Nine former IU basketball players have or will play the game at the highest level during the 2020-21 NBA season. We will be monitoring their seasons with weekly updates.
Below we summarize their year to date performance with NBA stats and notes through 16 weeks of the season and provide a brief update on each player.
Victor Oladipo – Miami
After being traded from the Houston Rockets to the Miami Heat, it took Oladipo time to get adjusted to his new team.
Following his first game with the Miami Heat against the Warriors, Oladipo spoke with the media about knowing it would be a process to get adjusted but is taking it one day at a time.
“Everything else will click as I continue to keep playing, continue to keep getting acclimated, just got to take it one day at a time,” Oladipo told the media.
In his first two games played with the Heat, Oladipo averaged 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in 26.5 minutes per game.
However, in the two games he played this past week he played better. In a 124-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, Oladipo played 33 minutes and had 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
In Miami’s 110-104 win against the Lakers on Thursday, he had 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 25 minutes of action before exiting the game late due to a right knee injury.
On Friday, the Heat announced that Oladipo will not travel with the team on their four-game West Coast trip.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 33/33
MPG – 32.7
Points – 19.8
Rebounds – 4.8
Assists – 4.6
Blocks – 0.4
Steals – 1.4
FG% – .408
3FG% – .326
FT% – .754
Eric Gordon – Houston
Eric Gordon continues to be sidelined for the Rockets, who are 14-39 overall.
According to a March 12 report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Gordon will be out 4-6 weeks with a groin strain.
Before going out with an injury, Gordon was averaging 17.8 points per game in just over 29 minutes of action.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 27/13
MPG – 29.2
Points – 17.8
Rebounds – 2.1
Assists – 2.6
Blocks – 0.5 (Ties Career High)
Steals – 0.5
FG% – .433
3FG% – .329
FT% – .825
OG Anunoby – Toronto
The Raptors had four games this past week. Anunoby played in three of them, sitting out Sunday’s game against the New York Knicks for rest.
Anunoby only played 10 minutes in the Raptors loss to the Lakers on Tuesday, as he was ejected after getting into an altercation with Dennis Schroder of the Lakers.
However, he bounced back for the last two games of the week. While he did not shoot the ball particularly well in Thursday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, going 5-for-17 from the field, he did have 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals to go along with 13 points.
Saturday night, Anunoby and the Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 135-115. Anunoby played 30 minutes and finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 35/35
MPG – 32.9 (Career High)
Points – 14.6 (Career High)
Rebounds – 5.7 (Career High)
Assists – 2.1 (Career High)
Blocks – 0.7 (Ties Career High)
Steals – 1.6 (Career High)
FG% – .470
3FG% – .391 (Career High)
FT% – .753 (Career High)
Thomas Bryant – Washington
Bryant continues to be sidelined, as he suffered a torn ACL to his left knee during the first quarter of a 128-124 loss to the Miami Heat on January 9 that will keep him out for the remainder of this season.
The injury came at a time when Bryant was starting to play consistent basketball and was averaging career highs in both minutes played and points per game.
However, the focus for Bryant now shifts towards coming back even stronger next year.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 10/10
MPG – 27.1 (Career High)
Points – 14.3 (Career High)
Rebounds – 6.1
Assists – 1.5
Blocks – 0.8
Steals – 0.4
FG% – .648 (Career High)
3FG% – .429 (Career High)
FT% – .667
Cody Zeller – Charlotte
Cody Zeller played in all three of Charlotte’s games this past week and put together impressive performances on Wednesday and Friday.
Zeller had 15 points and 14 rebounds in 28 minutes of action in a 113-102 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Then, in a 127-119 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Zeller finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 22 minutes.
On the season, he is averaging 9.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
The Hornets are currently sixth in the East with a record of 27-25 as they look to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 33/20
MPG – 21.5
Points – 9.2
Rebounds – 7.4 (Career High)
Assists – 2.1 (Ties Career High)
Blocks – 0.4
Steals – 0.7
FG% – .530
3FG% – .130
FT% – .731
Romeo Langford – Boston
Langford was cleared from the wrist injury he suffered during last season’s NBA Playoffs. However, due to health and safety protocols, it took time to get back on the court for the Boston Celtics.
Speaking with the media following his season debut on April 4, Langford said it was good to be back out there.
“It felt good to get back out there, get my legs back under me, and just compete with my teammates. I wasn’t too tired, I wasn’t exhausted so it was good,” Langford told the media.
While he is not quite back to 100 percent, he feels as though he is almost there.
“I had pretty good workouts the last couple of days, I feel like I’m just about there. Mainly it’s just now just getting my legs back under me. I got the feel for the game I ain’t lost that but just my legs and my condition that’s the only main thing,” Langford said as he spoke to the media.
This past week, Langford played in each of the Celtics four contests, including starting in Wednesday’s win against the New York Knicks.
His most impressive performances of last week came against the Knicks and the Denver Nuggets. Langford played 25 minutes against the Knicks, scoring 6 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Then, in 16 minutes against the Nuggets, he had 5 points and 5 rebounds.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 5/1
MPG – 14.2 (Career High)
Points – 3.6 (Career High)
Rebounds – 2.6 (Career High)
Assists – 0.4 (Ties Career High)
Blocks – 0.2
Steals – 0.4 (Career High)
FG% – .333
3FG% – .429 (Career High)
FT% – 1.000
Juwan Morgan – Utah
Juwan Morgan has appeared in 19 games this season for the Utah Jazz, who are an NBA-best 40-13. He most recently appeared in a March 27 win against the Memphis Grizzles, playing for six minutes and securing a rebound.
The highlight of this season for Morgan was his January 29 performance against the Dallas Mavericks, which was televised on ESPN. He finished the game with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals in 21 minutes of action. Also impressive was his efficiency, shooting 5-8 from the field and 2-4 from three point range.
Morgan was available for Saturday’s 128-112 win over the Sacramento Kings after missing the previous seven games due to left calf soreness. However, he did not see any action.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 19/0
MPG – 4.4
Points – 0.9
Rebounds – 0.8
Assists – 0.2
Blocks – 0.0
Steals – 0.2 (Career High)
FG% – .412
3FG% – .273
FT% – .200
Yogi Ferrell – Los Angeles Clippers
Ferrell appeared in two games for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. However, his 10-day contract with them ended with him being waived.
Ferrell was in attendance for the NBA G League regular season, running from February 10 to March 6 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
He played in and started 14 games for the Salt Lake City Stars. He averaged 15.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game in 28.3 minutes per contest. The Stars went 4-11.
In a report yesterday, according to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic, the Los Angeles Clippers are planning to sign Yogi Ferrell to a 10-day contract later this week.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 2/0
MPG – 20.0
Points – 9.5
Rebounds – 3.5 (Career High)
Assists – 2.5
Blocks – 0.5 (Career High)
Steals – 1.5 (Career High)
FG% – .381
3FG% – .333
FT% – .000
Noah Vonleh – Free Agent
Noah Vonleh appeared in four games for the Brooklyn Nets this season after being signed on February 8. He averaged 2.8 minutes per game.
However, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Vonleh was waived by the Nets on February 23.
In 339 career games played, he has averages of 4.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 4/0
MPG – 2.8
Points – 0.0
Rebounds – 0.3
Assists – 0.3
Blocks – 0.0
Steals – 0.0
FG% – .000
3FG% – .000
FT% – N/A (Has Not Attempted)
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