Dukies in the NBA 2020-21

[budwom]

Yep, they're going to be friendly rivals, not hated rivals, one would hope.

I doubt the 174 lb. Morant would want Zion as a hated rival.

[Albar33]

Since Okafor it has never been the same for Dukies in the NBA.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Since Okafor it has never been the same for Dukies in the NBA.

What nonsense is this now?

[MartyClark]

Since Okafor it has never been the same for Dukies in the NBA.

I'll bite. Huh?

[Duke79UNLV77]

Duke South has now won 4 straight. Zion and BI are playing great, and JJ is playing well, although still in limited time. Last night, Zion had 20 points and 7 assists in just 21 minutes due to foul trouble, which may turn out to be a blessing in disguise since they have a back-to-back game today. His assists have ticked up significantly recently, and he's up to 9th in the NBA in PER! It's impressive to watch how active he is posting, trying different angles and ready to spin for a lob, until he gets free, and he's looking more comfortable in other aspects of his game, too.

[Alan_Wilson]

Duke South has now won 4 straight. Zion and BI are playing great, and JJ is playing well, although still in limited time. Last night, Zion had 20 points and 7 assists in just 21 minutes due to foul trouble, which may turn out to be a blessing in disguise since they have a back-to-back game today. His assists have ticked up significantly recently, and he's up to 9th in the NBA in PER! It's impressive to watch how active he is posting, trying different angles and ready to spin for a lob, until he gets free, and he's looking more comfortable in other aspects of his game, too.

Zion is looking far more complete than he was even a few weeks ago. His defense and assists are looking way up as you state. He seems in almost total control of the game. But I think the biggest factor for the Pels turn around may be some belated personnel decisions from SVG. Jaxson Hayes was mercifully benched in favor of Billy Hernangomez, and SVG is giving Kira Lewis burn. The second and third units are looking far stronger as a result and the turnovers are drastically cut down. It also helps that Lonzo and Bledsoe have been shooting well as of late. As awesome as Zion and BI are, they haven't been getting the support they need from the rest of the team - until lately.

[sagegrouse]

It would seem we have four strong candidates likely to make the All-Star teams.

First round of voting:
Western Conference front court -- Zion #7, Brandon #9
Eastern Conference front court -- Jason #4; back court -- Kyrie #2

Voting ends Feb. 16.

[Duke79UNLV77]

It would seem we have four strong candidates likely to make the All-Star teams.

First round of voting:
Western Conference front court -- Zion #7, Brandon #9
Eastern Conference front court -- Jason #4; back court -- Kyrie #2

Voting ends Feb. 16.

I'm actually surprised Zion is that low, both on merit and popularity.

[SouthernDukie]

I'm actually surprised Zion is that low, both on merit and popularity.

As am I. Thought he’d easily be in the top 5 front court voting.

[Acymetric]

As am I. Thought he’d easily be in the top 5 front court voting.

If you're wondering why superstars don't want to stay with smaller market teams this is probably a good case study.

[devilnfla]

Go to NBA.com and vote for our boys. I think you can vote multiple days.

[weezie]

How about our man Seth Curry?! So happy for him and proud he's our Devil.

[brevity]

I'm actually surprised Zion is that low, both on merit and popularity.

As am I. Thought he’d easily be in the top 5 front court voting.

If you're wondering why superstars don't want to stay with smaller market teams this is probably a good case study.

In the latest returns, Zion is up to 6th among Western Conference forwards, and 4 of the 5 in front of him play for Los Angeles teams:

Western Conference
Frontcourt
1. LeBron James (LAL) 4,369,533
2. Nikola Jokić (DEN) 3,006,981
3. Kawhi Leonard (LAC) 2,462,621
4. Anthony Davis (LAL) 2,329,371
5. Paul George (LAC) 1,024,233
6. Zion Williamson (NOP) 842,439
7. Andrew Wiggins (GSW) 552,661
8. Christian Wood (HOU) 525,018
9. Brandon Ingram (NOP) 433,041
10. Carmelo Anthony (POR) 346,812

Looking at this as a metric of [general popularity by casual fans who tend to vote online] rather than [actual basketball performance], I'm not sure Zion can go any higher right now. As for Brandon Ingram, if your best argument is "Well, look at the stats..." then you've already lost. That's not how fan voting works.

Two spots in the Top 10 is a pretty good result for small market New Orleans, if you consider that only 7 of 15 Western Conference frontcourts are represented at all. (Of those 8 remaining franchises, DAL, UTA, MEM, and PHX make the guard list, while MIN, OKC, SA, and SAC are wholly absent.)

ETA: The Western Conference's three leading rebounders are Rudy Gobert, DeAndre Ayton, and Karl-Anthony Towns. None of them are in the Top 10.

[bundabergdevil]

In the latest returns, Zion is up to 6th among Western Conference forwards, and 4 of the 5 in front of him play for Los Angeles teams:



Looking at this as a metric of [general popularity by casual fans who tend to vote online] rather than [actual basketball performance], I'm not sure Zion can go any higher right now. As for Brandon Ingram, if your best argument is "Well, look at the stats..." then you've already lost. That's not how fan voting works.

Two spots in the Top 10 is a pretty good result for small market New Orleans, if you consider that only 7 of 15 Western Conference frontcourts are represented at all. (Of those 8 remaining franchises, DAL, UTA, MEM, and PHX make the guard list, while MIN, OKC, SA, and SAC are wholly absent.)

ETA: The Western Conference's three leading rebounders are Rudy Gobert, DeAndre Ayton, and Karl-Anthony Towns. None of them are in the Top 10.

Zion may be hurt by the viewership decreases in sports (as well as the small market issue). He's just not getting the exposure that he would be if things were normal and folks were still plugged in.

He'll get there. He's a superstar.

[JasonEvans]

In the latest returns, Zion is up to 6th among Western Conference forwards, and 4 of the 5 in front of him play for Los Angeles teams:

I mean, it is pretty tough to argue that Zion should go ahead of any of the 5 guys in front of him.

[Duke79UNLV77]

I mean, it is pretty tough to argue that Zion should go ahead of any of the 5 guys in front of him.

The West front court is stacked, like when Brand had to compete against Duncan, Malone, and Garnett. Still, Zion is 8th in the NBA in PER, ahead of all those guys except Jokic and Leonard.

I imagine the NBA would really like him in the All-Star game, and he certainly deserves it. The first of many.

[Steven43]

I mean, it is pretty tough to argue that Zion should go ahead of any of the 5 guys in front of him.

Speaking of the guys ahead of Zion in All-Star voting did you know that Paul George is shooting 48% from 3-point range on 8 shots per game? Not bad, huh? Just a random factoid for fun.

[UrinalCake]

How is Carmelo Anthony #10 in the Western Conference? I literally thought he retired two or three seasons ago.

[heyman25]

Justice Winslow Has-he played NBA for the last 3 years. He seems to be always injured and in recovery Why do teams keep players like Winslow? Just wondering why.

[Owen Meany]

Former Duke player keys Celtics win with 24 pts on 6-8 shooting from 3.
And it was not Tatum (It was Semi).