After a long 82 game schedule the NBA Playoffs are finally here. This season has been crazy and exciting and the playoffs should be no different. The 2015 playoffs have a Blue Devil tinge to it though, as nine former Blue Devils are on rosters of teams that will compete in the postseason.
More from Blue Devils in the NBA
- Duke basketball forward embodies resiliency and uncertainty during career
- Duke basketball: RJ Barrett starring in FIBA World Cup after awful start
- Duke basketball: Brandon Ingram not thrilled with role on Team USA
- Duke basketball: Paolo Banchero has coming out party for USA Basketball
- Duke basketball: Kyrie Irving’s short lived but impactful year in Durham
The nine former Duke Blue Devils includes some stars, some bench warmers, and some key role players. Included in those nine former Blue Devils is Jabari Parker, now a Milwaukee Buck, who will not be participating. The former number two overall pick tore his ACL earlier in the year and is still recovering from that injury.
Aside from Parker though Duke fans will see plenty of familiar faces on the floor as they watch the playoffs. The Los Angeles Clippers lead the way with three Blue Devils on their roster, all with different roles. J.J. Redick, one of Duke’s all-time greats, has had a tremendous season for the Clippers averaging 16 points per game while shooting 48 percent from the field, 44 percent from three and 90 percent from the free throw line, and will be a huge factor when the Clippers take on the San Antonio Spurs.
The other two Clippers that were Blue Devils are Austin Rivers and Dahntay Jones. Rivers is the backup point guard behind Chris Paul and is a presence on the defensive end, while Jones doesn’t get much playing time and is a non-factor.
The former Duke player that will likely have the biggest impact on the NBA Playoffs is Kyrie Irving. Even though he only played in eleven games at Duke, Irving was still the number one overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers and is now playing for the team that is favored to win the Championship. Irving and Lebron James are the two best players on that team and won’t win it all without them playing well.
Elton Brand, Mason & Miles Plumlee, and Mike Dunleavy are the rest of the Duke guys who will be part of the NBA Playoffs. Brand and Miles Plumlee both get very limited playing time for their respective teams (Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks,) but Dunleavy and Mason Plumlee can both be huge factors in the postseason.
Dunleavy starts for the Chicago Bulls and while he averages less than ten points per game he is a marksman and can go off from three at any point. He shot 41 percent from three this year and will look to continue that against the Bucks.
Plumlee on the other hand is the backup center for the Brooklyn Nets and while he has been a bit disappointing this year he still averaged 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds this year and can potentially be a big factor off the bench for the eighth seeded Nets.
Duke may not have many stars in the NBA Playoffs but they have got plenty of players in there that will play key roles in whether their teams advance or not. Between Irving, Redick, Rivers and Dunleavy you will see a few former Blue Devils on the court making an impact when the Playoffs start and you may even see a former Blue Devil hoist up the Larry O’Brien Trophy when it’s all said and done, who knows.