Dukies in the NBA 2020-21

[jv001]

His athleticism is always on display. But folks are now getting to see what a high IQ he has and what great decisions he makes with the ball in his hands. It all seems to come so naturally and effortlessly for him.

With Zion playing in the PG slot, who the heck is gonna try to get up on him and guard him out on the perimeter? No one with any common sense. He’ll just bully them or go right by them. I love this development. It’s also gotta be hard to coach against because the Pels can effectively take a guard out of the lineup while retaining a very effective PG on the floor, making it harder for opponents to counter. I’ve been very critical of SVG this year, but I applaud his new vision and creativity with Zion.

I would have liked to have seen Zion with the ball a little more when he was at Duke. Especially end of close games. I know RJ was good and so was Tre but come crunch time no one would have been better than Zion. But the ACC refs would have probably fouled him out on charges.

GoDuke!

[sagegrouse]

I would have liked to have seen Zion with the ball a little more when he was at Duke. Especially end of close games. I know RJ was good and so was Tre but come crunch time no one would have been better than Zion. But the ACC refs would have probably fouled him out on charges.

GoDuke!

I would like to have seen Zion ON THE COURT the last one-third of his college season.

[jv001]

I would like to have seen Zion ON THE COURT the last one-third of his college season.

He was on the court in the NCAAT games and he played very well. Duke had 2 close wins and a loss(Michigan State). Duke beat UCF 77-76 and VT 75-73.
I may be in the minority here but I had rather seen Zion with the ball in his hands than RJ. RJ was a very good player but Zion is in a class of his on.

GoDuke!

[pfrduke]

I may be in the minority here but I had rather seen Zion with the ball in his hands than RJ. RJ was a very good player but Zion is in a class of his own.

GoDuke!

I feel pretty safe in saying that this is a majority view.

[dukelion]

Gary effing Trent Jr. is ballin right now!

17-19 7-9 3-3 7rbs 4ast +31 44 pts

[arnie]

Gary effing Trent Jr. is ballin right now!

17-19 7-9 3-3 7rbs 4ast +31 44 pts

Career high?🤪😀

[BlueDevilStop]

Gary effing Trent Jr. is ballin right now!

17-19 7-9 3-3 7rbs 4ast +31 44 pts

Portland made a mistake in trading him.

[sagegrouse]

Career high?🤪😀

Previous high was 31.

[brlftz]

The talent that came through Durham 2016-2019 😕 good grief

[Furniture]

Portland made a mistake in trading him.

https://www.blazersedge.com/2021/4/9...-blazers-trade

On March 25th, 2021 the Portland Trail Blazers traded Gary Trent, Jr. to the Toronto Raptors as part of a package for veteran shooting guard Norman Powell. Since the exchange, both teams have expressed satisfaction with the deal. This week, Trent, Jr. did too.
Appearing on the Open Gym video series, Trent, Jr. talked about his first impressions of Toronto in glowing terms. His statements included the sentence, “For the first time in my career, in the last three years, I feel like I’m wanted.”

[ice-9]

Portland is hook line and sinker on Lillard and McCollum. Doesn't leave as many shots for other perimeter players. After getting traded to the Blazers, Norman Powell's shot attempts have fallen from 13.3 season average to 12.1 on the Blazers. Feels like it should be more, but technically 9% fewer.

[JasonEvans]

https://www.blazersedge.com/2021/4/9...-blazers-trade

On March 25th, 2021 the Portland Trail Blazers traded Gary Trent, Jr. to the Toronto Raptors as part of a package for veteran shooting guard Norman Powell. Since the exchange, both teams have expressed satisfaction with the deal. This week, Trent, Jr. did too.
Appearing on the Open Gym video series, Trent, Jr. talked about his first impressions of Toronto in glowing terms. His statements included the sentence, “For the first time in my career, in the last three years, I feel like I’m wanted.”

Yeah, but they want him enough to pay him what he is worth? Gary is a restricted free agent. I would guess he will get offers in the $12-15 mil kind of range. Remember that he has really only been a starter level player for about a season or so. It will be interesting to see if Toronto wants to take him off the market early or if they will wait to see what other offers are out there.

[JasonEvans]

Article about the Pistons that compares Frank Jackson to the beloved Vinnie “the microwave” Johnson. That is the BIG TIME in Detroit.

https://www.nba.com/pistons/features...scoring-threat

[Billy Dat]

But Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, with starting point guard Lonzo Ball out with a hip injury, Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy decided it was time for a heavier dose of "Point Zion."

"Tonight, we just decided we were going to play him at the point all night," Van Gundy said. "At least as long as he could go. He had the ball in hands all the time and the ability to make plays and everything else."

The result was perhaps the best game of Williamson's career: 37 points (two off his career high), a career-high 15 rebounds and a career-high-tying eight assists, all in a 101-94 win.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...drive-away-win

Here's the highlight package of all his baskets and notable plays
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0279zknn8ss

What's crazy is that he is killing guys considered elite defenders in the NBA...Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle and older guys with big defense reps like Danny Green and Dwight Howard. Talk about making it look easy...my god.

[DoubleBlue]

Zion with 25 at the half vs. Cleveland. 10-14 shooting, 5-6 from the line, 4 reb, 3 assists.

[Steven43]

Zion with 25 at the half vs. Cleveland. 10-14 shooting, 5-6 from the line, 4 reb, 3 assists.

ZW seems to be evolving into a pretty good basketball player.

[howardlander]

Zion with 25 at the half vs. Cleveland. 10-14 shooting, 5-6 from the line, 4 reb, 3 assists.

Ended by with 38 points and 9 rebounds. Absurd

[sagegrouse]

Ended by with 38 points and 9 rebounds. Absurd

Also, WRT Zion, Brandon and New Orleans, let it be noted that the Pels came from behind to win in the 4th quarter.

[DukieInBrasil]

Also, WRT Zion, Brandon and New Orleans, let it be noted that the Pels came from behind to win in the 4th quarter.

give the ball to Zion seems to be a pretty good play for the Pels. To your point, BI's 2nd half stats were much better than 1st half, and Z's 2nd half stats were only slightly less absurd than the 1st half. The Pels seem to be closing games better lately. Perhaps a shift in focus on offense or additions or subtractions from the lineup explain this change...

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I’m thinking about subscribing to NBA League Pass for the final stretch. It’s $18 for a month to get the Pelicans games. With Zion playing point and being so involved, it feels like a no brainer. Anybody else done this?