Stock Watch: A buyer's market for Jabari Parker

The opening bell of the Blue Zone stock exchange has just rung, meaning it's time for our first Stock Watch of the season. Each week The Blue Zone will look at whose stock is on the rise and whose stock has taken a hit from the week in the Duke basketball world.

Bull Market—Trending Up

• Jabari Parker: Duke's precocious neophyte has not disappointed in his first two collegiate games. The 6-foot-8 phenom has been electrifying offensively, pouring in 24.5 points per game on 60.7 percent shooting from the field. With 7.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 1.0 steals and 3.5 3-pointers per game, Parker is showing he's as versatile as they come in the NCAA. The Carmelo Anthony comparisons are uncanny at this point.
  
• Quinn Cook: Cook's Champions Classic performance against No. 5 Kansas wasn't exactly his 7-for-9, 21-point, eight-assist masterpiece against Davidson in the season opener, but it was serviceable nonetheless. But it's not Cook's play that has his stock on the rise. No, Cook's stock is soaring because the junior point guard trimmed up his out-of-control hair. Cook now sports a closely cropped 'do, with that same little cutout on the left side that exist on the heads of guards Tyler Thornton and Matt Jones. Kansas guard Naadir Tharpe sported a similar cutout, though his was on the opposite side of his head. We're not quite sure what that style means, but it must be something if three Blue Devils have resorted to it.
  
• Mason Plumlee: A first round pick in last June's NBA draft, Plumlee was on the outside looking in at first-year head coach Jason Kidd's rotation over the first week of the season. That is the case no longer. Plumlee has averaged 17 minutes per game in his past three appearances—he did not play last Friday against the Wizards—while veteran big man Reggie Evans has seen his playing time diminish. Plumlee was supposed to be a fixture for the Nets' D-League affiliate the Springfield Armor, but the rookie has proven his worth in the big leagues.
  
• ACC Newcomers: Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame have all shown no ill-effects from moving to the ACC this season. Sure, conference play hasn't started yet and won't start for another month and a half, but all three programs have thrived in their first taste of the ACC. The trio is a combined 6-0, while two of the ACC's top returning teams—Duke and Virginia—each have losses already. Kudos to the three new programs for their early success.
  

• Amile Jefferson: Specifically Jefferson's rebounding. The long sophomore forward has been a menace offensively, shooting 11-for-13 from the field, showing a nice feel for the basketball around the rim and finishing through contact for multiple and-one opportunities. But he hasn't rebounded a lick. After failing to record a single rebound in 11 minutes against Davidson Jefferson recorded just two rebounds against Kansas in 26 minutes. That's just 2.16 rebound per 40 minutes. For comparison's sake, Jefferson racked up 9.13 rebounds per 40 as a freshman. He's not alone in his rebounding woes however, as senior Josh Hairston has yet to record a rebound in 19 minutes this season.
• Gerald Henderson: The former Blue Devil and current Charlotte Bobcat is off to a slow start to the 2013-2014 season. Henderson is averaging 13.9 points—down from his previous two seasons—and is shooting a paltry 37.7 percent from the field. Luckily for Henderson, The Blue Zone has identified his problem—his hair. Well, his lack of hair. Henderson has gone to the shaved head look, which makes him the most alien-esque NBA player since Sam Cassell.
  
• Ryan Kelly: Unfortunately for Kelly, he peaked after his first NBA game. The rookie forward made his NBA debut Nov. 5, knocking down his only jumper to make him a 100 percent shooter for his career. This week, Kelly appeared in his second game—and missed. So there you have it. Now just a 67.7 percent shooter, Kelly's stock has taken a hit.
  
• NCAA Referees: The new rules are painful. There's too much stoppage of play, guys can't get into a rhythm and players are always in foul trouble. Take the Champions Classic as an example. Fans were deprived most of a half of Andrew Wiggins due to two early fouls, then Parker wasn't on the floor for the final minutes because he fouled out. The NBA game is much more physical than the college game as is, and if players aren't used to playing through any sort of contact the transition to the professional game will just be that much harder.