Jackson sets career-high in points and rebounds with first career double-double versus Golden State.
In Saturday’s 129-118 win over the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks rookie Andre Jackson delivered a career-high 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Drafted by the Orlando Magic and traded on draft night to a loaded Milwaukee team in the second round of the 2023 draft, Jackson was not expected to play significant minutes in his first NBA season. But an early season injury to veteran forward Jae Crowder created more time for Jackson, including seven starts for a Bucks team that sits just three games out of first place in the eastern conference. The former national champion is averaging 2.6 points and 2 rebounds on 51% shooting in his first season in the league.
Hawkins scores career-high 34 points on 58% shooting in Saturday’s win vs Dallas
Following the New Orleans Pelicans’ questionable decision to option Jordan Hawkins to the G-League, the rookie shooting guard was recalled on Dec. 31 and proceeded to notch a career-high 34 points on Saturday against the Mavericks. The NBA lottery pick was forced into the starting lineup with star players CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram inactive, but the 21-year-old from Gaithersburg, MD did not disappoint. In addition to his 34 points, Hawkins rained home a career-high six three-pointers and corraled five rebounds. The former national champion has averaged 10 points a game to this point in the season and leads all rookies with 76 three-pointers made.
Sanogo making strong case for early G-League MVP candidacy
Despite winning the 2023 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award, former UConn big man Adama Sanogo went undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft. The term “undersized” was often thrown around when discussing Sanogo’s draft stock, but the 6’8 glass king from Bamako, Mali was able to land a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls. Spending a majority of the season in the G-League, Sanogo has been an unstoppable force for Windy City. In five games played, the former UConn big is averaging 26.4 points and 12.4 rebounds on a blistering 66% from the field. His exceptional play earned him a promotion to the Bulls roster ahead of their Dec. 28 game against the Indiana Pacers, but was sent back down after three games. Albeit just three games played with Chicago, Sanogo scored his first NBA points with an eight-point effort on Jan. 2 against the 76ers.