Duke Basketball One-And-Done Makes Minutes Count in Las Vegas

Former Duke basketball acrobat Cassius Stanley is now averaging over a point per minute in Summer League.

Author:
Matt Giles
Jul 10, 2023 7:30 AM EDT

In this story:

Cassius Stanley, one of 10 recent Blue Devils in Las Vegas for NBA Summer League action, rode the bench in the Denver Nuggets' opening loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. But on Sunday night, the 2019-20 Duke basketball wing heard his name and responded, albeit in Denver's 98-93 defeat by the Atlanta Hawks.

The 23-year-old posted as loaded of a stat line as anyone could hope for in only nine minutes on the floor: 10 points, four rebounds, one steal, one block, zero turnovers, and a +3 plus/minus. And Stanley didn't miss from anywhere, finishing 2-for-2 from the field, 1-for-1 from three, and 5-for-5 at the foul line.

As for Atlanta's lone Duke basketball product on its Summer League roster, rising NBA sophomore forward AJ Griffin totaled six points, three assists, and one steal against the Nuggets while shooting only 2-for-8 overall in his 19 minutes as a starter.

Following one season as a high-flying showman, full-time starter, double-digit scorer, and relatively reliable spot-up shooter for the Blue Devils, Cassius Stanley came off the board at No. 54 overall to the Indiana Pacers on draft night three years ago.

Since leaving Durham early, the 6-foot-5 Los Angeles native has spent much of the past three seasons in the G League, where Stanley has averaged 14.1 points, 4.4 boards, and 2.1 assists per game across stints with three teams.

However, while on a two-way contract as a rookie, he appeared in 24 games for the Pacers. Then in 2021-22, he enjoyed a series of 10-year contracts with the Detroit Pistons, averaging 5.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in nine outings.

Yet he didn't land on an NBA squad all of last season.

And as things stand, Cassius Stanley is not one of the 26 former Duke basketball players on an active NBA contract for next season.

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