While the current Duke Basketball players were in the midst of Countdown to Craziness, former Duke Blue Devils were on fire in New Orleans.
In his second regular season game in the NBA, Marvin Bagley III showed why he was such a touted player coming out of Duke.
It wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary for a rookie to be very intimidated going up against perennial MVP candidate Anthony Davis, but Marvin Bagley isn’t an ordinary rookie.
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Going up against Davis, Bagley scored 19 points, pulled down eight rebounds, dished out three assists, three steals, and one block in 33 minutes of action.
However, Marvin Bagley III wasn’t the only Duke rookie that was on the floor last night in New Orleans.
Bagley’s teammate in Sacramento, Harry Giles, also was playing in his second NBA regular season game as he sat out last season rehabbing his knee. Giles saw 19 minutes against the New Orleans Pelicans and scored seven points with four rebounds, but ultimately fouled out in the Pelicans 149-129 victory.
Giles’ teammate at Duke current member of the New Orleans Pelicans, Frank Jackson was also on the floor in his second career NBA regular season game as he only saw mop up duty in the Pelicans’ win over Houston on opening night.
Jackson is also a rookie this season because he was sidelined for the entirety of last year with a foot injury.
On Friday night, Jackson was on the floor for six minutes and he scored five points making two of his three shots from the field while grabbing two rebounds.
One last former Blue Devil was on the floor on Friday night in the Big Easy and it is Jahlil Okafor of the Pelicans.
Okafor in his first season with the Pelicans also saw mop up duty in his debut with his new squad against the Rockets, but he logged eight minutes against the Kings, scoring four points, and rising up for three rebounds, and one assist.
Marvin Bagley, Harry Giles, and the Kings will be back on the floor Saturday night in Oklahoma City as they take on the Thunder, while Frank Jackson, Jahlil Okafor, and the Pelicans will get a few more days off as they will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.