Auburn MBB in the Pros: December rundown

Auburn MBB in the Pros: December rundownAuburn MBB in the Pros: December rundown

With Jared Harper and JT Thor earning call-ups in December, there have now been five former Auburn players to take the court in an NBA game this season. 

Harper signed a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans after making a strong case as the best player in the G League this season. His 297 points through 14 games is still tops in the G League, and he's tied for fourth in 3-pointers made with 43. 

See how Harper and the other notable former Tigers are doing in Auburn MBB in the Pros, a new monthly series highlighting those in the NBA, G-League and overseas. 

NBA

Sharife Cooper, Atlanta Hawks
Cooper started the month of December on a terror as he scored 27 or more points in three straight games for the College Park Skyhawks in the G-League. His best performance was on Dec. 9 when he poured in 33 points and four assists in a 117-98 victory. The rookie guard was then called up to the Atlanta Hawks where he appeared in three games and scored a deuce for the Hawks in their 111-99 win over the Orlando Magic. 


Jared Harper, New Orleans Pelicans
Harper made his Pelicans debut in December, becoming the first Birmingham Squadron player to receive a Gatorade Call-Up. In his second game with the Pelicans, the former Auburn point guard scored seven points and dished out three assists in eight minutes to help New Orleans beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 108-104. In six G-League games in December, Harper averaged 24.5 points per game and matched his season-best with 35 points against Capitanes Ciudad de Mexico. He also had eight assists in that game. 


Chuma Okeke, Orlando Magic
After coming off the bench to start the season, Okeke started five games for the Magic in December and responded with 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game during that stretch. The second year forward also recorded his first NBA double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds against the Miami Heat on Dec. 17. Two games later, Okeke scored 12 points and was +15 while on the court, his highest +/- of the season.  He missed five games while in COVID protocols but returned to action Wednesday. 


Isaac Okoro, Cleveland Cavaliers
It was a breakout month for Okoro who scored in double figures seven times in December. The fifth overall pick a year ago scored a season-high 20 points twice and from Dec. 10-15, he averaged 18.5 points per game in four games and shot 70 percent from the field (28-40). In the Cavs' 124-89 win over the Houston Rockets on Dec. 15, Okoro poured in 20 points and threw down a Sportscenter Top 10 dunk over three defenders. 


JT Thor, Charlotte Hornets
It should come as no surprise to Auburn fans that Thor threw down the hammer with a one-handed slam for his first NBA bucket. The rookie made his NBA debut on Dec. 5 against the Atlanta Hawks and then scored his first points with the dunk the following night. He finished with eight points in the game, a season high. Thor played in a total of six games in December and averaged 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. 


G LEAGUE

Bryce Brown, Long Island Nets
Brown averaged 20.0 points per game in five regular season games with the Long Island Nets in December, but his best performance came in the AT&T Winter Showcase where he dropped 36 points on 14 of 19 shooting against the Agua Caliente Clippers. The former Auburn sharpshooter ranks second in the G League this season with 50 3-pointers made.

Samir Doughty, Lakeland Magic
Like Brown, Doughty also showed out in Las Vegas at the AT&T Winter Showcase with 23 points and eight rebounds in a loss to the Santa Cruz Warriors. Doughty's minutes and production shot up in December as he averaged 8.6 points per game in five G-League games leading up to the Showcase, including a 16-point effort on Dec. 9.

Malik Dunbar, Agua Caliente Clippers
After scoring a total of five points in the first month of the season, Dunbar scored in double figures twice in December for the Agua Caliente Clippers. He put up a season-high 11 points on Dec. 16 in a 123-106 victory over the South Bay Lakers. 


International
Kenny Gabriel, Gemani Basket Brescia (Italian Lega Basket Serie A)
J'Von McCormick, Kocaeli BSB Kagitspor (Turkish TBL)
Danjel Purifoy, FC Porto Ferpinta (Portuguese LPB)
Quantez Robertson, Fraport Skyliners (German BBL)
K.C. Ross-Miller, MBK Rieker Komarno (Slovakian Extraliga)
LaRon Smith, Sant Antoni Ibiza Feeling (Spanish LEB Silver)
Horace Spencer, CSP Limoges (French Jeep Elite)
Tay Waller, BC Igokea (Bosnian BiH Liga)
Austin Wiley, Gladiators Trier (German Pro A)