The Blue Zone rounds up a busy week in the league for some former-Blue Devils:
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics:
After a great start to the season, Tatum had one of his first subpar stretches in his past three games. Against Philadelphia, Orlando and the Los Angeles Lakers, Tatum combined to shoot just 9-of-28 from the field, including a four-point dud in a loss to the Lakers, part of a rough beginning to 2018 for the rookie.
Boston has dropped four straight games, but still remains a game and a half ahead of Toronto in the Eastern Conference's pole position. TheBigLead wonders if Tatum has hit the "rookie wall."
Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics:
While Boston has struggled as of late, Irving certainly hasn't struggled to get shots off. He dropped 33 points Tuesday against the Lakers and 40 against the Magic Sunday after missing Thursday's game against Philadelphia with a sore shoulder.
After No. 2 overall recruit Zion Williamson announced his commitment to Duke Saturday, Irving was thrilled that Williamson joined a class that already included No. 1 overall recruit R.J. Barrett and No. 3 Cam Reddish.
"Another one. Another one. That's all I gotta say. One, two and three. Another one, and it's what we do baby. The Brotherhood," Irving told NBC Boston contributor Clevis Murray. "I'm just super happy for coach and the entire coaching staff over there at Duke. I'm glad, that kind of the stigma of us getting top players is slowly fading away. Proud of that. Some great recruits, so I'm happy."
Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers:
After missing a couple games with ankle issues, Ingram hasn't quite been the same player that we has before the injury. Since his return, he has been spotty with his shot, connecting on just 6-of-24 tries from the floor, although it hasn't affected the Lakers much.
The current No. 11 seed Lakers have rattled off three straight wins, including a tight 108-107 win Tuesday against Boston at the Staples Center. Overall, Los Angeles has won seven of its last nine games.
Marshall Plumlee, Milwaukee Bucks
Marshall Plumlee is back in an NBA uniform, and he hasn't failed to make a quick impact. In two games played for the Bucks since being sent over from the Clippers, Plumlee has totaled 10 points on 17 minutes—all but two of which from the charity stripe.
Then-Bucks' head coach Jason Kidd has now coached all three of the Plumlee brothers, but he was fired Monday.
Jahlil Okafor, Brooklyn Nets:
After sitting for weeks, Okafor has begun to carve himself a role for the Nets in the new year. Okafor has played double-digit minutes in all but four games in 2018, including a 17-point outburst Jan. 12 against the Hawks in which he threw down a big dunk.
More recently, he scored four points and recorded a block in 10 minutes Tuesday against the Thunder.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.