Blue Devils In The NBA Watch: 11/01
By Ethan Novak
October 23, 2012; Cleveland, OH USA: Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) brings the ball up court during a preseason game against the Indiana Pacers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric P. Mull-USPRESSWIRE
I’m starting a new feature that covers how former Blue Devils are performing in the NBA. I plan on doing this every Thursday, so be prepared for your Thursday mornings to start getting a little brighter from now on as the cold and dark winter-weather descends upon us. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Chris Duhon – Los Angeles Lakers
Duhon, who came to the Lakers in the Howard trade, hasn’t seen much of the court in the first two games of the season, playing a miniscule four minutes in last night’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Duhon was on the court during a stretch that saw the Trail Blazers go on a 13-0 run to close the 3rd quarter, a run that would be key to their victory.
stats: 0.00 PPG, 1.00 APG, 0.00 RPG, -1.60 PER
Nolan Smith – Portland Trail Blazers
Injuries to Trail Blazer guards have boosted Smith’s playing time. Smith tallied 14 minutes in the win over the Lakers last night, dishing two assists and banking in a pretty runner for his only points.
stats: 2.00 PPG, 2.00 APG, 0.00 RPG, 8.97 PER
Elliot Williams – Portland Trail Blazers
Williams will miss the entire 2012-2013 season after suffering a season ending Achilles-injury in September.
Miles Plumlee – Indiana Pacers
Inactive in the Pacer’s 90-88 win over the Raptors
Corey Maggette – Detroit Pistons
Out with a calf injury. Didn’t play in the Pistons loss to the Rockets last night.
Kyle Singler – Detroit Pistons
Performed very well in the Piston’s loss last night, scoring 10 points in 16 minutes.
stats: 10 PPG, 0.00 APG, 2.00 RPG, 23.54 PER
As usual, Boozer played a large role in the Bulls 93-87 win over the Kings last night, playing 33 minutes and shooting over 60% from the field
stats: 18.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 18.63 PER
Deng struggled in the Bulls’ win last night, going 3 for 13 from the field and committing four turnovers. Don’t expect this to continue, as he is one of their biggest contributors on both ends of the floor.
stats: 7.00 PPG, 2.0 APG, 12.0 RPG, 5.07 PER
Austin Rivers – New Orleans Hornets
Congratulations to Austin Rivers on making his NBA Debut and first NBA start last night. It wasn’t pretty, however. He struggled shooting the ball, going 1 for 9 from the floor, but had success getting to the line, where he shot 83%.
stats: 7.00 PPG, 2.00 APG, 1.0 RPG, 9.16 PER
Lance Thomas – New Orleans Hornets
Thomas didn’t see any playing time last night, as the additions of Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson have drastically reduced Lance’s already limited role.
Elton Brand – Dallas Mavericks
Brand has struggled in his first two games with the Mavericks, shooting 5 for 18 so far, but he has been decent on the boards.
stats: 6.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2 APG, 5.91 PER
Dahntay Jones – Dallas Mavericks
Jones has played 8 minutes in both of the Mavericks games so far this season, but hasn’t made much of an impact at all, with the only stats accumulated so far being two points and two personal fouls.
stats: 1.0 PPG, 0.00 APG, 0.00 RPG
Grant Hill – Los Angeles Clippers
Hill, the ageless wonder, didn’t play in the Clippers opener, struggling with a knee injury.
Kyrie Irving – Cleveland Cavaliers
Irving picked up right where he left off after a stellar rookie season, kicking off his sophomore campaign with a huge game to guide the Cavaliers past the John Wall-less Wizards. Irving, who is by far the most exciting former Blue Devil in the NBA at the moment, is the franchise player for a Cavaliers team that is starting to turn a corner in their rebuilding process. Keep an eye on Irving this season, as he could establish himself as a top-five point-guard by the end of the season.
Battier played 29 minutes in the Miami Heat opener on Tuesday, but failed to make much of an impact on the stat sheet.
stats: 6.0 PPG, 1.0 APG, 2.o RPG, 5.41 PER
Note: The rest of your former Blue Devils, including JJ Redick, Gerald Henderson, and Mike Dunleavy, have yet to have their team play a game this season and will be included in next week’s Blue Devils In The NBA Watch.