With both the NBA and NFL seasons well underway, the Blue Zone took a look at how some former Duke standouts are performing in the professional scene:
Daniel Jones
What a tumultuous few weeks. On Nov. 11, before the Giants’ bye week, head coach Brian Daboll said that his coaching staff was “evaluating everything” after being asked if Jones was going to be New York’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season. A week later, Daboll named Tommy DeVito the team’s new starting signal-caller. Over the course of the next two days, the former Blue Devil was demoted to the third-string position and saw time playing safety for the Giants’ scout team. Finally, 10 days after that initial press conference, Jones requested a release and was granted it the next day, Nov. 22.
The Charlotte native has since signed with the Minnesota Vikings, and will look to rehabilitate his career there. The Vikings’ current starter, Sam Darnold, is a fellow formerly promising quarterback, as he spent his first three years as a highly-touted prospect with the Jets. Similar to Jones, Darnold flamed out without ever reaching his potential in New York, but has had a career resurgence in the twin cities. Jones will look to follow Darnold’s path back to success.
Kyrie Irving
The veteran point guard is as good as ever, scoring 112 points in a recent four-game stretch — an average of 28 per game. In each of those four contests, the former first-overall pick was the primary offensive weapon for the Mavericks, as his co-star Luka Doncic sat out recovering from an injury. Being the first option for his team, Irving had to shoulder a significant offensive load, taking 95 shots over that span. He wasn’t the most efficient, making only 41 of those attempts. Interestingly enough, 47 of those 95 tries came from behind the arc, and he knocked down 18 of them. That mark was good for 38.3%, just a hair below his career average. The West Orange, N.J., native should continue his productivity for the foreseeable future, as he always has.
Noah Gray
The past three weeks have been a career stretch for Gray with the Kansas Ciy Chiefs, as he hauled in four touchdowns — half his career total. For the beginning period of his stint in the NFL, future hall-of-famer Travis Kelce dominated the snaps at the tight end position, but as Kelce has gotten older, Gray has slowly but surely chipped into Kelce’s playing time. Gray has worked his way into quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ circle of trust, and has earned 36 targets in 12 contests this season and a career-high in yards, 373. Gray has also improved his hands this season, catching 31 of his 36 targets, good for a 86.1% mark. His previous single-season record was 82% on lower volume, and Gray will undoubtedly continue to see a larger target share than ever before if he continues this level of production.
RJ Barrett
In his second season north of the border, the native Canadian clearly feels at home. In his past three games, Barrett has shot a monstrous 42-for-69, an outstanding showing from a shooting guard. His second-most recent outing was a 15-of-20 performance Sunday in a tight 119-116 win against Miami, scoring 37 points to tie his career’s fourth-highest mark. Alongside his massive scoring production, Barrett has tallied 30 rebounds and 28 assists in his most recent four contests, contributing in all facets of the game. Barrett’s Toronto Raptors are 7-15, but if he continues to play this well, they won’t be near the bottom of the Eastern Conference for long.
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