Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons in the NBA - Preseason
10/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 21, 2010
By Currie McFayden, WakeForestSports.com
SF Al-Farouq Aminu, Los Angeles Clippers
After mainly sitting on the bench for three games between October 12-16, Aminu has seen his greatest amount of playing time in the preseason to date in his last two games. On October 17 against Denver, he had 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 29 minutes of playing time. On October 19 against Sacramento, Aminu received even more playing time (32 minutes), allowing him to improve his stats to nine rebounds and two assists while remaining at 15 points. As of now, Aminu still does not figure to start right away for Los Angeles, and will most likely backup Ryan Gomes to begin the season. With these flashes of great potential, there is a good chance that he could see extended playing time or even a starting role as the season progresses.
PF/C Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
As with many veteran players, Duncan has only played a small role in the Spurs' gameplan for the preseason. In his last two games, against Vitoria Caja Laboral (a Spanish league team) and Oklahoma City, he has averaged 13.5 minutes per game, 10 points and just under six rebounds. The stats may not seem like much, but considering how limited his action was they are fairly impressive. Despite his age, Duncan will be the unquestioned starter at center this year for San Antonio, a team who will attempt to compete in the Western Conference race against the heavily-favored Lakers.
SF/SG Josh Howard, Washington Wizards
As stated last week, Howard is continuing to recover from surgery to his left knee and will likely miss a good portion of the first part of the regular season. When he returns, any production that might have been lost due to the injury should be quickly made up for as he plays alongside JaVale McGee and John Wall.
F James Johnson, Chicago Bulls
In his last three preseason games against Dallas, Orlando and Toronto, Johnson has averaged a little over 19 minutes of playing time and about 10.5 points per game. His last game against the Raptors was, point-wise, his best of the preseason as he scored 14 points in just 19 minutes on the court. With no starts in seven games, however, it does indeed appear that Johnson will come off the bench just as he did last season. Chicago's depth, as explained last week, is too deep for him to grab a starting job without an injury to Carlos Boozer or Luol Deng.
PG Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
So far in the preseason, CP3's stats are nothing short of amazing. Through seven games, all starts, he is actually averaging more assists per game than points. He has had three games with 10 or more assists, including back-to-back games against Memphis and Charlotte where he had 12 and 14, respectively. Paul is leaving no doubt that he is back to his potential MVP form, as evidenced even more by his large amounts of playing time, with 34 minutes against the Grizzlies and 42 against the Bobcats. The only drawback to Paul so far has been his below-average field goal percentage, as he has hit just 34.5 percent of his shots.
PG Ishmael Smith, Houston Rockets
Just as he did at Wake Forest, "Ish" is already becoming a fan favorite in Houston after making the final roster as an undrafted rookie this year. Coach Rick Adelman has been very impressed with Smith's work so far. "All through summer league he was good, but you never know what that's going to translate into camp. He's been terrific every time we use him. He's never backed down. We knew he could play, but he's been very consistent," Adelman said, adding that the young point guard was "the best passer in camp." While he likely will not see much playing time behind Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry, making the roster alone was a huge accomplishment for Smith.
PF/C Darius Songaila, Philadelphia 76ers
Through four preseason games, the 6-9 Lithuanian has averaged three points and 13 minutes of playing time as a situational role player. Despite only starting one game all of last season, Songaila still tallied the fourth-highest point and rebound totals of his career, showing his unique ability to contribute immediately off the bench.
PG Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks
Teague's only preseason action thus far remains his 20-point game against Memphis on October 7 due to an injured ankle. Considering this, he will likely remain Atlanta's third option at point guard behind Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford, at least to begin the season. He seems to be popular with the fans, many of whom are calling for him to get a chance to start, but attempting to rush back from an ankle injury can be very dangerous for any NBA athlete, let alone a second-year player.
Deacons Playing Overseas
Randolph Childress - Ford Sassari (Italy)
Justin Gray - PAOK (Greece)
Jamaal Levy - Lanus (Argentina)
Chas McFarland - Franca (Brazil)
Cameron Stanley - Halifax Rainmen (Canada)
Trent Strickland - Antwerp (Belgium)
Kyle Visser - NY Phantoms (Germany)
David Weaver - Ilysiakos Athens (Greece)
