The NBA preseason is in full swing, with the regular season starting Oct. 28. We take a look at how some of Duke’s newest NBA players—along with a few savvy veterans—have fared so far.
Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks: Parker was drafted second overall by Milwaukee in the 2014 Draft with the hopes that he could provide an immediate impact on the court for the struggling franchise. In an effort to kick start his development, the Chicago native has averaged 31.6 minutes per game during his first four preseason games, but has certainly had his growing pains on the court.
Parker is averaging 15.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, but is shooting just 43.5 percent from the field and is just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc. Fortunately for Parker and the Bucks, Parker’s best games have been his most recent ones. Tuesday against the Cavaliers he was 7-of-12 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the stripe for 18 points, and Friday he had 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting and 5-of-6 from the line, but also added 11 rebounds against the Timberwolves. The dynamic scorer sealed the win with this electrifying drive to the hoop.
Because of his sheer talent and athleticism on the offensive side of the ball, Parker will continue to get more comfortable facing NBA caliber defenders and he should be a focal point of Milwaukee’s offense going forward. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward will need to improve his efficiency and defense, but should put up monster numbers when the season starts.
Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz: The No. 23 overall pick of the 2014 Draft, Hood spent the first two games of the preseason on the bench dealing with a right hip issue. In the first two games in which Hood saw, he played well for the Jazz especially offensively—much needed for a team ranked sixth to last in offensive rating and second to last in points last season.
Hood averaged 11.5 points on 64.3 percent shooting from the floor and 50 percent from 3-point range in 30.5 minutes per game, and recorded a combined plus-minus of +28 in his two games. The southpaw had a bizarre game in his third performance Friday night, picking up five fouls in just nine minutes of action and thus only recording two points and three rebounds in limited action against the Clippers. But overall, Hood has been solid early in his career and like Parker, his defense was his biggest weakness heading into the NBA. Despite the concerns, he seems to be fitting well with his new teammates and head coach and Duke alum Quin Snyder's system.
His ability to shoot the ball will get him plenty of minutes throughout the beginning of the season and it will be interesting to see how his game develops, especially with shooters Trey Burke and Gordon Hayward sharing the limited amount of spotlight that comes with playing in Salt Lake City.
Luol Deng, Miami Heat: Deng is coming into an incredibly difficult situation in Miami. With LeBron James back in the state of Ohio, Deng will start at small forward for the Heat and through five preseason games has proven to be inconsistent, a characteristic that has plagued him recently.
Deng is averaging 24.2 minutes per game in the preseason and his point totals in each of the Heat’s five games so far have been 4, 18, 8, 2 and most recently, 19. He is also averaging just 3.0 total rebounds per game, more than three below his career average.
Obviously, this is, first, the preseason, and second, only halfway through the preseason, so there is no reason to sound the panic alarm if you are Deng, head coach Erik Spoelstra, or Miami Heat President Pat Riley. But it does certainly open the question of whether this is just a rough stretch for Deng stretching back to last season, or is this the new Luol Deng? The 10-year veteran was 8-of-11 for 19 points in Miami's win against Golden State Friday, but no one seems to have any idea what the versatile small forward will do from one game to the nexr.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers: The LeBron James-led Cavaliers opened their preseason against new head coach David Blatt’s former team, Maccabi Tel Aviv. In the rout, Irving played well, scoring 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting in 26 minutes on the court.
However, in a practice before Cleveland headed to Brazil for a preseason match up against the Heat, Irving tweaked his ankle, forcing him to use a walking boot for more than a week and miss the next three preseason games. Irving deemed the injury “nothing serious” and, fortunately for the Cavaliers, he seems to have been right.
In his return game Friday night against Dallas, Irving put up 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. The ankle didn’t seem to hamper his shot and he appeared comfortable running the court, playing 29 minutes in the game. Irving should be fine going forward health wise and should get significant playing time during Cleveland’s final two preseason games to help build chemistry with his new teammates.
Mason Plumlee, Brooklyn Nets: Plumlee has been great off the bench for the Nets so far this preseason. In three games, Plumlee has averaged 19.0 minutes, 12.0 points, and 4.7 rebounds. Plumlee will see an increase in playing time over at least the next 10-14 days as starting center Brook Lopez nurses his surgically repaired right foot, which he reinjured in a preseason game in China.
Lopez has had several injuries to this same foot throughout his career, mostly fractures and micro-fractures of the carpal and metacarpal bones. This particular injury is not a bone-related injury, and the last time Lopez suffered a similar injury—two years ago—he was able to return without lingering issues after missing two weeks. However, this injury has the potential, even if it is slight, could be something Lopez deals with all season.
As long as Lopez is sidelined or having his minutes managed, Plumlee will see a lot more time on the court and will be expected to play big minutes for a team that is flying under the radar in a weak Eastern Conference.
J.J. Redick, Los Angeles Clippers: The sharpshooter seems to be in the perfect system in Los Angeles, and has already put up two solid games this preseason. Redick had 14 points and 17 points on back-to-back nights against the Blazers and Jazz, and should provide floor spacing once again for a team looking to make a title run. However, the eight-year veteran will need to make sure that he stays consistent. In his other two performances so far this preseason book-ending the back-to-back games, Redick had just seven points on 3-of-11 shooting and five points on 1-of-7 shooting.
Elliot Williams, Philadelphia 76ers: Many people forget Williams started his college career at Duke before transferring to Memphis, and the athletic guard is getting plenty of court time in the NBA for the woeful 76ers. He is averaging 10.67 points per game so far this preseason, highlighted by a 17-point, six-rebound effort against Boston Friday night. Just 25 years old, Williams still has a lot of untapped potential and should keep developing nicely if given opportunities.
Ryan Kelly, Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers have had one of the most bizarre preseasons in recent memory, adopting an old-school style of play that has produced terrible results with several contributors like Kelly being held out due to injury. The versatile second-year forward has been battling a hamstring injury, but should make his return soon. The Lakers could use some perimeter shooting, especially from a frontcourt that has been abysmal so far.
Gerald Henderson, Charlotte Hornets: Henderson has also been bitten by the hamstring injury bug and has been held out of preseason action so far. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard should also return soon and will look to get his legs underneath him before the regular season intensifies.
Josh McRoberts, Miami Heat: McRoberts is the third former Blue Devil still dealing with ailments so far this preseason. The 6-foot-10 forward is still recovering from offseason toe surgery, as well as lingering back problems, and will likely have a slow start to the regular season after being limited for so long. But like Deng, McRoberts will need to have a strong impact on Miami's frontcourt if the Heat hope to contend in the Eastern Conference.
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