We’re over a month into the NBA season, and former Longhorns are slowly but surely having impacts on their respective NBA teams. Avery Bradley is leading his Detroit Pistons to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, while young centers Jarrett Allen and Myles Turner have each returned from injuries with big plans for the foreseeable future. Here’s how the three are faring a month into the NBA season.
Avery Bradley
Avery Bradley and the Pistons have surprised many fans this season with their early success. After limited success the past couple of years, the Pistons added Bradley to the franchise this past summer and are currently sitting at 13–6, trailing only the Boston Celtics for the best record in the
Eastern Conference.
Not only have the Pistons been winning, they’ve been winning impressively on the road; they’ve beaten the Warriors, Clippers, Timberwolves and Thunder all away from home. Bradley has been a solid contributor with his 3-point shooting and perimeter defense, as well as his impressive leadership. He is averaging 16.6 points and is shooting 43.3 percent from 3-point range, both career highs.
Jarrett Allen
Allen missed six games with a foot injury before returning on Nov. 14 against the Boston Celtics. Since his return, Allen has not contributed a great amount to the Nets, but that could be changing in the near future.
Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters on Friday that he is planning to continue to be careful with Allen because of his injury. Allen started the season as the backup center behind Timofey Mozgov. However, Atkinson has recently cut down the minutes of Mozgov in favor of some other players who aren’t necessarily true centers. When Allen is no longer restricted because of his injury, look for his minutes to increase, and he could even potentially earn a starting spot.
Myles Turner
Turner returned on Nov. 3 from a concussion that kept him out for several games. While he’s been performing well since his return with averages of 13.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game, one thing that has cogged Turner’s play is his tendency to get into foul trouble. Since his return, Turner has committed at least four fouls in 7 of 13 games. While he has not fouled out in a game thus far, Turner must learn how to balance between playing aggressively and avoiding foul trouble.
Most recently, Turner got into foul trouble in Saturday’s game against the Boston Celtics. With Turner on the bench in the third quarter, the Celtics outscored the Pacers 37-16 to take a lead that they would
never surrender.
