Miami star Kameron McGusty works out for Pacers, draws inspiration from Chris Duarte
Wilson MooreINDIANAPOLIS — Kameron McGusty tested the NBA draft waters in 2021. After going through workouts and meeting with executives, he returned for one last year at Miami with a player to study: Pacers guard Chris Duarte.
Duarte, the 13th overall pick in the 2021 draft, was one of the older members of his class, like McGusty, 24, this year. What Duarte lacked in upside compared to players more recently out of high school, he made up in maturity and experience few in the class could match. He averaged 13.1 points per game for Indiana last season and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
McGusty was told to watch film of Duarte’s senior year at Oregon and pay particularly close attention to how the 2021 Pac-12 Player of the Year used his seasoning, how he never seemed to take bad shots.
After McGusty's sixth and final season of college, in which he led the Hurricanes to their first Elite Eight in program history, things came full circle for him Friday when he worked out for the Pacers, his path and potential role in the league made clearer by Duarte’s early success.
“Just the little things, the fundamentals, bringing maturity,” McGusty said. “I know a guy my age, that’s kind of what teams are looking for, so just being able to have that and turning that into a positive for a team. Just showcasing my leadership, my maturity and my (ability) to go now. That’s the big thing for me being 24. I’ve got to be able to play now, be ready to contribute.”
NBA Draft:NBA mock draft 2022 sees Pacers with plenty of options
More Pacers:Pacers center Myles Turner looks healthy again after missing 39 games due to foot injury
McGusty and Duarte’s similarities go beyond their age. Both are 6-5 shooting guards who went to multiple colleges. Duarte began his career at Northwest Florida State before transferring to Oregon. McGusty played at Oklahoma for two seasons. His minutes decreased from almost 25 per game to 18.5 in his sophomore year, and he transferred to Miami before the 2018-19 season.
He dealt with injuries off and on in Coral Gables, missing seven games in 2020-21 with a hamstring issue. He put it all together as a sixth-year senior, posting career-highs in minutes, points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage. He now projects as a possible second-round pick.
McGusty sees the fact that he transferred as another advantage in the draft process. He grew up in Texas and stayed in the region by going to Oklahoma out of high school. In Miami, he was in a place where fewer knew anything about him. He had to adjust to a new coach, new teammates, new opponents. He learned to be adaptable, a trait even more useful for him now given the unpredictable nature of the draft.
Wherever he ends up, whether it’s with the Pacers, one of the other four teams he’s worked out with so far or any other, he’ll have to repeat the process he started when he got to South Florida.
“Knowing that if I get over this I’m gonna be able to make it to the next level,” he said. “So just knowing that this journey, it isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon. You’re gonna have ups and downs. You’re gonna have trials and tribulations, things that happen whether it’s an injury, little setbacks, not on the same page with the coach. Whatever it is, I’ve kind of seen a lot through my career, that’s why I was in college for six years. Just being resilient, I think that was the best thing and the best quality that I took out of my career in college.”