Auburn Daily

How did former Auburn players fare on NBA opening night?

The rookies from Auburn shined on opening night.

Andrew Stefaniak

How did former Auburn players fare on NBA opening night?
How did former Auburn players fare on NBA opening night? /
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Auburn has five players on rosters this year in the NBA. Jabari Smith (Houston Rockets), Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz), Isaac Okoro (Cleveland Cavaliers), JT Thor (Charlotte Hornets), and Chuma Okeke (Orlando Magic). 

All five of these players opened their season on Tuesday, October 19th, and everyone besides the rookies struggled. 

Regardless of what the players are producing on the court, it is exciting for Auburn fans to be able to watch the NBA and have former Tigers players on the court. This is not a luxury Auburn fans had before the Bruce Pearl era. 

Let's look at how the five Tigers in the NBA did on opening night. 

Jabari Smith

© Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Smith started his NBA career in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, playing against the Hawks. Smith had a slow start, not scoring in the first quarter but ended the game with 17 points, seven rebounds, and one assist. Smith was not very efficient, shooting 6-17 from the field and 3-11 from beyond the arc. You could spin that in a positive light and say Smith still scored 17 points and didn't shoot the ball very well. Smith played 33 minutes in this game and will have a massive role for the Rockets this season. 

Walker Kessler

© Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

One word to describe Kessler's first NBA game would be perfect. Kessler was five for five from the field for 12 points. He has ten rebounds meaning Kessler recorded a double-double in his first career NBA game. He also had one assist and one steal. Kessler's +/- in this game was +12 meaning the Jazz were clicking with Kessler on the court. The best part about this game for Kessler is that he was guarding and being defended by 2021 NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and still managed to have a great game. There is a very bright future ahead for Kessler. 

Isaac Okoro

© Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Now that we have talked about the good from NBA opening night, we have to talk about the bad. Okoro only played 12 minutes for the Cavaliers against the Toronto Raptors where he was 0-1 shooting and had four personal fouls. He did not record a single stat in this game besides fouls. It was a rough opening night for Okoro, but the NBA season is long, so he has plenty of time to turn things around. 

JT Thor

© Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Thor will be more of a bench player for the Hornets this season, but with them missing their star LaMelo Ball, Thor played eight minutes on opening night. He was 0-1 shooting and had one rebound. He also had a block and a +/- of +6, so the Hornets did well with him on the court.

Chuma Okeke

© Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Okeke played 18 minutes for the Magic, where he had two points, four rebounds, and one assist. Okeke didn't get many opportunities to shoot the ball, but when he does, he is liable to light it up from deep. Okeke will get more minutes as the season goes on and will hopefully be able to record some pretty good stat lines for an up-and-coming Magic team. 

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Andrew Stefaniak
ANDREW STEFANIAK

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