Duke in the NBA: Former Blue Devils having strong month; Irving debut approaching

With about a third of the NBA season in the books, it’s time once again to take a look at how some of the former Blue Devils are holding up at the next level.

Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia 76ers

The month of December has been a tumultuous one for the third overall pick in this year’s draft. After Okafor scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds en route to the 76ers' first win of the season on Dec. 1 against the Lakers, the rookie sat out the next two games due to a suspension for his role in an altercation outside a Boston night club. Okafor returned to action on Dec. 7, the same day team owner Joshua Harris brought on Jerry Colangelo as Chairman of Basketball Operations.

When he has been on the court, Okafor has continued his steady play. The former Blue Devil has averaged more than 30 minutes per game this month while scoring 18.6 points per game and grabbing 7.7 rebounds per contest. His free throw shooting—a big weakness during his single season in Durham—has improved as the big man has shot better than 80 percent from the line in his last seven games. But Okafor’s critics still lament his defensive struggles, and most analysts peg him well behind the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis in the Rookie of the Year race.

Justise Winslow, Miami Heat

Winslow is still contributing valuable minutes to a Miami team on track for a high seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Winslow and veteran Gerald Green have combined to provide the majority of Miami’s bench production on a nightly basis and have complemented each other nicely with their athleticism on the wings. Winslow’s primary contribution thus far has been on the defensive side of the ball, but the rookie has also displayed a much-improved jumpshot. The Houston native has shot 5-of-10 from beyond the arc in his last three games.

Tyus Jones, Minnesota Timberwolves

After seeing little NBA action to begin the season, Jones was sent on a D-League assignment to the Idaho Stampede by the Timberwolves. But in his first significant game action since last year’s NCAA tournament, the point guard has shined in the D-League. Jones has averaged 23.3 points in four games and played nearly 36 minutes per contest for the Stampede. Jones told the Timberwolves’ official team website that he expects to return to the NBA roster this weekend.

Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks

Parker’s play has picked up in December as he continues to work his way back from ACL surgery last winter. The former Duke star has averaged 27.6 minutes per game in December and scored 12.3 points per contest as the Bucks continue to struggle to integrate him and free agent signee Greg Monroe with the trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Michael Carter-Williams. Parker scored 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting Saturday, when the Bucks became the first team to topple the defending champion Golden State Warriors this season.

Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz

Hood continues to start at shooting guard for a Jazz team in contention for its first playoff berth in four seasons. Although his scoring output has dropped markedly from a productive November— down from 12.5 points per game to 9.5 this month— Hood has had spurts of impressive play, including a 23-point showing in Utah’s 104-98 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday.

Mason Plumlee, Portland Trail Blazers

Plumlee is entrenched as Portland’s starting center and is one of his team's elder statesman on a roster filler with youth. Plumlee’s overall numbers have been down in December, but he has recorded consecutive double-doubles in his last two games. Plumlee continues to provide a steady defensive presence in the middle for a Blazer team that has exceeded expectations thus far this season.

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers

The former No. 1 overall pick has yet to make his season debut after fracturing his kneecap in Game One of last summer’s NBA Finals. Even in his absence, the Cavaliers own the best record in the Eastern Conference─having LeBron James on your team helps in that regard─but Irving’s forthcoming return should be a big boost for the team. Reports had indicated that the former Blue Devil would play in Thursday night’s game against Oklahoma City, but Irving squashed those rumors on Twitter.

Irving could be on the court as soon as Sunday against Okafor's 76ers.

Lance Thomas, New York Knicks

Thomas has been a revelation so far in December for the Knicks, who have surprised thus far with a 12-14 record after winning just 17 games a year ago. Thomas has scored in double figures in six of eight December contests and his minutes have risen from 17.9 per game entering the month to 23.6 per contest in the recent stretch. After being an overlooked asset in a three-team trade between New York, Cleveland and Oklahoma City last February, Thomas has proven to be a key player for head coach Derek Fisher off the bench.

J.J. Redick, Los Angeles Clippers

Redick is having another extremely strong season for the Clippers. The guard has averaged almost 17 points per game this month, and his shooting has been lights-out. The former Blue Devil has shot 46-percent from 3-point range this season, good for third in the league. Although Redick did miss a game against the Magic─his former team─two weeks ago with a sprained ankle, he has not shown any drop in form upon his return.

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