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Chris Duhon
#1 – Chris Duhon – New York Knicks
Season: 12.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 8 apg, 42% fg percentage, 86% ft percentage
Career: 7.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 5 apg, 39% fg percentage, 80% ft percentage
If there was any doubt that Mike D’Antoni was an excellent coach in Phoenix – here’s your answer. Chris Duhon went from a journey-man type player, simply trying to find his way onto any team, to a starting point guard averaging eight assists on an up and coming New York Knicks team. Duhon, who is setting career highs across the board, has completely undergone a transformation and is in serious contention for the most improved player award.
Before this season, Duhon’s highest assist output was five per game – set in 2005-2006 with the Bulls. Now that he’s averaging about eight per game, imagine if he was dropping dimes on a team with some firepower. Sure, he’s not the next coming of Steve Nash – but he’s a product of the D’Antoni system.
The Good
Duhon has always been a good passer – but with his extended minutes, he’s become an excellent one. His turnover numbers are up, but he can still find his teammates after breaking his defender off the dribble. He’s not the quickest or strongest point guard out there but he’s much better than the bench role he’s accustomed to having in previous seasons.
The Bad
Although Duhon is quietly putting up some solid numbers across the board, he still has some work to do if he wants to become a regular starter in the league. First, he’s got to take more shots. Being a pure point guard is great – but he needs to make his defenders stay on him. He has to develop a more consistent jumper and look to take more shots a game. Right now, he’s only taking about eight or nine a game – which, over the course of 40 minutes – isn’t much at all. Duhon also needs to drive the lane more. His season averages from the line are pretty poor – 3.2 attempts per game – which means he’s settling for outside shots.
The Recap
- Durable option at point. (Averaged 75 games a season in four years.)
- Pure passer.
- Needs to look for his shot.
- Needs to get into the lane and to the line.
Tips and Tricks
Playing pure point guards are easy – play off of them. If you know they’re looking to pass it’s easier to play a zone defense and cheat on an open man. If Duhon isn’t going to give you a reason to stay close to him, why bother?
Final Thoughts
Duhon is a great story for the Knicks. D’Antoni transformed him into one of the game’s best passers and he’s finally found a starting role for himself. Duhon still has some work to do though, as he has to learn to look for his own shot and find his way into the lane a bit more. Imagine what he could do if he had some shooters around him? That eight could easily balloon to at least double-digits.
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