The NBA season has begun, and numerous former Duke players have been leading their respective teams. The Blue Zone looks back over the previous week:
Marvin Bagley III
Bagley joined the Pistons’ rotation on Nov. 12 after suffering a knee injury early in the season. Since his comeback, the 23-year-old center has played excellent basketball, scoring in double digits in each of his last four games.
His recent success was highlighted by a 19-point performance in Wednesday’s 125-116 win over the Jazz, in which he shot 90.0% from the field. Bagley’s free throw shooting has also improved significantly this season, with a 92.3% clip compared to a lifetime average of 66.9%.
A.J. Griffin
The Hawks rookie has had a fantastic week, highlighted by a game-winning basket in overtime against the Raptors on Saturday. Griffin has only scored in double figures twice this season before this week.
He has done so, however, in each of the Hawks’ last three games. The Ossining, New York, native scored 17 points in both the Hawks’ 124-122 win over the Raptors and their 114-102 loss to the Cavaliers on Monday.
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Griffin’s minutes have increased as a result of his performance, as he played for 30 minutes or more in both of those games.
Jayson Tatum
This season, Tatum has continued to shine, as his team has won 10 of its last 11 games. The Celtics’ star most recently scored 37 points in Wednesday’s 125-112 win over the Mavericks. His diverse approach to the game made him dangerous since he also contributed to defense.
When covered by the Celtics’ starting forward, Dallas’ top player, Luka Doncic, only scored two points and had two mistakes. Tatum has collected 10 or more rebounds in four of Boston’s last six games, including a season-high 13 against the Mavericks.
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R.J. Barrett
The fourth-year pro from Canada has had a terrific season. He has scored in double figures in all but one game this season. Barrett had an outstanding game in the Knicks’ 129-119 win over the Thunder on Monday.
In the game, he had 25 points and eight rebounds. Barrett not only had a great scoring total, but he also hit 10 field goals, which tied his season high from Nov. 11 against the Pistons. Barrett also shot 62.5% from the field in the contest, his greatest accuracy mark this year.
