Charlotte Hornets’ Kemba Walker, right, puts up a shot against Indiana Pacers’ Myles Turner, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
All-Star weekend has drawn to a close, and there was one UConn alum selected to any of the events this year.
Kemba Walker:
Representing the host Charlotte as well as Storrs, Walker was picked as a starter for Team Giannis and participated in the 3-point shootout contest on Saturday night. Kemba scored 15 points in the first round of the contest, however, that was not enough to advance. On Sunday night, Walker put up four points and eight assists in 20 minutes as Team Giannis fell to team LeBron 178-164. Walker’s Hornets return to action against the Wizards on Friday night, currently seventh in the East with a 27-30 record.
Andre Drummond:
Drummond missed out on his third All-Star selection this year, however, he is still having a strong season in Detroit. He is averaging a career high 17.4 points and 15.0 rebounds a game, the latter of which lead the league. Drummond has nine 20-20 games this season, the most recent of which came against the Knicks on Feb. 8th. The Pistons are currently tied for the eighth seed in the East with a 26-30 record.
Rudy Gay:
Gay has performed well for a solid but not spectacular Spurs team. In 48 games, he is averaging 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, and San Antonio has struggled in the games that he has missed due to injuries. His presence will be very important down the stretch as the Spurs seek to clinch a 22nd consecutive playoff appearance. San Antonio is currently tied for sixth in the West with a 33-26 record.
Jeremy Lamb:
Lamb is having a breakout season in Charlotte as the second option behind Walker, his former backcourt partner in Storrs. Having started all 54 games that he has played, Lamb is on pace to smash his career highs in minutes (28.6), points (15.2), rebounds (5.6) and steals (1.0) this season. The Hornets will need Lamb to keep up this production down the stretch if they want to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Shabazz Napier:
Napier has carved out a strong role for himself off the bench in Brooklyn this season and has risen to the occasion ever since Spencer Dinwiddie went down with a thumb injury. Since the turn of the New Year, Napier is averaging over 22 minutes and 12 points per game. For the season, he is averaging 9.8 points, 2.6 assists, both career highs, and 1.9 rebounds per game. He has been an important piece to a resurgent Nets squad, which currently sits sixth in the East with a 30-29 record.
Neil Simmons is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at neil.simmons@uconn.edu.
