Former Blue Devil stars are making waves in their first taste of NBA action, and another ex-standout signed a massive deal.
Duke players shining in NBA Summer League
It hasn’t taken long for Duke’s newest NBA players to settle in.
Newly minted Boston Celtic Jayson Tatum and Detroit Piston Luke Kennard picked up right where they left off with the Blue Devils, scoring at ease and making highlight-reel plays in the NBA’s Summer League.
Tatum was fourth in the Utah Summer League with 18.7 points per game and second in the league with 9.7 rebounds per game—and perhaps first in terms of flashy plays.
He wasted no time throwing down a thunderous dunk against the Philadelphia 76ers in his summer league debut Monday, slamming it home over former Arizona star Kaleb Tarczewski.
Jayson Tatum with the monster dunk!
— NBA SKITS (@NBA_Skits) July 4, 2017
pic.twitter.com/OSavMPy8Aa
He also came through in the clutch for the Celtics in his debut, nailing a game-winning shot with 5.9 seconds left to top Philadelphia.
No. 3 pick Jayson Tatum (21p) gives the @celtics the 89-88 lead with 5.7 seconds left to go!
— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 4, 2017
Catch the finish NOW on NBA TV! #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/y2XCfK3Rxv
Kennard demonstrated some heroics of his own, averaging 17.2 points per game in the Orlando Summer League, including a 24-point outburst in a title game loss. He also pulled through in the clutch, scoring all seven of Detroit's points in overtime against Dallas Mavericks, including a game-tying 3-pointer with 6.9 seconds left before Johnathan Motley knocked down a game-winner on the other end.
Kennard ROY confirmed pic.twitter.com/cyCQnOUfSH
— Detroit Sports (@DETsports__) July 6, 2017
Redick inks big deal with 76ers
Former Duke star J.J. Redick cashed in big in free agency, inking a one-year, $23 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers—more than he earned in the last three years combined.
In the midst of a rebuilding project, the 11-year NBA veteran provides leadership on a team chock full of lottery picks.
“Trust the process,” Redick tweeted shortly after the news broke of his signing Saturday.
Trust the process
— JJ Redick (@JJRedick) July 1, 2017
Redick averaged 15.0 points per game last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, playing in all but four games. The sharpshooter will make Philadelphia more dangerous from beyond the arc—he shot 42.9 percent from 3-point range last season.
Duke draftees sign with NBA teams, but Plumlee waived by Knicks
After tying a school record with four players picked in June’s NBA Draft, all of them except Frank Jackson have officially signed with NBA teams. Tatum led the way in inking a deal that will give him $4.7 million in his first year in the pros, according to RealGM .
After two seasons in Durham, Kennard cashed in with a deal with the Pistons that will give him $8.2 million in his first three years in the NBA, according to the Detroit News.
Former No. 1 overall recruit Harry Giles, who was expected to be a lottery pick heading into the 2016-17 season, also signed Thursday with the Sacramento Kings. The No. 20 overall pick will earn $10.6 million in the next four years.
Jackson, a one-and-done guard picked No. 31 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans, remains the lone Blue Devil draftee unsigned by his NBA team.
But another former Duke standout, Marshall Plumlee, was waived by the New York Knicks Friday to make room for Tim Hardaway Jr., who signed a $71-million deal with the team. The 7-foot center averaged 1.9 points per game in 21 contests with New York last season.
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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.