Weekly Zags in the Pros Update

The NBA was the place to look for former Zags doing big things this week, as both Jalen and Andy put together career games and Corey Kispert returned to action. David Stockton and Joel Ayayi also kicked off their seasons in the G-League Showcase.

Jalen Suggs had a career night last Thursday, dropping 26 points with nine assists and four steals. He came alive with multiple big plays in the second half as Orlando pulled out a win over Golden State.

Suggs wasn’t the only one to drop a career high this week, as Andrew Nembhard finished a win over New Orleans with 15 points and five assists. He shot 6-11 from the floor and 3-4 from three as the Pacers beat the Pelicans.

Domantas Sabonis has been heating up, scoring 20+ points in each of his last two games. He had 25, 11 rebounds, and six assists on a win over Suggs and the Magic over the weekend.

The Washington Zags are back to full strength, with Corey Kispert making his season debut last Friday. He’s averaged 5.3 points, 2.3 boards, and two assists so far. Rui Hachimura has continued his solid play for the Wizards, having now scored 10+ points in all but two games this season, including 31 over his last two.

The BC Block Party was back in action last Friday, as Brandon Clarke notched a season high three rejections in a 31-point win for the Grizzlies over Charlotte. Clarke’s posted season highs in blocks, points (16), and rebounds (eight) over the last seven days.

Kelly Olynyk posted his fifth and sixth double-digit scoring games of the season this week, including 18 points on 7-10 shooting (3-3 3p) in a win over the Lakers. His efforts have helped the Jazz to an early lead in the Western Conference, a sentence we all expected to say at the beginning of October.

The injury bug has unfortunately bitten Zach Collins again, as the big man will likely be out for a few weeks after fracturing his leg against the Clippers.

The G-League season kicked off this week, and I am pleased to announce the Ayayi Express is off and running. Joel Ayayi had a double-double in his first game with the Lakeland Magic, posting 12 points and ten rebounds. He’s averaging eight points, nine boards, and four assists through two games. David Stockton nearly matched Ayayi’s feat, falling one assist shy in his debut with Fort Wayne. He had 11 points and nine dimes in the season opener.

Kevin Pangos led a (very) light slate of Zags abroad this week, tying his season-high with 21 points (5-9 3p) in Milano’s EuroLeague matchup with Real Madrid.

Admon Gilder is in his first full season with Israeli squad Maccabi Haifa, after switching teams midway through last season. He’s off to another great start, averaging 23.8 points and five rebounds per game while shooting 43.8% from three. Elias Harris has also been solid to start the year for BC Bayern in his native Germany. He’s scored 11.3 ppg in four games, including a season high 21 on October 30.