Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons in the NBA
11/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2010
By Currie McFayden, WakeForestSports.com
Here is a player-by-player look at how the former Demon Deacons are faring after the first three weeks of the NBA season.
SF Al-Farouq Aminu, Los Angeles Clippers
As many expected, the rookie has taken over a starting role in the Clippers' offense, bumping Ryan Gomes out of the starting lineup. In 12 games, Aminu has three starts but has seen extended amounts of playing time even as a bench player since Nov. 9. In his last five games, he has scored below double figures only once and had a season-high 20 points against New Orleans. He fell just short of his first career double-double in that game as well, registering eight rebounds. Since gaining his starting spot, Aminu has contributed evenly across the board in terms of stats; for the season, he is averaging 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, one steal, and just under one assist per game. If he continues to perform at that level, he should remain entrenched in a starting role for Los Angeles (1-11).
PF/C Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are off to their best start in franchise history (9-1), and Duncan has played a large part in getting them there. While he is averaging just 13.7 points per game and has broken the 20-point barrier only twice this season, the big man has recorded four double-doubles in 10 games. In the Spurs' come-from-behind victory over the Bulls on Nov. 17, Duncan recorded a season-high 18 rebounds while adding 16 points and five assists to his stat sheet as well. Some may argue that he is beginning to slow down due to his age, and while that may be true to a point, he remains one of the most indispensable big men in the NBA.
SF/SG Josh Howard, Washington Wizards
The seven-year veteran is yet to make his debut on the court for the Wizards (3-7) this season, but he has been cleared for full-contact drills in practice. This is a major step toward making a full return, something that Howard says he hopes to do during the second week in December.
F James Johnson, Chicago Bulls
The former first-round pick has played in just five games for Chicago this season but has yet to make a start in those appearances. In his last three games, he has seen eight, six and four minutes of playing time, respectively, and in his last two he has not tallied any points. While Johnson has showed flashes of potential greatness at times, he must improve his consistency in order to achieve that potential. For now, he remains a role player off the bench for the Bulls (6-4).
PG Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Many people doubted whether Paul could return to his early-career form after knee injuries have hobbled him in the past two seasons. He has quickly destroyed any notions that he has "lost a step" early this season, as he is averaging a double-double with 17.8 points and 10.2 assists per game. The star has played less than 30 minutes in only one game this season and has scored 20 or more points in four of his 10 opportunities. Against Miami on Nov. 5, Paul had a season-high 19 assists to go along with 13 points, one of his best outings of the season to date. He leads the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio, averaging 4.64 assists for every one turnover. He is also ranked No. 3 in the league in total number of assists (102), trailing only Rajon Rondo of the Celtics and Utah's Deron Williams. If New Orleans can maintain the momentum from its great start (9-1), Paul will place himself firmly in the MVP discussion at the end of the season.
PG Ishmael Smith, Houston Rockets
After beginning the season as the third point guard on Houston's depth chart, the undrafted rookie has started three games and has performed fairly well. Starter Aaron Brooks went down with an injury, and backup Kyle Lowry was still recovering from back problems, so Ish was put into the starting lineup. He played a season-high 42 minutes against Minnesota on Nov. 7 and has scored a season-high 12 points against both Washington (Nov. 6) and Oklahoma City (Nov. 17). Considering that he was not drafted, Smith has outperformed all expectations so far this season. He is averaging 5.2 points and 3.3 assists per game for the nine games in which he has been active. Houston is 3-8 on the season so far.
PF/C Darius Songaila, Philadelphia 76ers
This season, Songaila has played in just four of Philadelphia's 12 games and has been scratched from the rest as a "coach's decision." In his most extensive action of the season against Cleveland on Nov. 16, he played for 10 minutes, notching six points and two rebounds. Philadelphia (2-10) is simply too deep at the power forward position for Songaila to see much playing time.
PG Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks
Teague has played in all 12 of Atlanta's games on the season so far, helping the team to an 8-4 record. He has yet to start a game but has contributed strong numbers from the bench, including 10 points in a loss to Milwaukee on Nov. 10. With Mike Bibby still underperforming, the second-year player may have an opportunity to seize the starting job if the Hawks go on a losing streak.
G L.D. Williams, Springfield Armor (NBDL)
With the NBDL season beginning Thursday, Nov. 18, teams had to trim their final rosters down to 10 players to meet league rules. Williams survived the final roster cuts for the Armor and could become a starter for the team. In their only preseason game, the rookie had 17 points with three rebounds and three assists, a very solid debut.
Deacons Playing in Other Professional Leagues
Randolph Childress - San Severo (Italy)
Taron Downey - Nantes (France)
Justin Gray - PAOK (Greece)
Jamaal Levy - Lanus (Argentina)
Chas McFarland - Franca (Brazil)
Tony Rutland - Morrow Disciples (UBA)
Cameron Stanley - Halifax Rainmen (Canada)
Trent Strickland - Antwerp (Belgium)
Kyle Visser - NY Phantoms (Germany)
David Weaver - Ilysiakos Athens (Greece)
Eric Williams - Pepsi Caserta (Italy)
