Former Duke Blue Devils take over Atlanta in NBA preseason opener
Several former Duke Basketball players were in Atlanta on Monday night as the New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks opened up its preseason.
Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish made their NBA preseason debuts on Monday night as the Atlanta Hawks hosted the New Orleans Pelicans, but there were a slew of other former Blue Devils in the game.
There were seven ex-Duke Blue Devils on the floor Monday night. Williamson, Reddish, Brandon Ingram, Jahlil Okafor, J.J. Redick, Frank Jackson, and Jabari Parker all saw action in the Pelicans’ 133-109 victory.
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The main story entering the game was Williamson and he was the talk of the NBA after the game as he picked up right where he left of at Duke.
Zion started and logged 28 minutes in his preseason debut, accumulating 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals while shooting 6-of-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from the free throw line. The No. 1 overall pick did miss both of his attempts from three-point range.
Cam Reddish came off the bench for the Hawks and only saw the floor for 15 minutes, but was very impressive in his limited time.
The No. 10 overall pick dropped 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting and 3-of-4 from 3-point range while grabbing two rebounds and dishing out an assist.
Along side Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram also started for the New Orleans Pelicans and after coming off of shoulder surgery last season, he played 23 minuets in his Pelicans debut.
The former No. 2 pick of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 2-of-4 from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 from the free throw line, while pulling down six rebounds with on assist and one steal.
Jahlil Okafor, J.J. Redick, and Frank Jackson all came off the bench for New Orleans on Monday night, with Okafor leading the way of the trio.
In 15 minutes, Okafor scored 11 points and recorded six rebounds, five on the offensive glass, in addition to three assists and a steal, while Redick contributed seven points on just 2-of-7 shooting.
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Jackson added nine points in 16 minutes with two rebounds.
As for Jabari Parker, the newest Atlanta Hawk came off the bench to add ten points and five rebounds in 23 minutes while netting a steal and an assist.
The Pelicans are back in action on Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls at 8:00pm EST while the Hawks will be back on the floor at home on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic at 7:30pm EST.