Duke basketball products have career nights in same game

Two recent Duke basketball teammates are taking advantage of extra minutes.

These days, the word “starter” doesn’t often describe former Duke basketball one-and-done Cassius Stanley and two-year Blue Devil Tre Jones, who formed the starting backcourt in Durham throughout the 2019-20 season before becoming second-round picks at the 2020 NBA Draft.

But in Saturday night’s star-depleted 117-116 overtime home win by the Detroit Pistons (6-28) over the San Antonio Spurs (14-21), Stanley and Jones enjoyed starting nods for their respective teams. And they each capitalized on their increased roles to the tune of career-high scoring totals.

The Duke basketball products’ stat lines

Drawing the first start of his career, Stanley tallied 19 points to go along with three rebounds, one assist, one block, and only one turnover across a career-high 36 minutes. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound shooting guard, who inked a 10-day contract with Detroit back on Christmas Day, was highly efficient, shooting 6-for-8 from the field, 3-for-4 from three, and 4-for-4 from the foul line.

Meanwhile, Jones finished with 15 points, one day after dropping 13 points, thereby marking a career-high of his own and his first back-to-back double-digit outings as a pro. The Spurs’ 6-foot-1, 185-pound reserve point guard added seven boards, three dimes, and only one turnover across his career-high 32 minutes. He shot 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe.

Considering all of those encouraging stats from these NBA Blue Devils, it seems Cassius Stanley and Tre Jones put themselves in a position to potentially receive more minutes and starts, at least for as long as health and safety protocols continue to decimate rosters across the league.

The Detroit Pistons hit the road to face the Milwaukee Bucks at 8 p.m. ET Monday. And the San Antonio Spurs next play at the Toronto Raptors at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday.