Why Sabonis is excited for Duarte reunion on Kings

Why Sabonis is excited for Duarte reunion on Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

During the NBA offseason, the Kings acquired Chris Duarte from the Indiana Pacers, with hopes of leveraging his scoring potential to enhance their prolific offense.

Chris Duarte, who is entering his third NBA season, is following in the footsteps of his close friend and former Pacers teammate, Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis is thrilled to be reunited with the 26-year-old on the Sacramento Kings.

In a recent interview with Kyle Draper of NBC Sports California at Kings Media Day on Oct. 2, Sabonis expressed his excitement about playing with Duarte again and shared what impresses him about the young talent.

“Who am I most excited about as a player? Chris Duarte,” Sabonis told Draper. “You know, I had a great year with him his rookie year in Indy. He didn’t play much last year because of injuries, but he’s a guy who can really play. I think he’ll open a lot of eyes, given the chance.”

Sabonis assisted on 43 of Duarte’s converted field goals during the 2021-22 NBA season before being traded to the Kings, the highest figure of any Pacer during Duarte’s rookie campaign.

Duarte, however, saw a dip in his productivity during his second season without Sabonis, averaging 7.9 points compared to 13.1 points in his rookie year. This decrease can be attributed to the minutes played without the All-NBA big man, as well as the injuries he faced.

Aside from being thrilled about having a healthy Duarte on the Kings’ roster, Sabonis was impressed by Duarte’s demeanor during their time together in Indiana.

“[Chris’s] calm,” Sabonis told Draper. “Calm, poised. [He’d] never jump in the air, always on two feet. He’s under control. That’s crazy. For a guy that gets buckets and stuff like that, he was always under control. He wasn’t afraid of the big moments. I don’t know how many buzzer-beaters he had, but it was a lot. So, he’s definitely a guy who can get a bucket. We actually have a lot of those guys, but, doesn’t hurt to add more.”

Duarte has proven himself in late-game situations throughout his career, a valuable trait for the Kings as they aim to make a return to the intense NBA playoff scene.

In addition to his scoring ability, Duarte has showcased impressive defensive skills, earning praise from coach Mike Brown for his performance against the Los Angeles Lakers in a recent preseason game.

“I thought he was really, really good on the ball in the pick-and-roll game,” Brown told reporters after Friday’s practice. “I thought his defensive effort and play was at a high level during that last game.”

As Duarte continues to get familiar with Sacramento’s system, the Kings will face the Warriors on Sunday at Golden 1 Center.

Although it is a preseason game, Sacramento hopes that their new talent will shine and contribute to their success.

Regardless, Kings fans will have the opportunity to watch Duarte in action for the first time on their home court.