With the regular season finally underway, we take a look at how some former Blue Devil standouts are faring in the NBA. Check back each week for a Duke in the NBA update.
Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks: In his much-anticipated NBA debut, the second overall pick struggled, scoring eight points on 3-of-9 shooting and grabbing only four rebounds. His struggles on the defensive end were already on display as he posted a team-worst plus/minus of -13 as Milwaukee fell 108-106 to the Bobcats in the opener.
Friday against the 76ers, Parker recorded his first double-double, scoring 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting and adding 10 boards in the 93-81 win. Although the Bucks' offense has revolved around guards Brandon Knight and O.J. Mayo so far, head coach Jason Kidd will need much better production from his star rookie, especially on offense, in order to sneak into the playoff conversation.
Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz: Hood has also struggled this season, scoring five points in 21 minutes on Wednesday and going 0-of-7 in 17 minutes on Thursday while committing four fouls. The southpaw was drafted to a knockdown shooter on the wing, so he’ll have to improve his shooting percentage if he wants to stay in the rotation for a young Jazz squad.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers: In the highly emotional and much-anticipated debut of the NBA’s newest "Big Three," the Cavaliers fell short to a depleted Knicks squad. Irving, however, was very clearly the team’s best player on opening night, scoring 22 points, dishing out seven assists, and grabbing five boards.
Friday against the Bulls, the explosive point guard had 23 points on 6-of-17 shooting in Cleveland's first win of the season, an overtime thriller on the road. Irving was 10-of-10 from the free throw line and will likely need more time to get used to playing with LeBron James and Kevin Love early in the season.
Lance Thomas, Oklahoma City Thunder: Because the Thunder were forced to start the season with many of their rotation players sidelined with injuries, Kevin Durant being the most notable, Thomas has been given the opportunity to play a lot of minutes. In the team’s first two games of the season, Thomas has 9.0 points in 25.0 minutes per contest and his jump shot looks much improved since his days at Duke. The forward helped the Blue Devils to their fourth national title in 2010
Luol Deng, Miami Heat: It’s no easy task replacing the best player in the world, but Deng will be one of the Heat’s most relied upon players on both ends of the floor this season. He only had 12 points in the team’s Wednesday night win against the Wizards, but he only took eight shots. Expect both of those numbers to increase in the future.
Carlos Boozer, Los Angeles Lakers: Boozer played a good game on Tuesday, but had a poor showing the following night. In the Lakers’ two blowout losses this week, he averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He also lost some value when Julius Randle broke his leg on Tuesday since he was brought into Los Angeles, in part, to mentor Randle and help ease the seventh round pick into a starting role. The grizzled veteran also struggled Friday night as the Lakers fell to the Clippers, scoring just nine points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Mason Plumlee, Brooklyn Nets: With Brook Lopez sidelined, Mason Plumlee started in the Nets’ opener, but only played 11 minutes due to foul trouble and scored four points. Both numbers came as a surprise to Nets fans, who expected the second-year big man to be have one of the biggest breakouts in the league and play a huge role in Brooklyn’s frontcourt after his strong showing with USA Basketball at the World Cup and an excellent preseason. Plumlee will have a chance to bounce back as the season progresses with Lopez and veteran Kevin Garnett likely to see lighter workloads.
Mike Dunleavy, Jr., Chicago Bulls: Many people forget about the veteran, but Dunleavy is still getting solid minutes with the Bulls early in the season, especially with youngster Jimmy Butler battling injuries. The 34-year-old had 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the team's overtime loss against Cleveland, and his ability to knock down perimeter shots will still be huge for a team that often struggles to score.
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