In the last weekly round-up before Christmas, The Blue Zone takes a spin around the NBA to check in with former Blue Devils in the pros:
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers—As LeBron James and Irving begin to find their rhythm in head coach David Blatt’s offense, the Cavaliers are slowly shaking off their early-season struggles. With Irving’s new logo hanging on the walls outside Quicken Loans Arena, it was a special night for the Cavalier’s fourth-year point guard Friday. Even though Irving only went 6-for-18 from the field, he managed 16 points and 4 assists and he and Mike Miller made enough plays in the backcourt to lead the Cavaliers to victory against the visiting Brooklyn Nets, 95-91.
Irving also took time out of his busy NBA schedule to watch the No. 2 Blue Devils take down reigning NCAA champion Connecticut at the IZOD Center Thursday night.
Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks—On his way to a steady rookie season, Parker came down awkwardly in Monday’s game against the Phoenix Suns and had to be carried to the locker room. An MRI revealed that the second overall pick had torn his ACL. The initial diagnosis was a sprained knee but after further tests it was announced Tuesday night that Parker had indeed torn the ligament. He will likely remain out for the rest of his rookie season.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski addressed the Chicago native's injury after Thursday's win. Parker was averaging 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and had helped the young Bucks to a 13-12 start, only two wins shy of their total from last season. Despite only playing 25 games, Parker showed flashes of stardom and will work to get back to full health to lead the Bucks next season.
Gerald Henderson, Charlotte Hornets—Henderson has been in and out of the starting lineup in coach Steve Clifford’s rotation this season, and was bumped back into the rotation because of an injured Lance Stephenson Friday night in Philadelphia. Henderson turned in another solid performance, filling the stat sheet with 11 points, two blocks, four assists and a steal.
Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz—The rookie’s struggles continued this past week. He totaled only 14 points in three games before having a solid nine-point outing Friday against the Magic. Hood was 4-for-7 from the floor and chipped in with two assists. The learning curve remains steep in Salt Lake City for the former Blue Devil sharpshooter.
J.J. Redick, Los Angeles Clippers—The Clippers have gone 2-3 since snapping their seven-game winning streak. Redick has scored in double figures in four out of the five games during that stretch, including a stellar performance in a loss to the Bucks last Saturday. Redick dropped 25 points, going 5-for-7 from beyond the arc and a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
Carlos Boozer, Los Angeles Lakers—Coming off the bench for the adrift Lakers, Boozer scored in double figures in all three games this week. Boozer was 10-for-14 for 22 points in a winning effort against the Timberwolves. Boozer’s perceived lack of athleticism got the best of him when he went up for a dunk against the Thunder’s Serge Ibaka Friday night and was viciously denied at the rim.
Miles Plumlee, Phoenix Suns—The eldest Plumlee came off the bench in two of the Sun’s four games this past week, averaging 19.8 minutes per game. Although he only scored 12 total points during the course of the week, Plumlee grabbed seven rebounds in a loss to the Thunder and duplicated the feat later on in the week in a win against the Hornets. He was benched in favor of Alex Len against the Bucks and seems destined to come off the bench for the foreseeable future. Plumlee is averaging 5.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game to this point in the season.
Mason Plumlee, Brooklyn Nets—After taking over the starting role last week, Plumlee has flourished. He played season-high minutes this week and has scored in double-figures in every game. Plumlee recorded his best stat line of the season Wednesday against the Raptors, going 9-for-13 for 23 points with eight rebounds and two blocks. If Plumlee keeps up the high level of play, his starting spot may be permanent.
Austin Rivers, New Orleans Pelicans—After finally getting over the hump when he scored 11 points against the Cavaliers Dec. 12, the third-year guard has flirted with consistency in the most recent three-game stretch for the Pelicans. He scored 12 points off the bench against the Jazz and on Thursday against the Rockets, Rivers received his third start of the season. Tyreke Evans was unable to play with a banged-up knee and Rivers turned in a solid performance, going 4-for-10 from the field with 10 points and six assists.
Elton Brand, Atlanta Hawks—Brand played in one game for Hawks this past week, getting 13 minutes off of the bench in a win against the Bulls. The veteran went 3-for-5 for 10 points and added a block.
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