Auburn Tigers in the NBA: Dec. 25 edition

With Auburn now having several former basketball players playing professionally, we’ve launched a weekly look at the Tigers in the NBA. Here’s a quick overview of how they’re doing this season.

WALKER KESSLER, UTAH

SEASON: Rookie

MARKET WATCH: Stock up

UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 6.8 pts., 6.3 rebs., 1.9 blks. (Nov. 24 update: 5.2 pts., 5.1 rebs., 1.5 blks)

GAMES/STARTS: 32/5

MINUTES PER GAME: 18.2

FIELD GOAL %: 75.2

BEST GAME: 12-2 vs. Indiana (W): 20 pts., 11 rebs., 2 blks.

WORST GAME: 10-24 vs. Houston (L): 0 pts., on 0-for-1 shooting, 4 fouls in eight minutes.

HIGH POINT TOTAL: 20

HIGH REBOUND TOTAL: 16

HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 5

HIGH ASSIST TOTAL: 2

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Walker Kessler continues to show strong development early in his young NBA career, and it was highlighted in his first start for the Utah Jazz. With Lauri Markkanen scratched from the lineup due to illness, Kessler made his first start for the Jazz and recorded a 10-point, 12-rebound, five-block double-double in just 22 minutes of action. It’s the latest in the long line of positive signs that Kessler has the chops to stick around as an NBA rotation player, and has far outperformed his 22nd overall draft position.” — KSL

CHUMA OKEKE, ORLANDO

SEASON: Third

MARKET WATCH: Injured

UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 5.4 pts., 4.2 rebs., 1.4 asts. (Nov. 24 update: 5.4 pts., 4.2 rebs., 1.4 asts.)

GAMES/STARTS: 18/7

MINUTES PER GAME: 21.8

FIELD GOAL %: 36.8

BEST GAME: 11-3 vs. Golden State (W): 16 pts., 9 rebs., 3 ast.

WORST GAME: 10-24 vs. New York (L): 0 pts., on 0-for-5 shooting, 1 turnover.

HIGH POINT TOTAL: 16

HIGH REBOUND TOTAL: 9

HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 2

HIGH ASSIST TOTAL: 3

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Forward Chuma Okeke hasn’t played for the Orlando Magic since Nov. 21, and he won’t be back on the court for at least another month. The NBA team announced on Tuesday that the former Auburnstandout had undergone a chondroplasty on his left knee, and his status will be re-evaluated in four weeks. A chondroplasty is a surgical procedure to repair cartilage in a joint. Okeke’s knee soreness caused him to miss the Magic’s past 14 games and is the latest health setback for the 16th player picked in the 2019 NBA Draft.” — AL.com

ISAAC OKORO, CLEVELAND

SEASON: Third

MARKET WATCH: Trending up a little bit.

UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 4.8 pts., 2.1 rebs., 0.4 blks., 0.8 asts. (Nov. 24 update: 3.4 pts., 1.6 rebs., 0.2 blks., 0.5 asts.)

GAMES/STARTS: 34/8

MINUTES PER GAME: 18.9

FIELD GOAL %: 42.6

BEST GAME: 12-23 vs. Toronto (L): 15 pts., 3 rebs.

WORST GAME: 10-19 vs. Toronto (L): 0 pts., 4 fouls

HIGH POINT TOTAL: 15

HIGH REBOUND TOTAL: 7

HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 2

HIGH ASSIST TOTAL: 4

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “While the Cleveland Cavaliers as a unit have gotten off to an impressive start in the 2022-23 campaign, young wing Isaac Okoro has struggled mightily. Despite that, Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is sticking with him. Bickerstaff recently explained why he’s going to keep backing Okoro despite the offensive struggles that he has been dealing with for the majority of the season. ‘He deserves it,’ Bickerstaff said when asked why keeps sticking with Okoro. ‘We have done things with him since his rookie year that would be unfair to veteran players in this league as far as guys we have asked him to guard and positions we have asked him to play. He never said a word about it. He never complained, never backed away from a challenge. He went out every single day and tried giving his best.‘” — Cavaliersnation

JABARI SMITH JR., HOUSTON

SEASON: Rookie

MARKET WATCH: Stock up

UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 12.2 pts., 7.2 rebs., 1.0 blks., 0.8 asts. (Nov. 24 update: 10.9 pts., 6.9 rebs., 1.1 blks., 0.8 asts. )

GAMES/STARTS: 31/31

MINUTES PER GAME: 30.4

FIELD GOAL %: 38.6

BEST GAME: 12-23 vs. Dallas (L): 24 pts., 10 rebs., 1 blk., 3 asts.

WORST GAME: 11-2 vs. LA Clippers (L): 2 pts., on 1-for-10 shooting, 2 turnovers.

HIGH POINT TOTAL: 24

HIGH REBOUND TOTAL: 15

HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 3

HIGH ASSIST TOTAL: 3

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Smith continued to show improvement in his career performance. He went through the typical early-season rookie struggles with the Rockets but is on an upward trajectory over their last 15 games. He looks to be more comfortable on the court and is shooting the ball more efficiently from beyond the arc. Smith averaged 10.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots on 29.9% shooting from 3-point range over his first 15 games. In his last 16 games, Smith is posting 14.1 points and 7.4 rebounds on 38.7% shooting from distance. He explained the difference in his recent play. ‘Just (the) feel,’ Smith said, via Lachard Binkley of The Dream Shake. ‘Learning myself and learning my teammates. Know when I’m going to get my shots, confidence, and the ball going in the hoop. That’s really the difference.'” — Yahoo!

JT THOR, CHARLOTTE

SEASON: Second

MARKET WATCH: Flat

UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 2.2 pts., 1.7 rebs., 0.2 blks. (Nov. 24 update: 2.5 pts., 2.1 rebs., 0.4 blks.)

GAMES/STARTS: 21/0

MINUTES PER GAME: 10.0

FIELD GOAL %: 32.0

BEST GAME: 11-4 vs. Memphis (L): 11 pts., 5 rebs., 2 asts., 1 blk.

WORST GAME: 10-28 vs. Orlando (L): 0 pts., 1 turnover

HIGH POINT TOTAL: 11

HIGH REBOUND TOTAL: 6

HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 1

HIGH ASSIST TOTAL: 2

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “JT Thor looks like he could spend some more time in Greensboro because he’s not there yet.” — Sports Illustrated