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 the first seven weeks of the season and provide a brief update on each player.
Victor Oladipo – Houston
Following a five game winning streak in which Oladipo had scored at least 20 points in three of those games, he has since cooled off a bit.
In the three games he played in this past week, he averaged 14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game on 33.3 percent shooting from the field and 25.0 percent shooting from three. He did not play in the Rockets 115-103 win against Memphis on Thursday due to rest.
Meeting with the media on February 8, Oladipo acknowledges that being with the Rockets has been different. However, playing hard and being aggressive is something that he can control.
“Just got to keep playing hard, just go out there and be aggressive and everything else will take care of itself,” Oladipo told the media. “It’s been different you know, adjusting, being at the point and not being at the point, certain guys out certain guys in, different places where I get my where my spots are going to be. At the end of the day I have to have the same mentality and that’s what I’m going to do, just keep playing hard every night.”
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 18/18
MPG – 32.5
Points – 19.7
Rebounds – 5.2
Assists – 4.7
Blocks – 0.4
Steals – 1.4
FG% – .403
3FG% – .331
FT% – .731
Eric Gordon – Houston
On the season, Gordon is shooting well inside the three-point line this season, which he credits to getting the ball in multiple ways.
“Getting the ball in multiple ways. I’m coming off pick and roll more, I’m able to get it in transition more. Before it was mostly catch and shoot or create something on your own but when you’re pick and rolling, and being able to get it in transition, or iso, it’s hard to stop any good player from doing whatever they want on the floor,” Gordon told the media on January 31.
During this past week, Gordon scored the ball extremely well. He had at least 20 points in all four of the Rockets games, including averaging 23.3 points per game on 53.4 percent shooting from the field and 43.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Following a 136-106 win on February 1, Gordon met with the media to discuss his success and the success of the second unit as a whole.
“I’m going to be able to always score,” Gordon told the media. “It’s all about figuring out ways, because with the second unit I want us to be the best second unit in the league. Every time we step foot on the floor we have to create a major impact on the floor and that’s what we have been doing and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 18/7
MPG – 28.6
Points – 18.4
Rebounds – 2.4
Assists – 2.3
Blocks – 0.5 (Ties Career High)
Steals – 0.6
FG% – .466 (Career High)
3FG% – .363
FT% – .838
OG Anunoby – Toronto
Towards the end of January, Anunoby was playing strong basketball on both ends of the floor and the Raptors were starting to get back in the win column.
Unfortunately for Anunoby, he suffered a strained left calf in a 129-114 loss to the Pacers on January 25 and has not seen action since. He has missed six consecutive games and has been ruled out for tonight’s game at Memphis.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 17/17
MPG – 34.8 (Career High)
Points – 14.6 (Career High)
Rebounds – 5.8 (Career High)
Assists – 1.6 (Ties Career High)
Blocks – 0.5
Steals – 2.1 (Career High)
FG% – .486
3FG% – .433 (Career High)
FT% – .745 (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
After a 108-105 victory over the Indiana Pacers on January 29, Zeller spoke with the media about where he is in terms of finding his rhythm back out on the court.
“I felt a little better tonight,” Zeller told the media. “I was still a little winded in the fourth, still getting my legs underneath me, but Pacers are a gritty team. We knew that we were going to have to grind out a win, so kind of proud of our guys for sticking with it.”
When Zeller was inserted in the starting lineup last week after coming back from injury, perhaps his biggest contribution was his work on the glass. He grabbed 14, 6, and 15 rebounds, respectively, in a three-game stretch that included two games against the Indiana Pacers and one against the Milwaukee Bucks.
This past week, the Hornets went 2-2 in their four games. Zeller averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game during that time. He also had two games where he scored in double figures and one where he just missed that mark, scoring nine points and grabbing eight rebounds in a 118-111 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.
Charlotte is 11-13 and currently seventh-place in the Eastern Conference standings as they look to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 11/8
MPG – 24.1
Points – 9.5
Rebounds – 8.2 (Career High)
Assists – 2.6 (Career High)
Blocks – 0.7
Steals – 0.8
FG% – .467
3FG% – .071
FT% – .741
Romeo Langford – Boston
Langford continues to focus on regaining strength and range of motion in his wrist after tearing ligaments during last season’s NBA Playoffs. While the timetable for a return is uncertain, he is unlikely to return during the first half of the regular season.
When speaking with members of the media on January 29, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was asked if he had any update on Payton Pritchard or Romeo Langford.
“No update,” Stevens told the media. “Both are doing a little bit more but they’re not, you know, Payton’s a lot closer than Romeo but I don’t know what that means.”
Juwan Morgan – Utah
Following being named a healthy scratch for Utah’s January 19 contest, Morgan had seen action in six consecutive games and in three of them played at least 10 minutes.
Furthermore, in a January 29 game against the Dallas Mavericks which was televised on ESPN, Morgan 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.
However, in Utah’s last four games, Morgan has only seen action in one of them. He played three minutes of action in a 112-91 Jazz win over the Atlanta Hawks on January 4. In Utah’s win at Indiana on Sunday, Morgan did not play due to a non-COVID-19 illness.
The Jazz are currently first-place in the Western Conference standings, with a record of 19-5 overall and riding a four-game winning streak.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 10/0
MPG – 6.0
Points – 1.5
Rebounds – 1.3
Assists – 0.3 (Ties Career High)
Blocks – 0.0
Steals – 0.3 (Career High)
FG% – .462
3FG% – .333
FT% – .000
Yogi Ferrell – Free Agent
Ferrell remains a free agent after his 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers ended with him being waived.
However, according to a report from NBA draft expert Jonathan Givony, Yogi Ferrell will be in attendance for the NBA G League regular season. It will run from February 10 to March 6 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
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 – Brooklyn
Noah Vonleh was signed by the Brooklyn Nets today the organization confirmed. In 335 career games played, he has averages of 5.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. Vonleh was with the Chicago Bulls prior to the season but released after contracting COVID-19.
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