Pro Jacket Report - November 23rd, 2017

Georgia Tech has had many athletes who have impressed in their time on the Flats. We here at From the Rumble Seat decided to take a look at how the current crop of Yellow Jackets in professional basketball are faring, with the aim to keep you updated throughout the season.

National Basketball Association:

Derrick Favors - Utah Jazz: Derrick Favors is currently playing for the Utah Jazz. So far this season, the former ACC Rookie of the Year is averaging 11.8 points per game in 27.5 minutes of playing time. These are both slightly above career average for Favors, now in his ninth season in the league. He is a bright spot on an otherwise dull 8-11 Utah Jazz team.

Marcus Georges-Hunt - Minnesota Timberwolves: Tech’s most recent addition to the NBA is second year professional Georges-Hunt. After spending much of the past year in the G-League and bouncing between Floridian NBA teams on 10 day contracts, Georges-Hunt was signed by the Timberwolves in August. Though he has only averaged a few minutes per game, when the Wolves assigned him to their Iowa G-League affiliate, he blew the competition away with 34 points, 4 rebounds, and a block, and was promptly recalled to Minneapolis. The question remains how Georges-Hunt will fit into the Timberwolves rotation going forward, as he is clearly demolishing the lower levels of talent in Iowa and the G-League.

Jarrett Jack - New York Knicks: The twelve year veteran is averaging 25.7 minutes and 5.6 points per game this season. Though both numbers are lower than his career average, with his minutes slightly down and his points almost halved, Jack’s conditioning and fundamentals, especially the endurance to play relatively high minutes per game, are promising after being on and off the disabled list last season.

Iman Shumpert - Cleveland Cavaliers: Shumpert, on his fourth season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is currently day-to-day with a knee injury. Thus far in the season, he has played average minutes on the fourth place Cavaliers. Overall his stats are a little down this far in the season, but, with the knee considered, perhaps the rest will help him and his knee injury.

Thaddeus Young - Indiana Pacers: Young and the Pacers have played well of late. Against the Pistons last Thursday, Young tied his season-high with 18 points, and added 17 to the team’s total against the Magic on Monday. Young’s rebounding has held up so far as well, and he is always reliable for 5 or 6 rebounds. The Pacers are putting it together and, with a healthy contribution from Young, will continue to be a factor in the Eastern Conference this season, even without Paul George.

Overseas:

France:

Alade Aminu - Nanterre 92: The lanky QuiNigerian-American center is holding down the starting center position for Nanterre 92 in the top circuit of French professional basketball. Aminu is scoring 10.7 points and hauling in 3.4 rebounds per game early in the season. The team is 6-4 in domestic play and 6-2 in international play, which appear to happen concurrently.

Italy:

Quinton Stephens - Fiat Torino: Tech’s all-time leader in games played isn’t playing much in his first professional season. Stephens is averaging just 8.0 minutes and 2.0 points per game, the second lowest on moderately successful Fiat Torino. Though he excelled in grabbing rebounds in Coach Josh Pastner’s schemes, Stephens hasn’t carried that same success over to the Italian league.

Turkey:

Gani Lawal - Karesi Spor: Another Tech Nigerian-American recently inked a one season contract to play for Karesi Spor in the Turkish Basketball First League.

China:

Stephon Marbury - Beijing Fly Dragons: Marbury, the infamous and polarizing Tech point guard, played 13 season in the NBA before heading to China and promptly becoming some bizarre mix of folk hero and legendary celebrity. After parting ways with the Beijing Ducks, whom he had won three championships with, garnering a statue, museum, and musical dedicated to his life in the process, Marbury agreed to play one last year in China. He has repeatedly stated his desire to finish out his career in the States, though that has yet to materialize following the conclusion of the last Chinese season.

Free Agents:

Chris Bosh: Bosh is still unemployed following his release from the Miami Heat early in the offseason. The two-time NBA champion, whose number was retired by Heat president Pat Riley, is attempting to come back from recurring blood clots. It is unknown if this will be possible, as Bosh last played almost a season and a half ago.

Will Bynum: Bynum, undrafted out of Tech, has been quite a journeyman in his professional career. From the then-Development League to Israel, to Detroit, his longest sustained American success, and back overseas to China, Bynum is quite a traveled player. Selected from the G-League Bulls to the Erie BayHawks in the expansion draft, he was waived by the parent organization, the Atlanta Hawks, in October and is currently looking for a new contract.

Anthony Morrow: The former undrafted free agent, who later signed with the Golden State Warriors and is widely regarded as a fine three-point shooter, last played for the Chicago Bulls last spring. Though he was signed by the Portland Trail Blazers in the offseason, Morrow was waived after appearing in a few preseason games. He remains a free agent.

How are your favorite Jackets in the big leagues faring? Anyone in Europe that I missed? I’ll do my best to keep an eye on the European ones especially - overseas results are hard to come by.