First Chris Duhon dropped from the first to the second round in the NBA draft because of what scouts called a disappointing senior season at Duke.
Then he wasn’t supposed to last through the Bulls’ 2004 training camp. Europe was going to be the place for him.
Then he wasn’t supposed to play much his rookie season. Then his inconsistent shooting was supposed to cost him minutes last season. Then the drafting of Thabo Sefolosha and the emergence of Ben Gordon were supposed to relegate him to afterthought status this season.
And on and on and on.
Duhon won’t like the comparison, but he’s like a cockroach. The Bulls’ guard is tough, annoying (on defense) and won’t go away.
“I play to my strengths,” Duhon said Tuesday after practice. “I do the things that got me here. I play with energy, especially on the defensive end. It seems to always change the game for us. We just seem to become a better team.”
That sounds cocky, but it’s not, because:
– Duhon is team-oriented, not a troublemaker.
– He’s right.
Coach Scott Skiles has called Duhon’s insertion into the starting lineup the night the Bulls changed their record from 0-9 to 1-9 as one of the reasons for a surprising 47-victory season in 2004-05.
As for 2005-06, the Bulls thought enough of him to match Toronto’s three-year, $9 million offer sheet. And Duhon improved his shooting percentage, on two- and three-pointers, enough to start less but play more.
This season, when Skiles decided to try to jump-start Gordon’s inconsistent offense by moving him into the sixth-man role, Duhon was there again. The result has been both players playing better.
“When he has a bounce to his step and is playing with energy, he’s the type of player who can go 1-for-5 and still help you win the game,” Skiles said. “He does a lot of things out there that obviously his college coach knows he can do, his pro coach now knows he can do, but the fans might not appreciate.
“He helps you stay organized. He normally has a calm demeanor. He’ll hit a big shot even if he hasn’t made a shot that night. Defensively he’s scrappy and can guard big people. Nine times out of 10 he’s in the right spot. He knows the other team’s sets. He’s a smart player.”
Is that all?
Duhon has been proving doubters wrong since his youth league days in Louisiana, when he always played in older age groups. A prolific scorer in high school, Duhon’s role changed quickly at Duke.
“I was part of teams that had six or seven or eight guys who could play,” Duhon said. “You always need a guy that can put them all together and make a team. I always accepted that role. We needed a guy that was willing to sacrifice his game for the team.”
That’s what made Duhon’s admission somewhat surprising. Three games after scoring 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting in the opening blowout against Miami, Duhon played only four minutes. Skiles was experimenting with lineups, including 26 minutes for Sefolosha.
“It kind of frustrated me early on, not knowing what my role was because I was used to the rotation,” Duhon said. “Then I stopped pointing the finger and blaming the coaching staff and looked at myself.”
The result has been averages of 7.6 points and 3.6 assists in 23.2 minutes per game.
“Since college, people have overlooked Chris,” said Luol Deng, his teammate at Duke. “Every game, whether he plays good or not, he plays hard. That stands out to the coaches. The little things he does are what are so important to a team.”
There’s no doubting that.
———-
kcjohnson@tribune.com
