About a year ago Duane Washington Jr. was breaking scoring records in Indianapolis. Not much has changed for the rookie, except his jersey.
Former Ohio State guard Duane Washington Jr. is having a productive rookie season for the Indiana Pacers. Currently Washington is averaging 9.2 points per game and averaging 20.4 minutes per game.
Breaking into a professional sport is nearly impossible and being undrafted certainly does not help the situation. But don’t tell Washington that as he comes from a family of NBA players. His father Duane Washington Sr. played two seasons in the NBA and his uncle Derek Fisher won five NBA Championships.
On January 24, Washington set a franchise record for a rookie by making seven 3-pointers in a game.
Per Pacers PR, Duane Washington Jr.'s seven 3-pointers tonight are a team rookie record.
Chuck Person and Chris Duarte each had a game with six threes.
— Wheat Hotchkiss (@Wheat_Hotchkiss) January 25, 2022
After his record breaking performance Indiana Pacers head coach had high praise for Washington.
“For a guy who was undrafted and is on two-way contract, he’s doing a tremendous job, and he’s an opportunist,” Carlisle said. “He’s really taking advantage of his opportunities.”
Additonally, Carlisle praised Washington’s approach to the NBA.
“He has a real grateful vibe,” Carlisle said. “Every day he comes in with a smile on his face, a real positive view of the world in general and he loves to play basketball. He loves to work at being a great teammate, and he plays the game in a very pure way.”
However, Washington isn’t a one-trick pony. After his franchise record-breaking performance, the rookie is averaging 11 points per game in the last 10 games.
Duane Washington Jr. connects from beyond the arc.
Stream: https://t.co/EIvWg8wFOm#GoldBlooded pic.twitter.com/lmTt6a6lbl— Bally Sports Indiana (@BallySportsIN) February 9, 2022
Washington’s success has been a pleasant surprise this season. Ohio State fans knew Washington was a great scorer, but there were questions to how his game would translate to the NBA.
It is safe to say Washington made the right call in betting on himself. Now Washington joins Jae’Sean Tate as fellow undrafted Buckeyes finding success in the NBA.
Ohio State graduate. Stormed the field in an OT victory against TTUN in 2016, saw Zeke slay the tide in Nola, and watched our basketball program send Coach K packing. Genius behind Bunch of Nuts pod.