The USC men’s basketball program is well known in the NBA, with 10 former Trojans playing in the league this season. AllTrojans surveys the status of USC graduates every two weeks.
Here’s a summary of each player’s performance over the past few weeks. Players are listed alphabetically.
DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
DeRozan continues to lead the Bulls offense. He recently won his three of his previous four contests and helped the team come out of his four-game losing streak. DeRozan averaged 27.0 points and he had 7.3 assists in those games. He ranked his 16th in the NBA in scoring, averaging 26.0 points per game.
Dwayne Dedmon, Miami Heat
Dedmon continues to be limited by a leg injury. The veteran center has played only two of his last five games for Miami. In a loss to the Bulls on December 17 and three days later in San Antonio in which he won against the Spurs, Dedmon recorded six points and five rebounds in just over eighteen minutes.
Taj Gibson, Washington Wizards
Gibson has recently started getting quite involved. He kicked off his December 14th Denver loss against the Nuggets for the Wizards, nearly 18 minutes into which he scored eight. Over the team’s last three games, he has averaged nearly 19 minutes. The veteran scored 6.7 points and grabbed 2.7 rebounds per contest during that stretch.
Jordan McLaughlin, Minnesota Timberwolves
McLaughlin has missed the last nine games for the Wolves with a left calf injury. No definite timetable has been provided for his return to action.
DeAnthony Melton, Philadelphia 76ers
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Melton continues to serve as a key cog for the red-hot 76ers on an eight-game winning streak. After Melton missed his game against the Kings in Sacramento on December 13, he started five games. In those five games, Melton averaged 13.0 points per game for him. As a fifth-year guard, he has 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. For the season, Melton ranks second in the NBA with his 2.1 steals per game.
Chimezy Metu of the Sacramento Kings
Metu has seen his playing time dip recently. On Dec. 13, he played nearly 10 minutes against the 76ers and scored five points after scoring just over 11 minutes in five games, including two of his contests where he hasn’t played since. played.
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
Mobley helped lead the Cavaliers to a five-game winning streak since the last update, but the team has pulled out of its last two contests. During the hot streak, Mobley averaged 13.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Onyeka Okongwu of the Atlanta Hawks
The third-year big man has started three of his last six games with the Hawks. Since the last update, he’s averaged 13.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in his five games, so he should continue to get his chances. He has his two double-doubles during that span.
Kevin Porter Jr., Houston Rockets
Photo by Paul Rutherford – USA TODAY Sports
Porter will continue to serve as a bright spot for the struggling Rockets. Over the team’s last seven games, he has averaged 21.1 points. This includes several outings of 30 points or higher. In the Rockets’ win over the Bulls on Monday, Porter put together arguably his best game of the season, posting his season-high 36 points and nine assists and he had seven rebounds. For the season, Porter led the Rockets in assists and is second in minutes and points behind Jaylen Green.
Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls
Bucevic continues to perform well in his 14th NBA season. He has scored 19 or more points in five of the Bulls’ last seven games, including two double-doubles in that time. In his 10-point victory over the Heat in Miami on December 20, Vucevic scored his career-high 29 points with his 10 rebounds. Vucevic leads the Bulls in rebounding, which ranks him ninth in the NBA, with his 10.2 rebounds per game average.
