It was a great week for a majority of the former Wolverines in the NBA.
A handful of former Michigan Wolverines had excellent week’s leading up to Christmas. Moe Wagner might be forcing Orlando’s hand in order to give him more minutes. Tim Hardaway Jr. is stepping up in the absence of other Dallas stars. Even Duncan Robinson is making his presence felt.
Here’s how each of the former Wolverines in the NBA fared this week.
Franz Wagner, F, Orlando Magic
20.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.9 APG in 28 games
The Magic dropped two out of three, though Wagner was hardly to blame. Against Miami on Wednesday, he scored 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. On Thursday in Milwaukee, he nearly doubled his scoring total from the previous night with 29 points on 23 shots, despite some early foul trouble. Lastly on Saturday, he scored 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting with six rebounds.
Tim Hardaway Jr., G, Dallas Mavericks
17.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.6 APG in 27 games
The Mavericks have had a jam-packed schedule with five games in eight days. With injuries ravaging the team, Hardaway Jr. slid into the starting lineup and the Mavericks were rewarded. In the five games, he averaged 17.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 2.0 APG while playing extended minutes. Hardaway Jr. is now third on the team in points and minutes.
Duncan Robinson, F, Miami Heat
15.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.1 APG in 28 games
Miami was one of the lucky teams to play on Christmas this year and notched a 119-113 win over Philadelphia. Similar to Dallas, Miami has been hit by the injury bug lately, but Robinson continues to come off the bench. In four games this week, he scored 12 or more points in every single contest, including a 27-point explosion against Atlanta on Friday. Robinson shot very well this week from three, going 14-for-26.
Jordan Poole, G, Washington Wizards
17.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.6 APG in 27 games
Poole caught fire this week. Last Monday, he scored 28 points in Sacramento on 10-of-18 shooting from the field and 8-of-13 from deep. On Thursday, he wasn’t quite as efficient as he scored just 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting in Portland. However, in his first opportunity against his old team, Poole scored 25 points against Golden State on Friday night. While he wasn’t overly efficient (7-of-21 from the field), he did lead the Wizards in scoring and kept them competitive until the middle of the third quarter.
Caris LeVert, G, Cleveland Cavaliers
15.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.7 APG in 22 games
LeVert had a few nice moments this week before the injury bug bit again. On Monday against Houston, he went largely unnoticed with 12 points in a 135-130 overtime win for the Cavaliers. Then on Wednesday against Utah, he poured in 23 points with seven assists to boot in just 27 minutes. On the second night of the back-to-back against New Orleans he scored just nine points. He missed Saturday’s contest with the Bulls due to a knee injury. Hopefully he can come back quickly.
Moritz Wagner, C, Orlando Magic
11.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.2 APG in 28 games
In a suddenly crowded Orlando frontcourt, Wagner has had to scratch and claw to get minutes. This past week, he did just that. On Wednesday against Miami, he was given just 18 minutes but scored 11 points and had seven rebounds. He was rewarded with 27 minutes in Milwaukee Thursday night and scored 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting, along with eight rebounds. He only scored nine points Saturday in Indiana, but didn’t miss a shot from the field (3-for-3) and didn’t turn the ball over. It will be hard for the Magic to keep him out of the rotation moving forward.
Isaiah Livers, F, Detroit Pistons
4.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.1 APG in 14 games
The Detroit losing streak continued this week, and Livers was not given much opportunity to stop the bleeding. On Monday in Atlanta, he played just four minutes and didn’t record a stat. On Thursday against Utah, he played 13 minutes but recorded just three rebounds and an assist.
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
3.7 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.4 APG in 19 games
Surprisingly, Houstan was given some run this week for the Magic. On Wednesday, he hit three triples against Miami in 15 minutes (although it’s worth mentioning he was just 3-for-10 from three). On Thursday, he was held scoreless in 18 minutes in Milwaukee. Then on Saturday in Indiana, he scored six points and chipped in three rebounds and a steal in 21 minutes. That marked just the second time this year he’s played more than 20 minutes.
Jett Howard, G, Orlando Magic
1.4 PPG, 0.5 RPG, 0.4 APG in 8 games
Howard was called up to the NBA in the middle of last week but did not make any appearances.
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.