As the All-Star game approaches, a number of former Blue Devils are making their presence felt in the association. The Blue Zone takes a look at how the former Duke stars have performed of late:
Justise Winslow, Miami Heat
The rookie saw his name in the starting lineup for the first time in his career when the Heat faced the dominant Golden State Warriors this week. Winslow—who's minutes have fluctuated throughout the season—made an impact on both sides of the floor in his team’s loss adding seven points, a steal, a block, an assist and three rebounds in his 26 minutes of action.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra made the lineup switch due to Hassan Whiteside’s knee injury and Winslow will be called upon more if the big man and guard Goran Dragic continue to sit with injuries. The veteran-heavy Miami squad has been pleased with the progression of the rookie especially defensively, but Winslow will need to improve his accuracy beyond the arc as he’s currently shooting just 22-percent from three.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
With the Cavaliers sitting atop the Eastern Conference, the team was riding an eight-game winning streak before falling to the Spurs Thursday. Irving seems to be rediscovering his groove after returning from injury in late December. Through seven games in January the guard has averaged 18.8 points along with 4.8 assists per outing. Despite his injury-shortened season, Irving's popularity has not faded as he is in second place in All-Star voting for Eastern Conference guards—behind only Winslow’s teammate Dwayne Wade. Cavalier fans got a glimpse of the 2014 All-Star MVP in top form in the team’s overtime win at Dallas Tuesday, when LeBron James dished to Irving and he sunk a deep three to extend Cleveland’s lead and solidify the win.
Mason Plumlee, Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers center has been heralded as the best offseason addition to the team currently sitting ninth in the Western Conference standings. Plumlee is having a career season across the stat sheet—averaging 9.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. The third-year player has already surpassed both his two previous seasons’ totals with 108 assists through just 41 games.
Plumlee has seen his numbers drop slightly in January as the Trail Blazers have faced three of the top four teams in the West—the Warriors, Thunder and Clippers—in consecutive games. The center also made his feelings known about the Blue Devils' loss to Clemson this week with a bold t-shirt choice.
. @masonplumlee, not stoked about @dukeblueplanet's loss last night pic.twitter.com/3Irnwgk5yD
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) January 14, 2016
JJ Redick, Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have not lost since December 21, in no small part thanks to J.J. Redick. In his 10th season in the league, the guard is shooting a career-high 49-percent from the field and 48-percent from downtown. During the team's 10-game win streak, Redick has been even better— shooting 53 percent from the floor and averaging 17.4 points per game. Next on the Clippers’ agenda as they hope to continue their winning ways will be playing host to former Duke star Seth Curry’s Sacramento Kings.
Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers
The 38-year-old made his return to the league to mentor fellow former Duke star Jahlil Okafor and the struggling 76ers. Brand announced his return on The Cauldron, but has yet to see minutes on the floor. His 16 years of experience could be a welcome addition to the young squad, but it remains to be seen how the team will utilize him.
Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia 76ers
Okafor seems to be have found his footing in 2016. The Philadelphia center is averaging 17.7 points on 62-percent shooting from the floor, along with 5.2 rebounds through the first seven games of the year. Okafor’s numbers are made more impressive by the fact that this stretch has included games against three of the top four teams in the East, including the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday. Despite suffering a loss, Okafor shone—posting 21 points and 7 rebounds on 9-of-15 shooting from the field against the red-hot Cavaliers.
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