With NBA season well underway, The Blue Zone takes a look at how some former Duke standouts are performing in the professional scene:
Paolo Banchero
The NBA regular season is a marathon. Over the course of the last five days, Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic have competed in three games. On Thursday against the Hawks, Banchero dropped a whopping 36 points in a 114-108 victory. The forward added 10 rebounds and five assists, showcasing how central he is to the Magic’s success.
Over the next couple games, Banchero saw a slight drop in his minutes in an effort to preserve his health over a physically taxing stretch. Still, Banchero averaged 20 points between a win against Washington and a loss against Memphis. Despite suffering an injury earlier in the season, the former first-overall pick and Rookie of the Year has picked up right where he left off, driving Orlando towards a playoff spot as the season winds down.
Kyrie Irving
On Friday, Kyrie Irving led the Dallas Mavericks to a 111-103 victory against the Pelicans. The veteran guard posted an impressive 35 points while shooting 50.0% from the field, alongside two rebounds and four assists. Given the recent loss of Luka Dončić and without Anthony Davis to fill that void, much of the responsibility for the Mavericks’ success has fallen on Irving’s shoulders. Irving has taken this opportunity to prove that he is still an incredibly valuable asset to his team as it waits on Davis to recover for the postseason.
Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum’s week began on a high note. The St. Louis native dropped 15 points in the NBA All-Star Championship Game to go along with his six in the semifinal.
Tatum then picked up right where he left off following the successful All-Star break, dropping a 15-point triple-double in a blowout against the 76ers and then 25 points in a 118-105 victory against the Knicks. The defending NBA champ and one of the faces of the league continues to excel on the court as he aims to lead the Celtics to back-to-back titles in the postseason.
Luke Kennard
Before Sunday, Luke Kennard of the Memphis Grizzlies was having a February to forget. Coming off of his best month of the season in January, the Middletown, Ohio, native hit a slump heading into the All-Star break. Last night in a 129-123 loss to the Cavaliers, the 6-foot-5 guard went off for 19 points while shooting 60% from behind the arc. Although the game resulted in defeat, Kennard’s big night may be vital for Memphis going forward. If he can channel this kind of performance on a more regular basis, the offensive output would improve for the Grizzlies as their season winds down and they look to make a deep postseason run.
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