Auburn Tigers in the NBA: Nov. 24 edition
With Auburn now having several former basketball players playing professionally, we’ve launched a weekly look at the Tigers in the NBA. Here’s a quick overview of how they’re doing this season.
WALKER KESSLER, UTAH
SEASON: Rookie
UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 5.2 pts., 5.1 rebs., 1.5 blks. (Nov. 17 update: 5.6 pts., 5.4 rebs., 1.6 blks.)
GAMES/STARTS: 17/0
MINUTES PER GAME: 15.2
FIELD GOAL %: 69.6
BEST GAME: 10-19 vs. Denver (W): 12 pts., 10 rebs., 1 ast.
WORST GAME: 10-24 vs. Houston (L): 0 pts., on 0-for-1 shooting, 4 fouls in eight minutes.
HIGH POINT TOTAL: 12
HIGH REBOUND TOTAL: 10
HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 5
HIGH ASSIST TOTAL: 2
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Utah Jazz rookie center Walker Kessler made his defensive presence known in the first half against the Detroit Pistons by blocking shots. In the first four minutes of the time that Walker Kessler was on the floor, he blocked three shots to help the Jazz protect the paint against the Pistons. Early in the second quarter, Kessler blocked two more shots. Through eight minutes on the floor, Kessler had four points, four rebounds, and five blocks.” — KSL
CHUMA OKEKE, ORLANDO
SEASON: Third
UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 5.4 pts., 4.2 rebs., 1.4 asts. (Nov. 17 update: 6.0 pts., 4.4 rebs., 1.5 asts.)
GAMES/STARTS: 18/7
MINUTES PER GAME: 21.8
FIELD GOAL %: 36.8
BEST GAME: 11-3 vs. Golden State (W): 16 pts., 9 rebs., 3 ast.
WORST GAME: 10-24 vs. New York (L): 0 pts., on 0-for-5 shooting, 1 turnover.
HIGH POINT TOTAL: 16
HIGH REBOUND TOTAL: 9
HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 2
HIGH ASSIST TOTAL: 3
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Chuma Okeke, who has been starting for the injured Paolo Banchero for the past seven games, left Monday’s contest after 12 minutes with a knee injury.
“That’s the same knee he’s dealt with before,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after the game. “A part of this is being careful so things don’t get any worse. We want to stay cautious with our guys and make sure we try to get healthy bodies back.”
This year, he has played in every game, averaging 5.4 points per game and making a big impact on the defensive end. Okeke isn’t the kind of player whose contributions are always seen in the box score, but he has played a big role for the Magic this year.” — Sports Illustrated.
ISAAC OKORO, CLEVELAND
SEASON: Third
UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 3.4 pts., 1.6 rebs., 0.2 blks., 0.5 asts. (Nov. 17 update: 2.7 pts., 1.4 rebs., 0.1 blks., 0.4 asts.)
GAMES/STARTS: 18/3
MINUTES PER GAME: 17.3
FIELD GOAL %: 39.6
BEST GAME: 11-20 vs. Miami (W): 13 pts., 4 rebs.
WORST GAME: 10-19 vs. Toronto (L): 0 pts., 4 fouls
HIGH POINT TOTAL: 13
HIGH REBOUND TOTAL: 4
HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 1
HIGH ASSIST TOTAL: 2
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Okoro has had a tough start to the season. Okoro lost his starting job and has had his minutes cut. But he came off the bench against the Heat and scored 13 points on 4-8 shooting. Okoro also had four rebounds and two assists to go with his 13 points. The best stat of the night from Okoro was his incredible +/-, which was +26. The Cavaliers were a great basketball team with Okoro on the court” — Sl.com
JABARI SMITH JR., HOUSTON
SEASON: Rookie
UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 10.9 pts., 6.9 rebs., 1.1 blks., 0.8 asts. (Nov. 17 update: 10.1 pts., 6.9 rebs., 1.1 blks., 0.8 asts.)
GAMES/STARTS: 16/16
MINUTES PER GAME: 30.2
FIELD GOAL %: 33.3
BEST GAME: 10-24 vs. Utah (W): 21 pts., 9 rebs., 3 blks., 2 asts.
WORST GAME: 11-2 vs. LA Clippers (L): 2 pts., on 1-for-10 shooting, 2 turnovers.
HIGH POINT TOTAL: 22
HIGH REBOUND TOTAL: 15
HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 3
HIGH ASSIST TOTAL: 2
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “The slow burn that is Jabari Smith’s rookie season with the Houston Rocketsflashed some serious sparks on Sunday night.
Houston’s forward and the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NBA draft tallied 22 points and seven assists in a narrow loss to the defending champions, registering a career-high scoring night as he made things difficult for the Golden State Warriors on both ends of the floor. Smith’s first professional campaign has been uneven thus far. Sunday night was the clearest example of his All-NBA potential.” — Houston Chronicle
JT THOR, CHARLOTTE
SEASON: Second
UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 2.5 pts., 2.1 rebs., 0.4 blks. (Nov. 17 update: 2.5 pts., 2.1 rebs., 0.4 blks.)
GAMES/STARTS: 14/0
MINUTES PER GAME: 10.4
FIELD GOAL %: 31.6
BEST GAME: 11-4 vs. Memphis (L): 11 pts., 5 rebs., 2 asts., 1 blk.
WORST GAME: 10-28 vs. Orlando (L): 0 pts., 1 turnover
HIGH POINT TOTAL: 11
HIGH REBOUND TOTAL: 6
HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 1
HIGH ASSIST TOTAL: 2
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “JT Thor looks like he could spend some more time in Greensboro because he’s not there yet.” — Sports Illustrated
