Auburn MBB in the Pros: January rundown

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

Through the first three months of the NBA season, Chuma Okeke is looking like the player who led Auburn on its Final Four run before suffering an injury. He's making plays, knocking down 3s, grabbing rebounds and doing a little bit of everything for the Orlando Magic. 

See how Okeke 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 split time between the G League and the NBA in January. Early in the month, the rookie point guard logged some minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. He knocked his first NBA 3-pointer against the Lakers. Later in the month, he joined the College Park Skyhawks where he played in three games. He scored 10 points in a 105-102 victory over Bryce Brown and the Long Island Nets on Jan. 26.

Chuma Okeke, Orlando Magic
It was a month to remember for Okeke who scored in double figures six times, including five of the team's last six games. During that six-game stretch, the former Auburn star posted 13.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He closed out the month with a season-high 19 points, five rebounds and four assists in a 110-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Okeke matched his season best with 10 rebounds on Jan. 14, and he also grabbed a steal in all but two games. He leads the Magic with 1.4 steals per game this season. 


Isaac Okoro, Cleveland Cavaliers
Okoro enjoyed another solid month in January, averaging 8.6 points per game and playing his usual ferocious defense. He missed a week of action toward the beginning of the month but still started eight games and averaged 31 minutes per game over the last seven. He scored in double digits three times, including a 15-point outing against the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 17. In Monday's win over the Pelicans, he had 14 points and made both of his 3-point attempts. Okoro was recently selected to play in this year's NBA Rising Stars Challenge. 


JT Thor, Charlotte Hornets
After making his NBA debut in December, Thor stayed up with the Charlotte Hornets for most of January and played in seven games. His best outing came Jan. 25 against the Toronto Raptors where he knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and scored six points. Thor also played in two G League games with the Greensboro Swarm and made the most of his opportunity against the Capital City Go-Go with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

G LEAGUE

Bryce Brown, Long Island Nets
Brown continued to light it up for the Long Island Nets and posted four games with 21 or more points, including three straight at one point. He added 10 rebounds in two of those games, picking up his first two double-doubles of the season. For the month, Brown averaged 14.4 points and nearly six rebounds per game. He made a total of 33 3-pointers in January and now leads the G Leauge with 84 made 3s on the season. 

Samir Doughty, Lakeland Magic
Doughty had his best month of the season as he averaged 9.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures three times, including a 15-point, 9-rebound performance against the Wisconsin Herd on Jan. 21. The nine rebounds were a season best. 

Malik Dunbar, Agua Caliente Clippers
In January, Dunbar started to earn consistent minutes for the Agua Caliente Clippers and responded with 6.8 points per game. He scored a season-high 14 points in a 106-91 win over the Stockton Kings on Jan. Jan. 15. The Clippers went 7-2 for the month. 

Jared Harper, Birmingham Squadron
Waived by the New Orleans Pelicans at the beginning of the month, Harper returned to the Birmingham Squadron and showed why he's one of the G League's to players. He played in seven games and averaged 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds per game. Harper never scored less than 19 points in any game and went off against the Oklahoma City Blue on Jan. 25 with 34 points, nine assists and six rebounds. He also recorded his first double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 assists against the Salt Lake City Stars. 


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)