Third in our Player Evaluation Series is Chris Duhon.
2008-2009 Season: It was a pretty mixed bag for Duhon. Duhon was acquired prior to the season on a 2 year deal at the hefty price of the full mid-level exception. He came on the recommendation of Duke and Team USA Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski (and apparently Coach K’s daughter) who promised that his former PG was a natural leader and a perfect fit in D’Antoni’s SSOL offense because he never tired. Duhon seemed to live up to that billing and played exceptional basketball–for about 3 months. Come February, though, after having averaged about 40 minutes a contest for 45 games, he did turn out to be human and got tired. Duhon’s play dropped off in February and then he really went over a cliff in March and April.
Strengths: Duhon’s greatest strengths are mostly tied up in his intangibles. By all accounts he’s a good guy and a good leader. He’s clearly also a smart guy that knows the game well and understands his role as a facilitator. And he plays hurt.
As a PG he did a nice job of getting everyone involved, recognizing mismatches and riding the hot hand. Early on in the season he pushed the pace well and ran D’Antoni’s sets but, beset by a back problem (and exhaustion), he didn’t do nearly as good a job of that as the season wore on. Likewise, in the first several months of the season, Duhon developed a nice chemistry with David Lee in the pick and roll and showed acumen for making the read and delivering a well-timed pass, but that too became less a part of the Knicks arsenal once Duhon wore down.
Duhon’s a pretty good, albeit streaky three point shooter and he’s also a good, albeit not great (as advertised) defender.
Things to work on: The business about Duhon never getting tired was a pretty dramatic overstatement. It’s apparent he does get tired and, when he does, his production tails off pretty dramatically. Duhon doesn’t appear to be the chiseled physical speciman that some of his NBA peers are and perhaps it’s true, as some have speculated, that he doesn’t do all he can to get the most out of his body. As I’m sure you’ve read elsewhere, he enjoys the nightlife, and some have surmised that Duhon doesn’t always get as much rest as he should. Whatever the case may be, going forward, it’s evident that he can’t be depended on to provide peak production playing starter’s minutes over 82 games.
On the skills side, Duhon greatest weakness is that he’s a poor finisher around the basket, especially in traffic. As we wrote in this space earlier in the season, he’s not strong enough to power through contact and finish a play. The fact that he’s not a true threat to drive makes him much easier to defend in the pick and roll. He’d do really well to develop a floater he can unleash a little bit farther away from the hoop.
The Future: Presently, Duhon appears to be part of the Knicks’ plans at least through next season (though those plans can change in an instant). If he is sticking around, it’s clear that at the very least, he needs a caddy who can play about 18 minutes a game. In a perfect world, though, Duhon should probably be the caddy for a more talented and durable starter.
The Knicks could address their backcourt deficiencies in any number of ways this summer. If they draft a PG prospect, he’ll likely back Duhon up and learn from him while playing a more limited role. If they acquire another veteran PG, though, it will likely be somone to replace Duhon in the starting lineup next season or, at a minimum, share the job with him.
