As Duke men’s basketball is ready to begin its ACC campaign, some former Blue Devils are making a splash in the NBA. The Blue Zone looks as some Duke alumni succeeding on the game’s biggest stage:
Paolo Banchero cements strong start to career in history
The No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, Paolo Banchero scored 24 points for Orlando Magic in his 100th professional appearance Tuesday. In doing so, Banchero joined an elite list of players over the last 40 years who averaged more than 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists in their first century of games. Only eight players in NBA history have achieved this feat, including Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Blue Devil legend Grant Hill. The future is indeed bright for last season’s Rookie of the Year.
Jayson Tatum leads surging Celtics
Jayson Tatum, one of Duke’s finest products, continues to shine in the NBA, as the Boston Celtics ended Christmas Day on top of the Eastern Conference. In a thrilling matchup against the Lakers, he scored 25 points and had 7 assists. While it was another standout performance for the St. Louis native, one of Tatum’s most memorable plays was a puzzling decision at the very end of the game. In an attempt to avoid a turnover counting towards his individual stats, Tatum simply moved out of the way of a pass from teammate Derrick White and allowed it to be stolen. White and Tatum shared a laugh after the play, with Tatum seeming to motion that the turnover should count for White. The Celtics won the game 126-115, and now have a record of 23-6.
Brandon Ingram's block party
In an extremely tight game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the New Orleans Pelicans came up short and lost 116-115 in overtime Tuesday. However, Brandon Ingram put up another class performance for the Pelicans, scoring a team-high 24 points and a season-high four blocks. The 2016 ACC Rookie of the Year has been in great form recently, and even outscored fellow Duke alumnus and New Orleans teammate Zion Williamson on multiple occasions.
Dereck Lively II key to Maverick's success
Christmas Day saw the return of Dereck Lively II from injury to the Dallas Mavericks’ lineup. The rookie is having an incredibly strong first season in the NBA, starting in every game when healthy. Indeed, Lively has been integral to the Mavericks’ success — they are 17-7 when he plays, but only 1-5 without him. Lively scored 20 points in his recent game against the Phoenix Suns, and the Mavericks won 128-114. His teammate Luka Doncic, who scored an incredible 50 points, complimented Lively by admitting that he did not expect the rookie to play such an important role this season, and that “the way [Lively has] performed since the first game has been amazing.”
RJ Barrett helps snap Knicks' losing streak
The New York Knicks ended a nine-game losing streak to the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas, winning 129-122. Former Blue Devils standout RJ Barrett scored 21 points in what was arguably the Knicks’ most important win of the season. It had been a struggle of late for Barrett, who connected on just 36.7% of his field goal attempts and 20.8% of his 3-pointers in his previous six games. Nevertheless, he shook off the rust and got into the flow of the game on Monday and shot 8-for-14 from the field. Perhaps this will mark the beginning of a hot streak for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
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