Dukies in the NBA: 2022-23

[dukelifer]

Bummer on both Hurt and Cook. I thought Exhibit 9 contracts were basically summer contracts, so I'm guessing no money is guaranteed unless they got injured. Hurt is young enough to go the G-League route still. Time's running out on Cook. Either of these guys should be able to make money overseas, should they want to give up on the NBA.

Also saw this on Vernon Carey, hope he's OK: Carey in concussion protocol after traffic accident

9F

For being undrafted, Cook was on 2 different NBA Championship teams and made over 6M. Not a bad professional basketball life.

[UrinalCake]

Hmm, my memory may be betraying me a bit, but from what I recall Bolden was not much of a factor at Duke in any of his three seasons nor did he show much NBA potential. And after deciding to leave college at the conclusion of his junior year he wasn’t even drafted.

So to have expectations of him being on an NBA roster for an entire season(s) seems perhaps a tad optimistic, maybe? And based on him going undrafted I don’t see how he could be considered a bust.

You're right, I guess I was thinking more in terms of expectations from him coming out of high school. He was ranked top 15 IIRC and had really great NBA measureables. That doesn't guarantee anything of course, but I always felt like he had the potential for more than he showed. He had one or two games where he looked awesome - one was against Auburn in the Maui Invitational during Zion's year I think - but otherwise had an unremarkable career.

Seeing his current highlight clips where he's draining threes made me hopeful that he may finally be realizing that potential.

[brevity]

Yesterday's Top 10 Plays featured the phrase "But at #1, Jack White, good night!" Unfortunately, he was not the dunker, but the dunkee. If you freeze it at the right moment, you can see him accept his fate. Welcome to the league.



Today is Thursday, and also Keeping Up with the Joneses Day in the NBA. 2 brothers, 2 preseason games.

GRIZZLIES over PISTONS 126-111

Tyus Jones (MEM) had 8 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, and 1 steal in 14 bench minutes.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, Marvin Bagley III (DET) suffered a bone bruise and sprained MCL in his right knee in the first minute of Tuesday's game and did not play today.

THUNDER over SPURS 118-112

Tre Jones (SA) got the start and produced a stat line of 10-8-3-1-1 in 25 minutes. Like with Austin Rivers yesterday, I'm curious about the block. According to the play-by-play, he blocked Tre Mann's 7-foot driving layup in the last defensive play before halftime. I have not come across a video yet -- it's not in the official game highlights or on Twitter. I'll keep looking.

As a sports novelty, Little Guy Block is not at the level of Fat Guy Touchdown, but it's still enjoyable. If anyone finds a video of Tre's block, please post it or a link to it here.

[Steven43]

You're right, I guess I was thinking more in terms of expectations from him coming out of high school. He was ranked top 15 IIRC and had really great NBA measureables. That doesn't guarantee anything of course, but I always felt like he had the potential for more than he showed. He had one or two games where he looked awesome - one was against Auburn in the Maui Invitational during Zion's year I think - but otherwise had an unremarkable career.

Seeing his current highlight clips where he's draining threes made me hopeful that he may finally be realizing that potential.

I hope you’re right. I was in Cameron for Bolden’s first game action in college and was really excited about his prospects at Duke (as Mtn.Devil can attest) — unrealistically so as it turned out.

Maybe Bolden will turn out to be a late bloomer. I certainly wish him well.

[awhom111]

For those wondering if Theo John managed to fully become a Duke player in one year, he played one professional game and is now out indefinitely with a lower body injury.

Grayson Allen (MIL) is still ill and did not play.
Marques Bolden (MIL) was rewarded and rested for 39 game minutes. He played the last minute of the game and produced 1 block, just to show he means business.

The Bucks also finished their preseason 0-5.

Three games still in the first half: Timberwolves-Lakers, Kings-Suns, and Nuggets-Clippers. I'll recap those later.

Good joke, although I think that they gave him 47 minutes of rest or so.

[brevity]

Marques Bolden (MIL) was rewarded and rested for 39 game minutes. He played the last minute of the game and produced 1 block, just to show he means business.

Good joke, although I think that they gave him 47 minutes of rest or so.

Damn, I blew the punchline. It's especially bad because I got the number right in my Quinn Cook joke a couple of hours later.

Quinn Cook (SAC) scored 10 points in 10 minutes, plus a rebound and an assist. At that rate he could have scored 48 points today. Something to ponder, Sacramento.

[SouthernDukie]

Honestly, at this point I’m just hoping Zion can play this full season healthy. If that happens, I’m happy no matter what else occurs.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Honestly, at this point I’m just hoping Zion can play this full season healthy. If that happens, I’m happy no matter what else occurs.

