Tag: Duke in the NBA

JJ Redick a reported candidate for Los Angeles Lakers coaching position

The Los Angeles Lakers fired their head coach on Friday, and JJ Redick, Duke’s all-time leading scorer, appeared on a short list of potential replacements.

The Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Darvin Ham on Friday afternoon, and a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania says Duke legend JJ Redick could be a potential replacement.

Redick, who played for the Blue Devils for four years before a 15-year NBA career, was one of four names Charania listed as a person to watch for the position.

The former Blue Devil has transitioned into sports media after his retirement, working on ESPN as an analyst and launching a podcast alongside Lakers star LeBron James called ‘Mind the Game’.

Redick has also been linked to the open position for the Charlotte Hornets, and Charania reported that he interviewed with Charlotte once and is considered a serious favorite for the job.

Redick is Duke’s all-time leader in career points, single-season scoring average, 3-pointers made, and free-throw percentage.

Duke star Paolo Banchero drops first 30-point playoff game against Cavaliers

Paolo Banchero won his first playoff game on Thursday night, and he did so in spectacular fashion with a 31-point double-double against Cleveland.

In his first career home playoff game, former Blue Devil Paolo Banchero put on a show for the Orlando Magic crowd.

In a Thursday win over Cleveland, Banchero scored 31 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. He added five assists and made four of his nine 3-point attempts for the game as the Magic beat the Cavaliers by 38 points.

After losing the first two games in Cleveland, Orlando ran away from the Cavaliers from the opening tip. They outscored Cleveland 31-21 in the opening quarter and scored 96 points in the first three quarters.

Thursday’s game was Banchero’s third career playoff game, too. So far in the first round, the Duke star is averaging 25.3 points per game. At 21 years old, he’s the second-youngest player in NBA history to score 20 points in each of his first three playoff games.

The youngest? LeBron James.

Banchero also didn’t turn the ball over on Thursday night, either. He became the youngest player in league history with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and no turnovers in a playoff game.

Paolo Banchero makes trip to deliver Gatorade NPOY award to Duke signee and projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg joins prestigious club as he was named Gatorade National Player of the Year, and Duke great Paolo Banchero was there to give him the trophy.

The Brotherhood is genuine. People may not believe it, but Duke’s basketball brotherhood is authentic, and at this point, Duke has infiltrated basketball at all levels.

Former Blue Devil Paolo Banchero is in the midst of his second NBA season, and it’s been an exceptional year. He was named an All-Star for the first time and he’s led his Orlando Magic team into the playoff picture with a 42-29 record.

Before his days as the face of the Magic franchise, he spent a tremendous year in Durham as the face of Duke’s program during Coach K’s last season as head coach of the Blue Devils. While Duke came up short, losing to UNC in the Final Four, Banchero brought Duke to the national semifinals for the first time since 2015.

The mesmerizing, do-it-all power forward averaged 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds as the focal point of their offensive attack. So it only makes sense that Banchero would pass that torch to the next do-it-all forward with a chance to be a No. 1 NBA draft pick.

Duke signee, the Class of 2024’s top overall recruit, and projected No. 1 draft pick in the 2025 NBA draft Cooper Flagg was named Gatorade Player of the Year on Wednesday, and Banchero was there to deliver the good news and the trophy to him.

It’s a full circle moment for Flagg, who grew up a Duke fan and is now months away from heading to Durham to write his chapter in the same way Banchero did.

Flagg, who was also named the Naismith High School Boys’ Player of the Year, led the No.1-ranked Montverde Academy to a 30-0 regular season record.

Like Banchero, Flagg is a dynamic forward capable of doing anything on the floor. The two differ mainly in the scoring department, where Banchero probably had a little more diversity in his ability to score the ball. Still, Flagg can pass, shoot, and dribble, and he is a better defender than Banchero was at this stage of his career.

Either way, Duke’s 2025 season will center on the newly minted Gatorade National Player of the Year’s ability to dominate on the basketball court. A Final Four trip like Banchero’s would be an incredible accomplishment for his likely one-year college career.