THE APARTMENTS – Jose Alvarado (Pelicans), Josh Okgie (Suns) and Young Thaddeus (Raptors) open the NBA rosters for the 2022-23 season… Derrick’s favors opens the 2022-23 season as a free agent after being released by the Rockets… more in this week’s #ProJackets report.
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CANALS ALVARADO TONY PARKER
Jose Alvarado exceeded 20 points just once in 54 games during his NBA rookie season, dropping a career-high 23 against the San Antonio Spurs last March.
During his four years at Georgia TechnologyAlvarado had 29 points three times, once as a sophomore and twice as a senior.
In the Pelicans’ second preseason win, Alvarado came a bucketful away from breaking the 30-point plateau, finishing with 28 points on a stellar 12-for-18 shooting performance from the field.
The New Orleans Pelicans hooked up to beat a Detroit Pistons The team was determined to take the victory by a final score of 107-101, but it was Alvarado’s play that thrilled his coaches and teammates after the game.
“Jose is hard to describe, but you just know he’s going to bring that passion and energy to the game that you’d want to see from anyone,” Zion Williamson said. “He knows how to make a threat. Don’t let him fool you, he just had 28 (points) and how many rebounds? Five? He does that on the bench. We have a special group.
Alvarado’s incredible shot through the trees clearly stood out in New Orleans’ second preseason victory. The 6’0 point guard connected on nine of 12 shots inside the lane, beating Piston defenders with a dizzying array of spins, floaters and just a good old-school trick.
Savvy fans might say this type of display is reminiscent of Tony Parker. Well, that’s precisely who played at least a hand in making Friday night happen.
Jose Alvarado was heading to the cup in the @PelicansNBA #NBAPreseason to win!@AlvaradoJose15: 28 PTS, 5 REB 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4ddWkMImkt
—NBA (@NBA) October 8, 2022
Jose said he had DM @Tony Parker over the summer to ask her to work with him. Parker responded right away and they met in San Antonio.
“If the year continues like this, I will definitely hit his phone next year.” pic.twitter.com/GvoykxESTf
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 8, 2022
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ALVARADO ON THE START OF THE SEASON IN NEW YORK
Jose Alvarado is entering his second season with the New Orleans Pelicans in New York. He talks about it after training on Tuesday.
Alvarado October 18 Press briefing
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FAVORS CANCELED BY HOUSTON ROCKETS
Former Oklahoma City Thunder Center Derrick’s favors will seek a new home to pursue his career after being waived by the Houston Rocketsby Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Favors were sent to the Rockets in the eight player massive trade end of September. The 31-year-old owed $10.2 million this season after recovering his possibility of player during the offseason.
The move comes hours after the former Thunder guard Theo Maledonwho was also part of the eight-man trade, signed a two-way deal with the Charlotte Hornets.
Favors is entering his 13th season in the league and spent last season with the Thunder, where he averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 39 games.
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YOUNG STRONG PRE-SEASON FINISHES
Thaddeus Young had four points (2-5 FG, 0-1 3Pt), eight rebounds, an assist and a steal in 19 minutes in Friday’s 137-134 win over Boston.
Young signed a two-year contract with the raptors during the offseason, a strange move in the eyes of many. The team certainly has a plethora of options in the frontcourt, which means Young is unlikely to play more than around 18 minutes per night. While he’s very unlikely to put up any fantasy-relevant numbers, he’s a name to put away should a bigger role ever open up.
Youth press briefing on October 18
RAPTORS 2022-23
YOUNG THADDEUS@yungsmoove21
“THA-GIC JOHNSON” pic.twitter.com/X3v2gZ5HUt— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 16, 2022
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OKOGIE ADJUSTS TO PRE-SEASON FINAL AFTER INJURY
Monday night’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets saw Josh Okgie in a Phoenix Suns shirt for the first time. The defensive-minded winger signed a minimum contract in free agency, before battling a slight hamstring issue early in training camp.
Okogie joins the Suns after experiencing a strange opening for four years in Minnesota, with his production levels nearly dwindling season after season. It’s clear that Phoenix thinks they can make a change to their horrible three-point shooting, while still utilizing the defensive attributes that have kept them in the league.
Devin Booker and Josh Okogie working off the post. #Suns pic.twitter.com/gE0ecLq4OK
—Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 15, 2022
Devin Booker, Josh Okogie and Cameron Payne are working.
Remember, Payne is a southpaw with a sprained right finger. #Suns pic.twitter.com/jQ7wviABA0
—Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 15, 2022
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#ProJackets in the NBA/G League 2022-23
Yellow jackets in professional basketball
Courtesy of Eurobasket LLC
Adam Smith (6’1”-PG-1992, 2016 graduate, plays pro in Spain) led his Spanish side Bilbao to an 80-66 victory over Acibadem (1-1) in the Basketball Champions League in Tuesday’s game evening . He was MVP of the game. Smith scored 17 points in 28 minutes. It was the match of the round between two top 4 teams. Surne Bilbao Basket (2-0) is ranked first in the Basketball Champions League. There are only four games left before the end of the Basketball Champions League regular season. So now every game will be critical. Smith has relatively good stats this year 14.0ppg, 2.0rpg and 1.5apg in two games he has played so far.
