After not having played in an NBA game since Jan. 12, former Michigan basketball standout and brand new Indiana Pacer Caris LeVert made his triumphant return. LeVert underwent successful surgery in January to remove a cancerous mass on his kidney, but has made a recovery and was back in action for his new team on Saturday, March 13.
LeVert registered 13 points and six rebounds in 27 minutes in a Pacer victory over the Phoenix Suns, 122-111, while even admitting afterwards that he's still working on getting his conditioning back to normal.
"A month and a half ago, two months ago, I didn't even know if I knew I was even gonna be out here, especially this soon, just with everything that happened, so it's definitely a level of gratefulness and just happy to be on the court," LeVert said.
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The Pacers are 17-21 on the season, 10th in the Eastern Conference and fighting for a spot in the playoffs. If they do make a run that is good enough to earn a spot in the postseason, LeVert will likely be a big part of it. The team's head man already noticed how much LeVert was able to impact the game in his debut.
"He energized our team, and his character level is so high," Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren said. "He's such a good person. He's been a great teammate throughout this entire time that he's been out, so our guys were very happy to have him back out there on the court."
Jordan Poole is back for the Golden State Warriors, after posting impressive numbers while being sent down to play with the team's G-League affiliate (22.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.5 APG).
He's played four games since returning and is averaging 18 points, 2.3 assists and two rebounds per contest during that stretch, while shooting 55.3 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from long range.
Poole's high-profile teammates are praising the way he's worked hard despite the demotion in late January when he learned he'd be heading to the G-League bubble.
“He put so much work in,” Steph Curry said. “He is a dog when it comes to that.”
“Gotta give that kid a lot of credit,” Draymond Green added. “I’m not sure there’s anyone on the team in the gym more than him.”
More hard work is paying off elsewhere in the NBA. Miami Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson became the fastest player to 400 three-point field goals in NBA history by a whopping 34 games, with Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young checking in second (159 games) and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic sitting at third (160 games).
Teammate Bam Adebayo credited Robinson's work ethic for how he's become one of the top shooters in the league.
"He works himself to death," Adebayo said recently. "He’s watching film, he’s trying to find different ways to get easy baskets. We kind of feed off each other. He knows I’m looking for him. So if he cuts and he’s open, I’m going to pass to him. I’m proud of him."
Updates on every former Michigan basketball player in the NBA are below:
Trey Burke, Dallas Mavericks
Posted five points in eight minutes in a win over the San Antonio Spurs March 10 ... Scored two points and dished out three assists in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder March 11 ... Notched five points and one assist in a win over the Denver Nuggets March 13.
Has appeared off the bench in 37 of the Mavericks' 38 games this season, and is averaging 15.8 minutes per outing ... Posting 7.1 points and 1.5 assists per night, while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from three-point land ... The Mavericks sit at eighth in the Western Conference with a 20-18 record and have won seven of their last 10 games.
Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks
Put up nine points, three assists and two rebounds in a win over the San Antonio Spurs March 10 ... Went off for 24 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, six rebounds and one assist in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder March 11 ... Posted eight points, three rebounds and one assist in a win over the Denver Nuggets March 13 ... Poured in 21 points, while shooting 5-of-9 from three-point land, and added one rebound and one assist in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers March 15.
Has seen action in 37 of the team's 38 contests with 17 starts ... Is averaging 16.3 points per game on 43.8 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from long range, while also contributing 3.2 boards and 1.7 assists per tilt.
Caris LeVert, Indiana Pacers
Made his Pacers debut March he underwent successful surgery to remove a cancerous mass on his kidney in January ... He posted 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists in his debut with the organization, a win over the Phoenix Suns March 13, before following that up with 17 points, two rebounds and two assists in a loss to the Denver Nuggets March 15.
Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors
Returned from a stint with the G-League's Santa Cruz Warriors and is averaging 18 points, 2.3 assists and two rebounds per game in his four contests since rejoining the Warriors ... Scored a season-high 26 points and grabbed three rebounds in a loss to the Phoenix Suns March 4 ... Posted 14 points, four assists and three rebounds in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers March 11 ... Poured in 18 points and added three assists in a win over the Utah Jazz March 14 ... Notched 14 points, two rebounds and one assist in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers March 15.
Has appeared in 19 of the Warriors' 40 games this season after a stint in the G-League ... In the NBA, averaging 8.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc ... The Warriors are ninth in the Western Conference with a 20-20 mark.
Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat
Scored nine points and added two rebounds and one assist in a win over the Orlando Magic March 11 ... Drained five threes while posting 15 points, five rebounds and two assists in a March 12 win over the Chicago Bulls ... Posted 14 points, five rebounds and three assists in a win over the Orlando Magic March 14.
Has started all 39 games for the Miami Heat ... Averaging 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, while shooting 45.1 percent overall and 42.1 percent from long range ... His 3.3 made threes per game ranks 12th in the association ... The Heat are on a four-game winning streak, 21-18 on the season and sit at fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Moe Wagner, Washington Wizards
Notched four points, four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies March 10 ... Registered four points, two rebounds, one block and four steals in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers March 12.
Has appeared in 24 of the team's 38 contests this season with 13 starts ... Is averaging seven points, three rebounds and 1.2 assists per outing in 14.7 minutes ... The Wizards are 14-24 and sit at 13th in the East.
D.J. Wilson, Milwaukee Bucks
Scored three points and came down with two rebounds in a win over the New York Knicks March 11.
Made 12 appearances out of 35 games so far this season, and is averaging 8.8 minutes of action when he sees the floor ... Notching 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per outing, while shooting 37.2 percent from the field ... The Bucks are 25-14 and third in the Eastern Conference.
Ignas Brazdeikis, New York Knicks
Averaged 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in 20 outings with the G-League's Westchester Knicks ... The team did not make the playoffs, and the season is over.
Has seen action in four NBA games this season but never for more than four minutes in a contest ... Has totaled two points, two rebounds and one assist ... In the bubble with the Westchester Knicks in the G-League season.
Charles Matthews, Canton Charge (G-League)
Averaged 4.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 11 appearances for the Canton Charge, which did not make the playoffs.
Zavier Simpson, Oklahoma City Blue (G-League)
Simpson appeared in 15 games for the Oklahoma City Blue, and averaged 9.8 points, 6.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 44.5 percent overall ... Team did not make the postseason.
Jon Teske, Lakeland Magic (G-League)
Started 12 of his team's 15 contests and helped lead them to the G-League Championship ... Averaged 6.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per outing, while shooting 40.6 percent from the field.
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