Sacramento Kings guard/forward Chris Duarte (ankle) has been listed as questionable for Tuesday's matchup against the Suns. Duarte injured his right ankle during pre-game warm-ups last Wednesday and was set to miss at least one week of action. However, he apparently has recovered quicker than expected and could be an option on Tuesday. With that said, Duarte has logged only six minutes of action in 2024 and isn't a big part of what Sacramento tries to do, so his status doesn't affect fantasy basketball.

Sacramento Kings guard/forward Chris Duarte (knee) has received a questionable tag for Friday's contest against the Phoenix Suns. The 26-year-old has missed the last two games due to left knee soreness and he possibly could miss a third. Since this game was added as a consolation from the in-season tournament, the start time is 11:00 PM EST. Fantasy managers who are trying to decide on Duarte may want to go with the backup plan since we won't know his status until closer to tipoff. If he doesn't suit up, Keon Ellis and Sasha Vezenkov will get some extra minutes off of the bench.

Sacramento Kings guard Chris Duarte (knee) is considered questionable for their in-season tournament game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. The young wing was forced to miss their last game on Saturday with the same left knee soreness, but he may have received that game off to get some more rest for the knockout stage of the tournament. Since Keegan Murray has returned, however, Duarte has taken a big hit to his fantasy value. If he can't play, Sasha Vezenkov will see some more opportunities.

Sacramento Kings guard Chris Duarte (thumb) will suit up for Wednesday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Duarte was questionable coming into this game due to a thumb issue, but it appears he's ready to go. He'll slide into the starting five with Keegan Murray (back) ruled out for this game. Duarte should see increased playing time and is an interesting streaming option and DFS choice for Wednesday's slate. Sasha Vezenkov and Kessler Edwards should also see more run, but Duarte has the most upside out of the three of them.

Sacramento Kings guard Chris Duarte (thumb) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. This news comes after Duarte was forced to exit early during Monday's contest. The team is calling the injury left thumb soreness, so it doesn't sound like too serious of an issue. If he sits out, Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter would likely see more minutes in the rotation. Neither of them are great streaming options, but Monk would be worth looking at with extended playing time. Fantasy managers will have to check back on Wednesday for another update.

Sacramento Kings guard Chris Duarte (hand) was forced to exit early during Monday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The young guard picked up a hand injury and is currently questionable to return to the contest. The severity of the injury is unknown at the moment, but it wouldn't be shocking to see the Kings hold out Duarte for the rest of the game. In his absence, Kessler Edwards and Colby Jones could see increased time in the rotation. There should be more information on Duarte after the game.

Sacramento Kings guard/forward Chris Duarte (knee) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's season opener versus the Utah Jazz. The good news is, Duarte has made progress in his recovery from a left knee bone bruise. Despite that, the Kings are still listing him as questionable for Wednesday's contest. Kevin Huerter has already been named the starter, so Duarte would come off the bench if he's available. Otherwise, Huerter would have increased value, assuming Duarte sits out.

Sacramento Kings guard/forward Chris Duarte (knee) had his fourth-year team option exercised on Saturday. That means, Duarte will be around in Sacramento for the next two seasons. Duarte is hopeful that a move to Sacramento will help revive his play after a rough 2022-2023 campaign. He averaged 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 19.5 minutes per game in 46 games last season. He'll compete with Kevin Huerter for a spot in the starting lineup. Neither player has great value, but Huerter has been a bit more reliable.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it?Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, the opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA. 

Introduction

I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2023 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2023-24 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.As I will frequently emphasize and reiterate: in 2023, there is very little difference between the vast majority of second-round draft picks and undrafted free agents--it always all comes down to the skillsets they possess, their capacity for growth, and the situations they've landed in.Seasons will be made and broken with early identification of the diamond-in-the-rough rookies. I used to list out the many examples from the past season in this introduction portion, but we are now in a beautiful era where there are just too many to count. There is also very little separating the featured players below and those dubbed "Honorable Mentions"--so put in the work and keep an eye out throughout the regular season for who is receiving and seizing their opportunities. 

