University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols in the NBA: Midseason Update
February 26, 2017 | Men's Basketball
By Dominic Lobianco, UTsports.com
Tobias Harris | Forward | Detroit Pistons
In his first full season as a Detroit Piston, forward Tobias Harris is the team's leading scorer this season with 16.3 points per game while also averaging 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Harris also currently leads the Pistons in games played with 57. He began the season in the starting rotation. However, when the team hit a rough patch, head coach Stan Van Gundy elected to move Harris to a sixth-man role to increase production of the bench.
Harris embraced his bench role, and his overall numbers and efficiency increased. In 38 games as a starter, Harris averaged 15.9 points on 46.9 percent shooting. In the last 19 games with Harris is the sixth man, his scoring increased to 16.9 points and his shooting percentage jumped to 52.5 percent. In his first game off the bench this season on (Dec. 23 vs. Golden State), Harris had a season-high 26 points in a losing effort.
Van Gundy praised Harris' workmanlike approach after that game.
"Tobias played great," Van Gundy said. "That was a very, very professional response from a high-character guy. He was disappointed about not starting and comes out and has his season-high. That's a professional performance."
The Pistons currently occupy eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings and will rely on Harris' production looking toward the playoffs.
Jordan McRae | Guard | Cleveland Cavaliers
NBA champion Jordan McRae has seen his role change throughout the season for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite Cleveland's depth, McRae has played a career-high 36 games for the Cavs, mostly as a backup point guard.
Five games after teammate J.R. Smith suffered an injury, McRae got his first start of the season, and he totaled 20 points and four rebounds against Charlotte. Two games later, he topped that performance with a season-high 21 points against Chicago.
Since Cleveland recently added sharpshooter Kyle Korver, McRae's minutes have decreased. However, on Jan. 8, McRae's contract with the Cavaliers became guaranteed for the season.
The Cavs sit in first place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Josh Richardson | Guard | Miami Heat
After averaging 11.2 points per game over the final 25 contests of his rookie campaign a season ago, Josh Richardson's impending rise in the Miami Heat rotation was impeded by an MCL tear suffered this past September.
Richardson was able to return to the team in early November. He played 13 games that month, averaging 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Then in December, Richardson had arguable the best month of his career, including a four-game stretch during which he averaged 18.8 points per game.
Much of what Richardson does well is not widely quantified by analytics. At 6-6, he is often tasked with guarding the opposing team's best guard while he is playing. Despite that, he is only allowing opponents to shoot 39 percent from the field.
Regrettably, Richardson was tagged again by the injury bug in January (sprained left foot). He missed 19 games but returned to play limited minutes Friday in Atlanta.
"The fact he was in there and he was ready, that's a big positive for our basketball team," Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said Saturday. "And we need the depth. I'm going to work him in as much as I can, and I'm not going to force it if it's not called for."
Richardson's return could add a spark to an already surging young Miami team as they are fresh off a 13-game win streak. Now they are only 1.5 games behind the Detroit Pistons for eighth playoff seed in the East.
C.J Watson | Guard | Orlando Magic
C.J Watson is Tennessee's longest-tenured active player in the NBA. In his 10th season in the league, he currently serves as a backup point guard for the Orlando Magic.
The savvy veteran has played in 46 of the Magic's 58 games this year, even starting the last four contests amidst trades and injuries for Orlando.
After a slow start to the season, Watson has come on strong in the team's last 13 games, scoring in double figures in six of them. He scored a season-high 18 points twice in the past month (against Minnesota and Toronto in a four-day span).
Ernie Grunfeld | President | Washington Wizards
Grunfeld is midway through his 14th year as the president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards, who are having one of their best seasons in a decade.
Led by one of the best backcourts in the NBA--featuring SEC alums John Wall and Bradley Beal--the Washington Wizards (34-21) currently occupy third place in the Eastern Conference, only two games back from Boston for second and 5.5 games behind defending champion Cleveland. Wall, an All-Star this year, is averaging 22.8 points, 10.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game, while Beal is averaging 22.2 points per game and shooting a career-high 40 percent from 3-point range.
Although much of the Wizards' success is owed to the play of their veteran stars, young players like Kelly Oubre and Otto Porter are also having career years. Washington's young core of Beal, Oubre, Porter and Wall were all added to the organization through the draft.
In an attempt to bolster the Wizards' bench for the playoffs, Grunfeld was active at the trade deadline, dealing for Bojan Bogdanovic from the Brooklyn Nets.
