The guard amassed two double-double’s in one week, doubling his yearly total.
Jordan Poole is playing the best basketball of his season, while Caris LeVert is rounding into form. Elsewhere, Moe Wagner threw down a poster, and Zavier Simpson is making the most of his 10-day contract.
Here’s how each of the former Wolverines performed in NBA action this week.
Franz Wagner, F, Orlando Magic
19.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.8 APG in 70 games
Wagner had a great week followed by a disastrous ending. He scored 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field in New Orleans on Wednesday. He backed that up with a 22-point performance in Charlotte on Friday along with seven rebounds. However, after scoring 16 points in 20 minutes against Chicago on Sunday, Wagner sprained his right ankle. He is day-to-day but those type of injuries are no fun to play through.
Tim Hardaway Jr., G, Dallas Mavericks
14.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.8 APG in 75 games
Hardaway Jr. continued his up-and-down season with a rough shooting week this week. Through four games he shot just 23 percent from three and 35 percent from the field. In the month of April, he is averaging 8.3 ppg, well below his season-long average of 14.8. Fortunately, the Mavericks are still white-hot and are all the way up to the No. 5 seed in the West if the playoffs were to start today.
Duncan Robinson, F, Miami Heat
12.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.8 APG in 68 games
Robinson has been toughing it out and playing through a back injury of late. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had much success doing so. Over four contests this week, he didn’t score more than 10 points in any one game while shooting just 21 percent from three. As a nearly 40 percent shooter from deep on the season, this is a marked step back. In his most recent game, Robinson was held scoreless in 12 minutes in a loss to the Pacers. Hopefully he gets back to full strength soon and regain his shooting touch.
Jordan Poole, G, Washington Wizards
17.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.4 APG in 77 games
Poole is playing his best basketball of the season. This week he posted not one, but two double-doubles. The first came against Milwaukee on Tuesday when he scored 16 points and dished out 13 assists. The second followed on Sunday in Toronto as he poured in 29 points along with 12 assists. Poole now has four double-doubles this season. That is more than the entire rest of his career combined. Washington is getting a glimpse of why they traded for him down the stretch.
Caris LeVert, G, Cleveland Cavaliers
13.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 5.1 APG in 66 games
With Donovan Mitchell returning to the injured list, LeVert slid back into the starting lineup this week and rewarded the Cavaliers. Over four games against tough competition, he averaged 19 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, both well above his normal averages. He was fueled by hot shooting from three as he shot 44 percent from deep. Cleveland is bound for the playoffs so it will be interesting to monitor Mitchell’s health and subsequently LeVert’s role going forward.
Moritz Wagner, C, Orlando Magic
10.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.2 APG in 76 games
Wagner had three ho-hum performances surrounding one of his best of the season. The bright spot was an 18-point, three rebound performance in New Orleans in which he shot 7-for-9 from the field.
Most recently, he threw down a thunderous dunk on the Chicago Bulls:
MOE WAGNER PUT COBY WHITE ON A POSTER
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 7, 2024
Caleb Houstan, F, Orlando Magic
4.4 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.5 APG in 56 games
Sadly, Houstan missed all four of Orlando’s games this week due to injury. However, he is now healthy and will look to soak up some of Wagner’s minutes if he is forced to miss time due to his ankle.
Moussa Diabate, F, Los Angeles Clippers
2.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.4 APG in 11 games
Diabate did not appear in NBA action this week, as he remained in the G League.
Jett Howard, G, Orlando Magic
1.7 PPG, 0.4 RPG, 0.2 APG in 15 games
Howard made another NBA appearance in garbage time, as he canned a three-pointer and pulled down a rebound against the Bulls. With the Osceola Magic’s season now concluded, he may stick around in the NBA for depth.
Kobe Bufkin, G, Atlanta Hawks
4.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.8 APG in 13 games
Based on the Atlanta rotation, it appears Bufkin has staked his claim to the backup point guard role. In four games this week, he had the most productive week of his young career with 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. More importantly, he was given 13 or more minutes in every single contest, which is a great sign for the future.
Isaiah Livers, F, Washington Wizards
5.0 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.1 APG in 23 games
Livers is out for the season.
Zavier Simpson, G, Memphis Grizzlies
5.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 3.7 APG in 3 games
Simpson appeared twice for the Grizzlies this week. In his first appearance, he scored just two points in 33 minutes as he had a rough shooting night at 1-for-9 from the field. He did contribute two rebounds, three assists, a block, and two steals but it was far from a stellar performance.
However, on Saturday against Philadelphia, he scored 14 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three. He also hauled in four rebounds, dished out four assists, blocked two shots, and swiped two steals. This type of performance could help earn him an NBA contract next season.