Yes. All of this. Draymond Green can punch whoever who wants if we get a full season of Zion being Zion.

[SouthernDukie]

Yes. All of this. Draymond Green can punch whoever who wants if we get a full season of Zion being Zion.

But if Draymond punches Zion we probably won’t get a full season of Zion being Zion.

[Steven43]

But if Draymond punches Zion we probably won’t get a full season of Zion being Zion.

If Draymond punches Zion, Draymond will need reconstructive surgery. 🚑

[miramar]

From the Miami Herald, although I assume they mean Steward and not Stewart:

The Heat claimed guard DJ Stewart off waivers on Friday. He’ll be waived by the Heat from an Exhibit 10 contract on Saturday and then is expected to end up with the organization’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Stewart, who was released by the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, took part in summer league with the Heat last year and played in 22 games for the Skyforce last season. The Heat already held Stewart’s G League rights, but claimed him so it could give him his Exhibit 10 bonus of up to $50,000 if he spends at least 60 days with the Skyforce this season.

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/n...#storylink=cpy

[awhom111]

From the Miami Herald, although I assume they mean Steward and not Stewart:

The Heat claimed guard DJ Stewart off waivers on Friday. He’ll be waived by the Heat from an Exhibit 10 contract on Saturday and then is expected to end up with the organization’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Stewart, who was released by the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, took part in summer league with the Heat last year and played in 22 games for the Skyforce last season. The Heat already held Stewart’s G League rights, but claimed him so it could give him his Exhibit 10 bonus of up to $50,000 if he spends at least 60 days with the Skyforce this season.

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/n...#storylink=cpy

No, it is confusing, but there is also a DJ Stewart who went pro at the same time:
https://www.nba.com/player/1630597/dj-stewart

Yes, their Wikipedia pages do link to each other.

[brevity]

This might be considered Creighton news more than Duke news, but Alex O'Connell was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract by the Sacramento Kings today. I doubt he'll play against the Lakers tonight, but if he does, I'll provide a late night recap. (Now that the Kings have waived Quinn Cook, I have no other reason to cover this game.)

The NBA preseason ends tonight with a 9-game slate, 6 or 7 of which are relevant here, give or take O'Connell.

MAGIC over CAVALIERS 114-108

Paolo Banchero (ORL) started and had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in 27 minutes.
Wendell Carter Jr (ORL) also started and put up 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in 24 minutes.

RAPTORS over CELTICS 137-134, overtime, in Montreal

Jayson Tatum (BOS) started, played 29 minutes, and had 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. He was ejected in the 3rd quarter.

Gary Trent Jr (TOR) injured his hip in his previous game and did not play tonight.

Also saw this on Vernon Carey, hope he's OK: Carey in concussion protocol after traffic accident

KNICKS over WIZARDS 105-89

Vernon Carey Jr (WAS) is under concussion protocol and did not play.

RJ Barrett (NY) started and had a double-double: 19 points and 12 rebounds. He added 2 assists and a block in 33 minutes of play.
Cam Reddish (NY) had 2 points and 2 rebounds in 9 reserve minutes.
Trevor Keels (NY) did not play. I did not see any mention of injury or a stated reason.

NETS over TIMBERWOLVES 112-102

Kyrie Irving (BKN) played 30 minutes as a starter and had 26 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
Seth Curry (BKN) missed the whole preseason (ankle), but may still play in the season opener.

Austin Rivers (MIN) had 2 points and 1 assist in 7 minutes off the bench.
Wendell Moore Jr (MIN) did not play. No further info.

PELICANS over HAWKS 120-111

AJ Griffin (ATL) had 4 points and a steal in 17 bench minutes.
Jalen Johnson (ATL) came off the bench and played 31 minutes, tied for a team high. He had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and a block.

Zion Williamson (NO) did not play after rolling his ankle in the previous game.
Brandon Ingram (NO) started in his first preseason game and scored 19 points in 20 minutes. He added a rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal.

Update: The West Coast games (Nuggets-Warriors and Lakers-Kings) are completed, but neither have box scores available on ESPN or NBA.com. According to this tweeted Nuggets box score, Jack White did not play. I haven't seen a Kings box score, so I don't know if Alex O'Connell played.

The NBA preseason ends with a whimper.

[brevity]

Update: The West Coast games (Nuggets-Warriors and Lakers-Kings) are completed, but neither have box scores available on ESPN or NBA.com. According to this tweeted Nuggets box score, Jack White did not play. I haven't seen a Kings box score, so I don't know if Alex O'Connell played.

A reporter from the Sacramento Bee tweeted, "In case you haven’t heard, NBA stats experienced leaguewide technical difficulties tonight." He attached a handwritten Lakers-Kings box score and later added, "This is all we had to work with tonight but I’m told a real box score should be available when the league reviews the footage."