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An MRI on Sacramento Kings guard/forward Chris Duarte's left knee revealed a small bone bruise following Sunday's 121-115 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors. Duarte got the nod over Kevin Huerter in Sunday's starting lineup, posting five points, two assists, and one rebound in 12 minutes before exiting. The Kings have a rematch with the Warriors in San Francisco on Wednesday, so we'll surely see another update on Duarte's health leading into that exhibition. If the 26-year-old former first-rounder needs to miss additional time, expect Huerter to regain his starting duty with the likes of spark plug Malik Monk and reigning EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov soaking up more minutes off head coach Mike Brown's bench.

Sacramento Kings guard Chris Duarte will move into the starting five for Sunday's exhibition matchup against the Golden State Warriors. It appears head coach Mike Brown is experimenting with his lineup ahead of the regular season. The fact Duarte is starting here means that he might've done enough to earn a legitimate role in the rotation. It remains to be seen if he'll be able to produce enough to warrant rostering in 12-team leagues to begin the season.

Indiana Pacers guard Chris Duarte is reportedly on the move to the west coast, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The former lottery pick in the 2021 NBA draft is getting dealt to the Kings for draft compensation. Formal details of the deal have yet to be worked out, but it seems the Pacers were phasing Duarte out of the lineup, and they'll at least get some future picks out of the deal. The young forward will now try to learn from Harrison Barnes and take on a bench role to help out the up-and-coming Kings. His fantasy value will likely take a hit in the process.

Indiana Pacers forward Chris Duarte (ankle) has been ruled out for the rest of Saturday's game against the Atlanta Hawks. He only managed to play five minutes before exiting the game due to left ankle soreness. This could very well be an issue that sidelines Duarte longer than just this game. That being said, Jordan Nwora could be an interesting player to look at in fantasy formats. Also, T.J. McConnell and Andrew Nembhard could see more minutes, assuming Duarte misses more time.

Indiana Pacers guards Tyrese Haliburton (ankle) and Chris Duarte (ankle) will be sidelined for Wednesday's game against the Toronto Raptors. Haliburton and Duarte are both dealing with ankle sprains and have missed the past week due to the injuries. T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard and Jordan Nwora should all continue to see increased value while Haliburton and Duarte are sidelined.

Indiana Pacers guard/forward Chris Duarte (ankle) has been cleared to play against the Miami Heat on Wednesday. Duarte was questionable to play with a sore ankle, but went through shootaround with no issues and will make his return after a two-game absence. Duarte's return to the bench may take away some minutes from T.J. McConnell and Aaron Nesmith.

Indiana Pacers guard/forward Chris Duarte (ankle) will play Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Duarte tweaked his ankle and was experiencing some soreness, but will not miss any games due to the injury. Duarte should continue to split minutes with Benedict Mathurin off the bench. If Duarte is hobbled by the injury at all, Mathurin will likely be the biggest beneficiary.

Indiana Pacers guard Chris Duarte (ankle) is listed as questionable to play against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Duarte tweaked his ankle last game and is dealing with some residual soreness. If Duarte is unable to go, Aaron Nesmith and Benedict Mathurin should see extra minutes.

Indiana Pacers guard Chris Duarte (ankle) will play Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks. Duarte was questionable on the second night of a back-to-back, but feels good enough to play through some ankle soreness. Duarte missed six weeks with the same ankle injury earlier in the season, so it appears he avoided a reaggravation. Duarte should continue to eat into the minutes of Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith.

Indiana Pacers guard Chris Duarte (ankle) has officially been listed as out for the team's game against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. He suffered a sprained ankle almost a week ago against the Miami Heat and could not finish the rest of the game. Since the Pacers aren't trying to compete for all that much this season, they're likely to be very cautious with every injury. Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard will likely see increased action on Wednesday and both are good streaming options for the time being.

Indiana Pacers guard/forward Chris Duarte suffered a left ankle sprain in Friday's win over Miami. He was able to play for just five minutes and it appears that we won't see him for a bit, as Duarte left the arena on crutches. This is very unfortunate for the 25-year-old, as Duarte showed plenty of promise during the preseason and he had started this week by netting a career-high 30 points against Brooklyn. Bennedict Mathurin replaced Duarte in the starting unit for the second half and came through with 23 points in 35 minutes. The 20-year-old rookie has already impressed from a bench role and could now really explode.