Weekly Zags in the Pros Update (4/7)

Now that the NCAA Tournament has (sadly) come to a close, the weekly roundup of pro Zag performances has returned. Strong months by many, the playoff hunt for some, and the return of Przemek Karnowski are the biggest highlights.

Rui Hachimura is currently on his best stretch since making his season debut a few months ago, averaging 14.8 points per game over his last six, including three 20+ point performances. His shooting has been a big part of that, as he’s 44.7% from beyond the arc this season. Corey Kispert has helped turn the Wizards into Gonzaga East, averaging a season high 11.9 points per game in March. He set a new career high with 25 points on 6-9 shooting from three in a win over the Warriors on 3/27.

Brandon Clarke has been a rotation staple for the 55-24 Grizzlies, averaging 10.3 points and 1.5 blocks during March as Memphis locked up the #2 seed in the Western Conference, He set a season high of five blocks on 3/18, and recorded his fourth double-double with 14 points and ten boards in a win over Brooklyn less than a week later. The road hasn’t been so kind to teammate Killian Tillie, who hasn’t played since 3/15 due to knee soreness.

Domantas Sabonis has also missed time recently, sitting out the last seven games with a bruised knee. He had a pair of double-doubles just before the injury, including a 30 point, 20 rebound, five assist game against the Celtics on 3/18.

Zach Collins posted his first double-double of the season last Sunday, finishing with a season high 18 points and 13 rebounds in a win over the Blazers. He’s scored 10+ points in six of the last eight for the Spurs, who have locked into the Western Conference. play-in tournament.

The injury bug has also bitten Jalen Suggs, who missed ten games in March with an ankle injury. He had ten points, five rebounds, and six assists in his last game before being sidelined.

Kelly Olynyk had two games of 10+ points in March, including a 12 point, five rebound, three assist effort in a win over the Sixers on 3/31 and 16 points and four rebounds in a win over the Hawks on the 23rd.

The G-League regular season has recently come to an end, and Joel Ayayi finished it with a flourish. He recorded his first career triple-double on 3/23, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a win for Capital City. He ended the regular season averaging 10.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists for the Go-Go, who enter the playoffs as the fourth seed in the G-League Eastern Conference.

David Stockton ended the regular season with 11.2 points and 4.2 assists per game for Memphis, including 14 and four assists on 3/29. The Hustle were eliminated from the playoffs with a 15-19 record. Jeremy Pargo and the Windy City Bulls were also eliminated with an identical record. Pargo had a season high 16 points on 3/20, and had 12 points and a season high 11 assist in the Bulls’ last game on 4/2.

Filip Petrusev has seen sparing playing time for Anadolu Efes, last seeing the court on 3/11. He had six points in that game, and is averaging 6.1 points in 30 games this season. His team is 35-18 overall, including 16-12 in the EuroLeague, good for sixth in the standings.

Nigel Williams-Goss faced off with Petrusev’s Anadolu squad on 3/22, scoring nine points and dishing a season high seven assists in a loss for Real Madrid. Nigel averaged 4.4 points and 2.3 assists in March for Real, who are fourth in the EuroLeague at 18-9, and 35-16 overall.

Geno Crandall had his third highest scoring output of the season in his last game, dropping 25 on 10-16 shooting with eight rebounds and seven assists in a win for Leicester. He averaged 11.3 points and six assists in March for the Riders, who clinched the British Basketball League regular season title at 21-2 with a pair of regular season games left.

Josh Perkins has also been dishing the ball of late, with 10+ assists in each of his last three games. He had 19 points, ten dimes, and three steals in his last game, a win for Petkim, and has posted back-to-back double-doubles.

Admon Gilder scored 20+ points in five of six March games, including 25, seven rebounds, and six assists on the 14th, his most since joining Spojnia. He averaged 20 points and 5.5 rebounds in March.

In possibly the most heartwarming news of the season, Przemek Karnowski returned to the court after nearly three years away due to injuries. The big man played his first game on 3/9 for Polish team Twarde Pierniki, and has averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in four games.

Jessie Loera recorded her first triple-double of the season with a 24 point, 12 rebound, ten assist, five steal effort on 3/26. She had 19, ten, and six in the game prior for her third double-double, and averaged 20.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 5.5 steals in March.

Zykera Rice is the first pro Zag to see the playoffs in 2022, as she contests the Finnish league playoffs with PeKa. She had 15 points and eight rebounds in the team’s win in the semifinal opener, and is averaging 17.6 points and 7.3 rebounds in the postseason.