Indiana Pacers: 3 biggest takeaways from home win over the Philadelphia 76ers

Indiana Pacers rookie Chris Duarte is yet to break out of his recent funk

After a sensational start to his rookie season, Chris Duarte has been in a cold stretch recently, even tallying just seven points, his second-lowest scoring output this year. Over the last six games, he’s averaging just 10 points per game, a far cry from his norm of 14.3 points per outing in the campaign.

With defenses more aware of what he can bring to the table, Duarte has been having a harder time getting to his spots with and without the ball. In recent games, he’s been milking the clock in hopes of getting a shot up, only to end up with a well-contested shot or a turnover.

I’d say that with the Indiana Pacers starting to grasp its pecking order on offense, Duarte has been tentative on when to attack or defer. After averaging double-digit shot attempts in each of his first eight NBA games, he’s been on single-digits in that area for four of the last six contests.

Personally, I’d like to see Duarte in more off-ball actions to free him up and give him more opportunities to attack defenders or have him handle the ball at times in pick-and-roll situations for a more varied attack. He’s simply too good to stand idly on the perimeter as a release valve in bailout sequences with his natural affinity for scoring.