Ben Lammer (6’10”-C-1995, ‘2018 graduate, plays in Germany) contributed to an easy win over 14th-placed Panathinaikos (1-2) as they thrashed them 94-65 in the Euroleague last Wednesday. Lammers scored 7 points. It was his first game for ALBA Berlin this season. His team is ranked first in the Euroleague. So far, his team has won all three games in the regular season. But it’s still only start of the season and anything can happen.
Moses Wright (6’9”-F-1998, 2021 grad, currently in China) was the main contributor to the Zhejiang Golden Bulls’ victory over the 11th-ranked trailblazers (2-2) crushing them 105-83 in the CBA Chinese on Friday evening. He scored 18 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and made 2 blocks in 24 minutes; a pretty impressive performance considering this is only Wright’s second season in professional basketball. The Zhejiang Golden Bulls (5-0) are ranked first in the CBA. So far, his team has won all five regular season games. This is Wright’s first year with the team. He has relatively good stats this season 15.0ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.5bpg and 2.0spg in four games.
Trae Golden (6’3”-PG-1991, ‘2014 graduate, plays pro in China) was the main contributor to a Beijing Royal Fighters 3-point victory over the Flying Tigers (3-2) 98-95 in the Chinese ABC in Saturday night’s game. He was MVP of the game. Golden scored 25 points, got 5 rebounds and delivered 7 assists. The Beijing Royal Fighters (3-1) rank fifth in the CBA. It was his team’s third consecutive win. There are only four games left before the end of the regular season. So now every game is very crucial. Golden is individually having a very good season with high stats. It averages 21.3ppg, 4.3rpg, 6.7apg, and 1.7spg.
Avi Schäfer (6’8″-C-1998, ‘2019 graduate, plays in Japan) couldn’t help the SeaHorses Mikawa (2-4) in their last game. Despite his strong showing, fifth-placed SeaHorses Mikawa (2- 4) lost 63-76 on the road to bottom-ranked (#6) Kyoto Hannaryz in the Central group. Schafer scored 13 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 23 minutes. But the season has just started, so anything can happen. This year, Schafer is averaging 5.8ppg and 4.2rpg in six games and is a naturalized Japanese.
Robert Samson (6’8″-F-1992, ‘2015 graduate, currently in Japan) was unable to help Tokyo Z in their match against Nishinomiya Storks in Japan’s B2 League. , Sampson was the top scorer with 24 points. He also added 4 rebounds. Sampson has relatively good stats this season 13.2ppg, 7.0rpg, 1.2apg, 1.3bpg and 2.2spg. It is worth mentioning that he has also play at Eurobasket Summer Leaguewhich helped him get the pro basketball job.
Jordan Bailiff (6’7″-F-1999, 2022 graduate, plays pro in Turkey) was unable to secure victory for Besiktas Icrypex Istanbul in their match against Pinar Karsiyaka in the Turkish BSL, despite his good performance on Saturday night.Usher scored 11 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 28 minutes.But his team lost 81-92.Usher has relatively good stats this year 11.0ppg, 3.7rpg and 2.0apg in three games.
Jose Alvarado (6’0”-PG-1998, ‘2021 graduate, plays in the NBA) contributed to an easy win over the Brooklyn Nets by thrashing them 130-108 in the NBA last Wednesday. Alvarado scored 7 points. It was his first game for the New Orleans Pelicans this season.
Marcus Georges Hunt (6’5″-F-1994, ‘2016 graduate, currently in Kuwait) was instrumental in Kuwait’s one-point win over league leaders Al Ahly 78-77 in the Arab Club Championships on Saturday night. Georges -Hunt was the MVP of the game. He scored 22 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in 30 minutes. Georges-Hunt has relatively good stats this year 12.3ppg, 5.3rpg and 4.6apg in seven games. He is a naturalized Virgin Islander.
Charles Mitchell (6’8”-F/C-1993, ‘2016 grad, plays pro in Argentina) helped Obera beat 18th-ranked Independiente de Oliva 71-66 in Argentina’s La Liga in Wednesday’s game evening. He recorded a double-double scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. It was his first game for Obera this season.
Other former Georgia Institute of Technology players, who play professional basketball:
- Thaddeus Young (6’8″-F-1988) plays for the Toronto Raptors in the NBA
- Derrick Favors (6’10”-F-1991) plays for Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA
- Josh Okogie (6’4″-G-1998) plays for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA
- Alade Aminu (6’10”-F/C-1987) plays for Carolina Gigantes in the Puerto Rican BSN
- Kammeon Holsey (6’8″-F-1990) played for College Park SkyHawks in the NBA G League
- James Banks III (6’10”-F/C-1998) played for Texas Legends in the NBA G League
- Anthony McHenry (6’8″-SF-1983) plays for Shinshu BW in the Japanese B1 league
- Abdoulaye Gueye (6’9″-C-1994) signed for Samsunspor in Turkish TBL
- Gani Lawal (6’9″-F/C-1988) signed for Runa Basket in Russian Superleague 1
- Glen Rice Jr. (6’6″-F-1991) played for Power in the Big3
- Michael Devoe (6’5″-G-1999) played for the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA Summer League
To remark: The above list includes only some of the alumni currently playing professional basketball. View the full list of Georgia Technology former basketball students.