris Duarte was one of the off-season moves that flew under the radar. It’s sneaky, quiet, and an “around-the-edges” move, but one that’s low-risk with potentially high reward for a Sacramento Kings roster looking to maintain its position near the top of the Western Conference next season. Expect the Kings to utilize Duarte often, especially in spacing lineups, as they battle in 2023-24.
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