The veteran returned from an injury and immediately started playing some of his best basketball.
This week in the NBA, Caris LeVert returned to action with a bang while several other former Michigan Wolverines’ clubs are mired in long losing streaks. No one ever said playing in the NBA would be easy!
Here’s how each of the former Wolverines in the NBA fared this week.
Franz Wagner, F, Orlando Magic
20.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.9 APG in 25 games
Wagner and the Magic struggled this week. They beat Cleveland last Monday before dropping a pair in Boston over the weekend. Wagner scored 19 points and chipped in eight rebounds against the Cavaliers, but he struggled (by his standards) against the Celtics . Sunday was particularly ugly, shooting 3-for-14 from the field and 0-for-4 from three. Despite his struggles, he still averages more than 20 points per game and Orlando remains on top of its division.
Tim Hardaway Jr., G, Dallas Mavericks
17.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.5 APG in 22 games
Hardaway Jr. exploded this week for 32 points against the Los Angeles Lakers . This was his second-highest scoring game of the season. He canned five three-pointers and shot 10-for-21 from the field. He backed that up with a 10-point performance on Thursday against Minnesota. Then on Saturday, he scored 25 points in Portland — knocking down three more triples in the process — good for his third-most points on the season. It’s safe to say THJ had two of his three best shooting performances of the season this week. Hardaway Jr. is ninth in the league in three-pointers made on the season.
Duncan Robinson, F, Miami Heat
14.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 3.0 APG in 24 games
The Heat played four games this week, and Robinson started the week off hot, scoring 24 points on Monday in Charlotte before pouring in another 23 points in the back end of the home-and-home with the Hornets on Wednesday. He shot a scorching 56 percent from three in the first game and 67 percent in the second. Miami then played the Bulls in back-to-back games at home, but Robinson struggled a bit, scoring 11 in the first and nine in the second. While Hardaway Jr. is ninth in three-pointers made on the season, Robinson isn’t far behind at 11th.
Jordan Poole, G, Washington Wizards
16.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.4 APG in 25 games
While the Wizards continue to struggle mightily, Poole had a pretty good week. Washington broke a six-game losing streak by beating the Pacers, largely due to Poole’s 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting. He also chipped in eight assists and four rebounds. In Washington’s other three games, Poole scored between 11 and 14 points despite some inefficient shooting.
Caris LeVert, G, Cleveland Cavaliers
13.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.6 APG in 16 games
LeVert returned to action from his knee injury this week and hit the ground running. He scored 11 points on Tuesday in Boston before dropping 26 points in a rematch on Thursday. He stuffed the stat sheet with five assists, three rebounds, three steals and one block. Lastly, on Saturday, he scored 14 points on 40 percent shooting from the field against Atlanta. It’s nice to see LeVert get back to his old self in a hurry!
Moritz Wagner, C, Orlando Magic
11.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.1 APG in 25 games
The elder Wagner had his minutes cut a little this week. After averaging more than 20 minutes per game in December so far, Wagner was only given about 14 minutes per game this past week. With that, his impact understandably declined, as he averaged just 5.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game this week. Hopefully he can bounce back this week.
Isaiah Livers, F, Detroit Pistons
5.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.3 APG in 12 games
Mired in a 20+ game losing streak, Monty Williams and the Pistons have been rotating through lineups quickly. Livers was given 25 or more minutes in each of the last three games. Unfortunately, he was ice cold. He scored just 3.7 points per game and has missed his last nine three-pointers. In Detroit’s last three games, Livers is a combined 3-for-16 from the field.
Moussa Diabate, F, Los Angeles Clippers
3.0 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.4 APG in 9 games
Diabate has not played due to a hip injury.
Caleb Houstan, F, Orlando Magic
3.4 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.4 APG in 16 games
Houstan made two appearances this week, both being against Boston. He scored five points with two rebounds in the first matchup, and eight points with three rebounds in the second game.
Jett Howard, G, Orlando Magic
1.4 PPG, 0.5 RPG, 0.4 APG in 8 games
Howard made his seventh and eighth appearances in the pros this week. In garbage time against Boston, he was granted three minutes on Friday and two minutes on Sunday. Notably, he made his second career three-pointer.
Kobe Bufkin, G, Atlanta Hawks
0.5 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.0 APG in 2 games
Bufkin remains out with a fractured left thumb.