Auburn Tigers in the NBA: Feb. 24 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: 8.2 pts., 7.8 rebs., 1.1 blks. (Feb. 11 update: 8.3 pts., 7.5 rebs., 2.0 blks.)

GAMES/STARTS: 58/24

MINUTES PER GAME: 21.5

FIELD GOAL %: 71.3

BEST GAME: 1-16 vs. Minnesota (W): 20 pts., 21 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: 23

BEST REBOUND TOTAL: 21

HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 7

BEST ASSIST TOTAL: 4

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Kessler now has three games with at least seven blocks, the most by any player in the league. He has proven to be a real rim protector in only his first year in the league with his ability to block and alter other shots in the paint. His size and instincts have been key reasons why he has been so successful in the early going.” — Yahoo

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CHUMA OKEKE, ORLANDO

SEASON: Third

MARKET WATCH: Down. The Auburn product just returned from an injury that caused him to miss multiple months.

UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 5.2 pts., 4.1 rebs., 1.4 asts. (Feb. 11 update: 5.4 pts., 4.2 rebs., 1.4 asts.)

GAMES/STARTS: 19/7

MINUTES PER GAME: 21.3

FIELD GOAL %: 36.4

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

BEST REBOUND TOTAL: 9

HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 2

BEST ASSIST TOTAL: 3

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Chuma Okeke recently returned from injury after a 41-game absence, playing on Valentine’s Day in Toronto before the All-Star break. He went scoreless in 13 minutes, attempting one field goal in the contest.

It was an easy dipping his toes back into the NBA waters. But as the Magic’s play-in chase heats up, they are going to need more. More from everyone. And that means they are going to need to tighten their rotations.

For Okeke then, this was not an ideal showing that the Magic would like to see from their former first-round pick. And while he does need some time to get some consistency and stability after returning from such a long hiatus, there are a lot of mouths to feed and players to play on this Magic roster. Not everyone is going to get their chance.

Okeke will have a difficult time finding his offensive groove to finish out the remaining 23 games of the season for this reason.

He has shown flashes of potential throughout his short career, but the Magic have continued to fortify the wing and forward positions since he arrived in Orlando.” — Orlandomagicdaily.com

ISAAC OKORO, CLEVELAND

SEASON: Third

MARKET WATCH: Trending up.

UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 6.3 pts., 2.5 rebs., 0.4 blks., 1.1 asts. (Feb. 11 update: 6.4 pts., 2.6 rebs., 0.4 blks., 1.2 asts. )

GAMES/STARTS: 62/32

MINUTES PER GAME: 21.2

FIELD GOAL %: 49.1

BEST GAME: 2-5 vs. Indiana (W): 20 pts., 3 rebs.

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

HIGH POINT TOTAL: 20

BEST REBOUND TOTAL: 7

HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 2

BEST ASSIST TOTAL: 5

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Okoro, though, looks better when you factor out an 0-12 start to the year. From Nov. 13 on, the date of his first made three, Okoro is at 37.9% from three, including 38.3% on catch-and-shoot threes. Those are competent three-and-d wing numbers. Those numbers are a real improvement, a tad up from last season when he shot 36.8% on catch-and-shoot threes on similar volume.

And, at least for this season, means Cleveland’s option at shoring up their biggest need.

Opposing defenses are starting to treat Okoro differently as a result. Some teams still leave him wide open in the corner, but he’s letting his shots fly now. If they leave him open, Okoro shoots. That’s what he needs to do. His shot chart shows as much –– Forbes

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JABARI SMITH JR., HOUSTON

SEASON: Rookie

MARKET WATCH: Holding steady but still not shooting well.

UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 12.0 pts., 7.0 rebs., 1.0 blks., 1.2 asts. (Feb. 11 update: 12.0 pts., 6.9 rebs., 1.0 blks., 1.2 asts.)

GAMES/STARTS: 55/55

MINUTES PER GAME: 29.9

FIELD GOAL %: 38.9

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: 27

BEST REBOUND TOTAL: 15

HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 3

BEST ASSIST TOTAL: 4

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Smith, the Rockets’ No. 3 pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, has had a mediocre rookie year. He has averaged 12.0 points on .400/.289/.784 shooting splits while adding 7.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks through the first 58 games.

He has credited the mental aspect as part of his struggles, most noticeably, the challenge of X’s and O’s when getting accustomed to the NBA.

Smith’s first-year struggles have drawn comparison to Jalen Green. And as someone whose play took a major leap post All-Star break last season, Green has shared his experience with Smith, who is hoping to replicate his second-half success.” — SI.com

JT THOR, CHARLOTTE

SEASON: Second

MARKET WATCH: Holding steady

UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 2.6 pts., 1.7 rebs., 0.2 blks. (Feb. 11 update: 2.7 pts., 1.7 rebs., 0.4 blks. )

GAMES/STARTS: 47/0

MINUTES PER GAME: 10.8

FIELD GOAL %: 37.3

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

BEST BLOCK TOTAL: 2

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “The Hornets traded for Thor in a draft day deal in 2021. Standing at 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, he offers a high upside as an elite defender.

In the G-League, he’s averaged 19 points and seven rebounds but has seen few minutes on the main roster. 

The Hornets had a string of injuries with key wing players Gordon Hayward, Cody Martin and Kelly Oubre Jr. 

Trading away forward Jalen McDaniels — who played relatively well this season — shows that the team is focused on developing Thor on the main roster.” — City Metro

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