According to the handwritten box score, Alex O'Connell did not play. And I'm done.

[DukieInBrasil]

The front page mentioned that Marvin's injury is not of the season-ending variety, and quite possibly Bagley will be back on the court in the near term. Good, i'm pulling for Bagley to shake the "bust" label, even though he has been at least a pretty good player so far, averaging right around 14 ppg throughout his career for a team that seemed to have neither the knowledge of how, nor the inclination, to use him well. Last year he only averaged around 9 ppg in SAC, where he was in a somewhat public spat with the team about PT and who did or did not want him on the team etc. Then got traded to DET and his scoring went right back up to 14+ ppg. So his worst statistical season seems to be entirely an artifact of the sh*tty management of a poorly run franchise.
However, the injury furthers Big Marv's reputation as injury-prone, and he will yet again miss a significant chunk of time due to injury to start the year, not to mention what further time he might miss later in the year, if any. He maxed out at 62 games played his rookie year, and hasn't played more than 50 in any of his other 3 seasons. I'm rooting for him, he was fun fun fun to watch at Duke. He would be well advised to spend his time off the court to practice practice practice shooting 3s. He doesn't take a ton of 3s, which is a good thing b/c he's not particularly good at them (career 29.1%), although in 2 of his 4 seasons he shot at a "meh", and "that's ok-ish" rate, 34 & 31%, respectively. He could really cement his place in the league and start to change the narrative if he can get himself up to being a 35% 3FG shooter, even if it's on relatively low-volume.

[miramar]

No, it is confusing, but there is also a DJ Stewart who went pro at the same time:
https://www.nba.com/player/1630597/dj-stewart

Yes, their Wikipedia pages do link to each other.

That’s actually too bad. The Heat have the best development program in the NBA and their roster is full of guys who were never drafted.

[JasonEvans]

Zion had a visitor to last night's Pels game... and the photo is amazing!!

https://twitter.com/TheBenSwain/stat...05954083434501

[brevity]

The number of Duke players in the NBA continues to fall before the season starts.

Marques Bolden was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday despite his 21-point performance last week.

Frank Jackson was signed and waived by the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Those team tweets were 2 hours apart! Way more efficient than Memphis and their 3-day teases.

Alex O'Connell (Creighton/Duke) was waived by the Sacramento Kings as well.

In other news, Seth Curry will not be ready for the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday when they open their season against the Pelicans. Meanwhile, Zion Williamson was limited in practice today but is expected to fully practice Monday.

[HayYou]

The front page mentioned that Marvin's injury is not of the season-ending variety, and quite possibly Bagley will be back on the court in the near term. Good, i'm pulling for Bagley to shake the "bust" label, even though he has been at least a pretty good player so far, averaging right around 14 ppg throughout his career for a team that seemed to have neither the knowledge of how, nor the inclination, to use him well. Last year he only averaged around 9 ppg in SAC, where he was in a somewhat public spat with the team about PT and who did or did not want him on the team etc. Then got traded to DET and his scoring went right back up to 14+ ppg. So his worst statistical season seems to be entirely an artifact of the sh*tty management of a poorly run franchise.
However, the injury furthers Big Marv's reputation as injury-prone, and he will yet again miss a significant chunk of time due to injury to start the year, not to mention what further time he might miss later in the year, if any. He maxed out at 62 games played his rookie year, and hasn't played more than 50 in any of his other 3 seasons. I'm rooting for him, he was fun fun fun to watch at Duke. He would be well advised to spend his time off the court to practice practice practice shooting 3s. He doesn't take a ton of 3s, which is a good thing b/c he's not particularly good at them (career 29.1%), although in 2 of his 4 seasons he shot at a "meh", and "that's ok-ish" rate, 34 & 31%, respectively. He could really cement his place in the league and start to change the narrative if he can get himself up to being a 35% 3FG shooter, even if it's on relatively low-volume.

Marvin has been a fine player. He was stuck on what is now the most garbage franchise in American pro sports (Sac Kings). Plus, the other 4 players taken in the top 5 of his draft are studs. On winning teams (or, at least, serious playoff contenders).

Marvin has been fine, but not in comparison to those drafted around him. Outside of Luka, the other 3 of those guys wouldn't have nearly the same success in Sacramento as they had on their franchises.

[JasonEvans]

Nike/Jordan Brand made a fun little commercial about Paolo signing with them. Features Howard "H" White, who has been with Jordan Brand from the start and is seen as one of the major executives in shoe/sports apparel history.

https://twitter.com/Pp_doesit/status...19714590838784