Philadelphia 76ers: 5 shooting guards to watch in 2021 NBA Draft
The evaluation of players continues with the shooting guards available when the Philadelphia 76ers select in the first and second rounds. Due to the fact that point guards were already covered in the first article of this series, progressing to shooting guards only seems natural.
Seth Curry was a revelation for the franchise, especially in the playoffs. Shake Milton had a career-scoring year scoring during the regular season but was a non-factor in the playoffs. George Hill had also disappeared in the postseason as well. While Matisse Thybulle and Furkan Korkmaz can play shooting guard, they were primarily used as small forwards this past season.
While Philly does has Isaiah Joe waiting for a bigger role, they could never go wrong with aiming for another shooter in the draft. It would help if said sharpshooter would have a little bit of size on him as well.
Trending. Joe should replace Korkmaz in rotation next season. light
5 shooting guards to watch in 2021 NBA Draft: Chris Duarte
Not only is Chris Duarte one the tallest players on this list at 6-foot-6, but he’s also the oldest at 24 years old. The Oregan product played two years of college ball before declaring for the NBA draft. With his age and level of experience, he is probably one of the most NBA-ready players in this article.
According to Christopher Kline’s second mock draft for The Sixer Sense, he has Duarte going 17th overall to the Memphis Grizzle. Tankathon has the shooting going to the Los Angeles Lakers with the 22nd overall pick. However, there’s a chance he can fall to the Sixers on draft night.
While he’s NBA ready, his age give makes it unlikely that he has any significant amount of potential to improve. That could scare off teams that want a player who has more room to grow his game. That being written, there is plenty to like about his game.
He projects to be a 3-and-D player on the NBA level, but he can score on all three levels if the need arises. Last season, he averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.9 steals. He shot 53.2 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from downtown. With Joel Embiid being the franchise player, it’s important to surround him with players that can shoot. If Duarte falls to the 76ers, then he’d be an ideal fit for the franchise.