With training camp just getting underway for most NBA teams, we take a look at the statuses of the former Blue Devil standouts that are now established veterans—including two of Duke and Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski's players.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers: After three seasons as the lone star of the forgotten Cavaliers, Irving suddenly finds himself in the middle of the NBA’s newest "Big Three" being led by innovative first-year head coach David Blatt. Lebron James' homecoming and a blockbuster trade for Kevin Love has made Cleveland a serious title contender and the favorites to win a weak Eastern Conference. Irving also comes off of a spectacular performance in the summer's FIBA World Cup in which he scored 26 points against Serbia in the championship game and made all six of his 3-pointers en route to taking home MVP honors.
Last year's All-Star Game MVP now finds himself in an ideal situation to pursue a title at just 22 years of age, and the dynamic point guard has wasted no time starting to pile up the highlights with James since opening training camp earlier this week.
Mason Plumlee, Brooklyn Nets: A stint with Team USA this summer has the second-year player poised for a breakout year after earning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team last year. The 6-foot-11 power forward averaged 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season, and should see more minutes for head coach Lionel Hollins with the aging Kevin Garnett nearing the end of his career. The former first-round draft pick was a surprise pick for Team USA this summer by Krzyzewski, but his length provided relief and depth to a team stacked with more talent at the guard position. Look for Plumlee to use his summer experience to help the Nets back to the playoffs.
Miles Plumlee, Phoenix Suns: After a mediocre rookie season, the oldest Plumlee brother had his breakout year last season, leading the ninth-best team in the grueling Western Conference in rebounding with 7.8 boards per contest and also averaging 8.1 points per game. The Suns looked to surprise everybody last year by making the playoffs, but they dropped 3 of their final 4 games to just miss out on the postseason despite winning 50 games. Plumlee was also a beneficiary of Team USA's competition this summer as he helped the squad that ended up travelling to Spain prepare as part of the USA Select Team. He will look to use the lessons he learned from a few of his college coaches this summer to help a young but dangerous Suns squad to continue improve in his third professional season.
Gerald Henderson, Charlotte Hornets: Entering his sixth year in the NBA, Henderson looks to keep contributing to an up-and-coming Charlotte team after averaging 14.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season. The newly-named Hornets look to make it back to the playoffs for a second consecutive season behind a cast of young players and superstar big man Al Jefferson. The former 12th pick in the draft, Henderson will battle the athletic Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and newly acquired Lance Stephenson for minutes on the wing this season for a team that could get back to the playoffs in the woeful Eastern Conference.
Ryan Kelly, Los Angeles Lakers: The versatile power-forward suffered a hamstring injury in his left leg Wednesday and is now out indefinitely. This is poor timing for Kelly, who hopes to stay healthier than he did last year when he was only able to appear in 59 games. The big man played pretty well when he did play, averaging 8.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Kelly's size and shooting ability makes him a much-coveted commodity in the NBA where the stretch-four position continues to expand, but the 6-foot-11 forward will need to rehab quickly with the season starting later this month and veteran Carlos Boozer and rookie Julius Randle also looking to play big minutes up front for a Laker squad that is looking to bounce back.
Kyle Singler, Detroit Pistons: Entering his third consecutive season with Detroit, Singler looks to keep producing for a team that finished with an abysmal 29-53 record last year. Although he has not been spectacular, the Medford, Ore., native has been consistent despite the turmoil surrounding him and has averaged 9.2 points per game without missing a single contest so far in his career. He will look to impress new head coach Stan Van Gundy and continue to be a steady presence on a roster full of notorious underachievers that have the talent to become All-Star caliber players.
Mike Dunleavy, Jr., Chicago Bulls: The 13-year veteran will try to take advantage of this summer’s Eastern Conference shake-up to help the Bulls get back to the Eastern Conference Finals with the return of Derrick Rose and tenacity of reigning Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah. Dunleavy averaged 11.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season and elevated his game in the playoffs, so the wily veteran should still see some minutes on the wing because of his shooting stroke and high basketball IQ. With the offseason addition of Pau Gasol, many people think that Chicago has a great chance to challenge Cleveland for the top spot in the conference.
Elton Brand, Atlanta Hawks: Entering his 16th year in the NBA, Brand hopes to produce in what may be his final NBA contract. The 35-year-old has seen a steady decline in his numbers in the past few seasons after being a dominant big man during his first eight seasons. The 6-foot-9, 254-pound forward averaged 5.7 points per game last year, well below the 16.6 point-per-game mark he has maintained throughout the year, and is likely hoping that the Hawks can make a surprising run in the postseason like they did last year as his minutes continue to drop.
Austin Rivers, New Orleans Pelicans: After producing one of the worst seasons in NBA history during his rookie campaign, Rivers bounced back toward the end of last year and needs to continue improving with his future hanging in the balance unless he shows significant growth. The 22-year old finds himself surrounded by an interesting cast of players, including Team USA standout center Anthony Davis. Rivers hopes to contribute when he comes off the bench this year and add depth to a squad that might just be the breakout team of the year with talented guards Jrue Holliday, Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon looking to stay healthy and support Davis.
Elliot Williams, Philadelphia 76ers: After missing the entire 2012-2013 season due to an Achilles injury, Williams bounced back last season to average 6.0 points per game for a struggling 76ers squad. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound wing came on especially at the end of last season and should have more opportunities to keep improving for a team that futures tons of athleticism but little experience.
Shavlik Randolph, Phoenix Suns: The Raleigh, N.C., native will look to keep his roller-coaster NBA career alive entering his 10th NBA season after being signed by the Suns late last year. The former Chinese Basketball Association scoring champion posted absurd averages of 32.0 points and 14.6 rebounds per game during his stint playing overseas, and put up 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in limited action in 14 games for the young Suns at the end of last season. The 6-foot-10, 236-pound forward is one of the oldest players on Phoenix's roster, so his presence will likely provide guidance to the team's young players even though Randolph is unlikely to play a major role on the team.
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