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 14 weeks of the season and provide a brief update on each player.
Victor Oladipo – Miami
In what has been a whirlwind this season for Victor Oladipo, he is now on his third team. After starting the season with the Pacers, he was traded to the Rockets in a blockbuster trade centered around James Harden heading to Brooklyn.
On Thursday, Oladipo was dealt to the Miami Heat.
Following a season in which he only played in 19 games, Oladipo was looking to return to form for the Pacers this year. He played in and started nine games, averaging 20.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 33.3 minutes per game before being traded.
During his time with the Rockets, he played in and started 20 games. In 33.5 minutes per game, he averaged 21.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler spoke to the media about the acquisitions the Heat made at the trade deadline, which included adding Oladipo.
“I think both of those guys help us in the numerous amount of ways obviously from the ball into the basket, spacing the floor, being able to get their own shot and we’ll be able to do a lot of switching with both of those guys,” Butler told the media. “Can’t wait for them to get here, to introduce them to the squad, the culture, and get this thing back on track because we got a lot more basketball to play.”
Miami Heat President Pat Riley also spoke to the media about the moves the Heat made at the deadline.
“I do believe we have a lot of very good young players and you have to be very reluctant, in a way, to protect that asset base of young players because we already had a nice combination of veterans,” Riley said. “We just needed some more help and I think Victor Oladipo will give us an entirely different kind of player than we have on our team. Victor gives you a slasher and a runner and a quick player as a scorer. He averages 20 a game, five rebounds, five assists we know him really well.”
Oladipo has not yet played for Miami.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 29/29
MPG – 33.4
Points – 20.8
Rebounds – 5.0
Assists – 4.7
Blocks – 0.4
Steals – 1.3
FG% – .411
3FG% – .333
FT% – .767
Eric Gordon – Houston
Eric Gordon continues to be sidelined for the Rockets, who ended their 20 game losing streak and are 2-2 in their last four games.
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
After missing some time because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Anunoby has played well in his return to the lineup.
In the month of March, he is statistically having his best month of the season regarding his per game averages of points and assists. Further, his rebounding average per game is tied for his best in a single month this season.
During March, Anunoby is averaging 18 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 33.5 minutes per game. He is putting up those numbers while shooting 50 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from three.
However, his productive play has not translated to wins on the court for his team. The Raptors have lost two games in a row, are 1-9 in their last 10, and are 18-28 overall.
Currently the eleven seed in the Eastern Conference, Anunoby and the Raptors have to win games if they want to make it back to postseason play.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 29/29
MPG – 33.4 (Career High)
Points – 14.7(Career High)
Rebounds – 5.9 (Career High)
Assists – 1.8 (Career High)
Blocks – 0.8 (Career High)
Steals – 1.7 (Career High)
FG% – .484
3FG% – .406 (Career High)
FT% – .754 (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 three games this past week, with the Hornets going 2-1 in those contests.
Zeller came off the bench in all three games, playing 16, 12, and 11 minutes, respectively.
In wins against the Rockets and Heat, Zeller had seven rebounds in each game, which is right around his season average. However, in a 101-97 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, he finished with just 2 points and 1 rebound.
On the season, he is averaging 8.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
The Hornets have not made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season, but are currently fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 23-22.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 26/20
MPG – 21.5
Points – 8.7
Rebounds – 6.9
Assists – 2.1 (Ties Career High)
Blocks – 0.4
Steals – 0.7
FG% – .508
3FG% – .150
FT% – .690
Romeo Langford – Boston
Langford was recently cleared from the wrist injury he suffered during last season’s NBA Playoffs. However, due to health and safety protocols, he has yet to make his season debut for the Boston Celtics. He is expected to be fully cleared to play very soon.
“I don’t know when he’ll be cleared to play, per se,” head coach Brad Stevens said to the assembled media of Langford on Monday. “It will certainly come soon and he’ll be active soon. But he’s not gonna be able to play long stints for a while. We may be able to throw him in there in one of these upcoming games at home for a couple of minutes at a time, but that’s about it.”
Last season, Langford appeared in 32 games for the Celtics, starting two of them. He averaged 2.5 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 11.6 minutes per game.
Romeo Langford sighting 👀 pic.twitter.com/iZzBnBg4q4
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 29, 2021
Juwan Morgan – Utah
Juwan Morgan has appeared in 19 games this season for the Utah Jazz, who are an NBA-best 34-11. He most recently appeared in a March 27 win against the Memphis Grizzles, playing for six minutes and securing a rebound. Morgan did not play on Monday night due to tightness in his calf.
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.
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 – Free Agent
Ferrell appeared in two games for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. However, his 10-day contract with them ended with him being waived.
Recently, 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.
Ferrell 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.
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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