Auburn Tigers in the NBA: March 14 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: 8.6 pts., 8.3 rebs., 2.3 blks. (Feb. 24 update: 8.2 pts., 7.8 rebs., 2.1 blks.)

GAMES/STARTS: 65/31

MINUTES PER GAME: 22.4

FIELD GOAL %: 72.1

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: “By now, you’ve heard everyone’s opinion on the Rudy Gobert trade. It’s been widely panned in the national media, and many fans are concerned about its long-term ramifications for the Minnesota Timberwolves. But Bill Simmons poured some salt in the wound on his latest podcast with Kevin O’Connor and Tate Frazier. He said Walker Kessler, who the Wolves took 22nd overall, would be a top-5 pick in a redraft.” — Zone Coverage

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CHUMA OKEKE, ORLANDO

SEASON: Third

MARKET WATCH: Down. Still recovering from an injury that kept him out for a few months.

UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 4.7 pts., 3.5 rebs., 2.2 asts. (Feb. 24 update: 5.2 pts., 4.1 rebs., 1.4 asts.)

GAMES/STARTS: 22/7

MINUTES PER GAME: 18.8

FIELD GOAL %: 36.6

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: 6.6 pts., 2.5 rebs., 0.4 blks., 1.2 asts. (Feb. 24 update: 6.3 pts., 2.5 rebs., 0.4 blks., 1.1 asts. )

GAMES/STARTS: 70/40

MINUTES PER GAME: 21.5

FIELD GOAL %: 49.5

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: “However, with Okoro’s strides taken as a shooter and cutter of late, and the other wings having more viability on offense, it seems as if Lamar Stevens’ opportunities are going by the wayside.” King James Gospel

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JABARI SMITH JR., HOUSTON

SEASON: Rookie

MARKET WATCH: Stock up. He has 74 points in his past three games.

UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 12.4 pts., 7.1 rebs., 0.9 blks., 1.3 asts. (Feb. 24 update: 12.0 pts., 7.0 rebs., 1.0 blks., 1.2 asts.)

GAMES/STARTS: 65/65

MINUTES PER GAME: 30.4

FIELD GOAL %: 40.3

BEST GAME: 3-9 vs. Indiana (L): 30 pts., 12 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: 30

BEST REBOUND TOTAL: 15

HIGH BLOCK TOTAL: 3

BEST ASSIST TOTAL: 4

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Jabari Smith has scored 20+ points in three straight games, including a career-high 30 points against the Indiana Pacers. 

Smith’s last three stat lines

3/9 vs Indiana Pacers 30pts 12reb 3ast 1blk 2stl

3/11 vs Chicago Bulls 20pts 10reb 2ast 2blk 1stl

3/13 vs Boston Celtics 24pts 11reb 3ast 1blk 1stl 

Double-digit rebounds to go with the double-digit points means Smith has also recorded three straight double-doubles. 

This brings his double-double total up to 11 on the season.” — SI.com

JT THOR, CHARLOTTE

SEASON: Second

MARKET WATCH: Holding steady

UP-TO-DATE KEY STATS: 2.6 pts., 1.8 rebs., 0.4 blks. (Feb. 24 update: 2.6 pts., 1.7 rebs., 0.2 blks.)

GAMES/STARTS: 57/4

MINUTES PER GAME: 11.6

FIELD GOAL %: 36.9

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: “Second-round picks never have the autonomy of lottery selections. They are often fliers taken by teams based on potential but usually aren’t in the long-term plans for a team. 2nd round picks are often included in trade deals as additions to trades involving more well-known players. Such was the case for Thor; he was involved his first night in the NBA in the trade that brought Mason Plumlee to Charlotte.

It is fitting that Thor couldn’t even enjoy his draft night before he was moved. Even when he got to Charlotte, he would have to get used to more changes. His first head coach, James Borrego immediately sent Thor to the G-League. He only played in two games out of his first 25, and each time for less than two minutes of action. It was obvious that Thor needed more time to develop his game.

It makes sense that Thor would need more on-court work. He was a one-and-done player at Auburn, and that was only after having not played basketball until the seventh grade. His athleticism was obvious, but it would take more polishing of his game if he wanted to stay in the league.” — Swarm and Sting

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