Duane Washington Jr. strikes deal with Indiana Pacers as undrafted free agent
Former Ohio State guard Duane Washington, Jr. will have to break into the NBA as an undrafted free agent. His name was not called during the two-round 2021 NBA draft on Thursday night, but shortly thereafter news broke that he was picked up by the Pacers according to sources close to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
It comes by way of a two-way deal. That means Washington will be able to play in the NBA G-League but also spend up to 45 days on an NBA roster. There’s still that chance that Washington does enough while with the team or playing in the G-League that he gets on the active roster with a standard contract.
Ohio State's Duane Washington has agreed to a two-way deal with the Indiana Pacers, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 30, 2021
Washington going undrafted isn’t really a surprise. He hasn’t shown up on many NBA mock drafts and was always going to be a late-round pick if he went at all. He led Ohio State in scoring last season at 16.4 points per contest but often showed a lack of judgment, especially at end of game situations. His defense also needed work.
However, there’s no denying his ability to score in bunches, and if he can develop those areas the NBA-types like to see, he could carve himself out a spot in the league.
We’ll continue to follow Washington’s career as he tries to get things off the ground.
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