After an active night, the Pacers added two key pieces on Thursday in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft, Oregon guard Chris Duarte and Kentucky big man Jackson.
First, the Pacers selected Duarte with the 13th pick. A 6-6 guard, Duarte shot 42.4 percent from 3-point range as a senior at Oregon, where he was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and an All-American after averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.9 steals.
Originally from the Dominican Republic, the 24-year-old came to the United States in high school and spent two years in junior college before enrolling in Oregon in 2019.