Michigan State Basketball: Tracking Spartans in the NBA in 2019-20’s Week 1
How did former Michigan State basketball players fare in the NBA’s opening week? It was a solid week for almost everyone.
The opening week of the NBA has come and passed and some former Spartans have been making major moves and one even put up a career-high against LeBron James and the Lakers.
As of Oct. 28, Michigan State has six active players in the NBA while the rest of the big names who recently played for the green and white (Matt McQuaid, Kenny Goins and Nick Ward) are overseas trying to make names for themselves.
So with the opening week of the NBA season in the books and with college basketball approaching, let’s take a look at how some former Spartans fared.
Miles Bridges: One of the most celebrated Spartans in recent memory because of his selflessness and freakish athleticism, the former NBA Dunk Contest participant had a great first week with the Hornets. He finished it by posting a career-high against the Lakers with 23 points and is currently averaging 16.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 53 percent from the field and 42 percent from long-range. He’s a starter for 1-2 Charlotte.
Draymond Green: The Warriors are not who they were last year after losing Kevin Durant to the Nets and Klay Thompson to injury. Golden State is 0-2 through a couple of games and Draymond Green is averaging 10.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. On a positive note, the former All-Star is having his No. 23 jersey retired at the Breslin Center on Dec. 3.
Bryn Forbes: Surprise, surprise, the Spurs are off to another solid start at 2-0 and Bryn Forbes is the starting shooting guard for the squad. He’s averaging 18 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 47 percent from 3-point land. Oh, and he’s playing a healthy 32.5 minutes per game.
Gary Harris: Off to kind of a slow start, per his standards, Gary Harris is averaging 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals while shooting just 35 percent from the field through two games for the Nuggets. He can be one of the league’s bright young stars when he’s playing to his potential, but the constant injury issues throughout his career have made him a little rusty. Denver is 2-0.
Jaren Jackson Jr.: Easily one of the fastest-rising stars in the league, Jaren Jackson Jr. is making a name for himself with the young Grizzlies. He’s averaging 17.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 49 percent from the floor. Him and Ja Morant will be fun to watch for years to come, but for now, Memphis is just 1-2.
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Denzel Valentine: Last, but certainly not least, Denzel Valentine didn’t play last season because of an ankle injury which he had surgery on and it looks like his playing time has reflected his missed action. He has played in just 1-of-3 Bulls games and scored three points in the contest. Are his days in Chicago numbered? Unless the staff is easing him into the rotation, it looks like he may not see the court much for these Bulls.