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 thirteen weeks of the season and provide a brief update on each player.
Victor Oladipo – Houston
The Rockets continue to struggle, as they have now lost 20 straight games and are 11-30.
Speaking with the media after a 134-107 loss to the Celtics on March 14, Oladipo believes that one of the things that would help the Rockets get back on the winning side of things is getting healthy.
“I think the main goal is get healthy. I think that’s the biggest goal so we can have our full roster. We have a full roster it’s easy to kind of dissect things from there but we ain’t got all our organs so it’s kind of tough to keep it moving,” Oladipo told the media.
Even though the team is struggling to win games, Oladipo has played well in the month of March. In seven games played this month, he is averaging 25.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game in 37.3 minutes per game.
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 struggling Rockets, who have now lost 20 consecutive games and have an overall record of 11-30.
According to a March 12 report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Gordon will be out 4-6 weeks with a groin strain.
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 six consecutive games because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Anunoby returned to the Raptors lineup on Friday.
He played 34 minutes and finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals in a 115-112 loss to the Utah Jazz.
Further, in a 116-105 loss on Sunday to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Anunoby had 17 points and 6 rebounds in 31 minutes of action.
Although his return is a welcomed sight for the Raptors, they are struggling right now. They have lost eight games in a row and are 1-9 in their last 10.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 25/25
MPG – 33.4 (Career High)
Points – 14.0 (Career High)
Rebounds – 5.7 (Career High)
Assists – 1.6 (Ties Career High)
Blocks – 0.8 (Career High)
Steals – 1.8 (Career High)
FG% – .487
3FG% – .400 (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
The Hornets went 1-3 this past week, with their lone win coming on March 15 against the Sacramento Kings.
Zeller played in three of the games, sitting out Saturday’s 125-98 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers with a left shoulder injury. He remains out for Monday’s contest versus the San Antonio Spurs.
On the season, he is averaging 9.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.
The Hornets have not made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season, but are currently eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 20-21.
However, they have lost three games in a row and are 5-5 in their last 10.
2020-21 YTD Stats:
Games/Games Started – 23/20
MPG – 22.5
Points – 9.2
Rebounds – 7.1 (Ties Career High)
Assists – 2.3 (Career High)
Blocks – 0.5
Steals – 0.7
FG% – .506
3FG% – .150
FT% – .702
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.
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.
Juwan Morgan – Utah
Juwan Morgan has appeared in 16 games this season for the Utah Jazz, who are an NBA-best 30-11. He most recently appeared in a March 18 loss against the Washington Wizards.
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 – 16/0
MPG – 4.5
Points – 1.0
Rebounds – 0.9
Assists – 0.3 (Ties Career High)
Blocks – 0.0
Steals – 0.2 (Career High)
FG% – .429
3FG% – .300
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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