The first half of the NBA season is in the books, and the Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves each lead their respective conferences. There are seven former Memphis Tigers in the pros, with all of them having varying levels of success.
Let’s take an in-depth look at how these Tigers have fared across the first 50+ games of the 2023-24 NBA season.
Derrick Rose
The former Tiger legend has been a part of a Memphis Grizzlies team that has been riddled with injuries. Rose is no exception, playing in just 21 of the 56 games the Grizzlies have played in this season. He’s dealt with ankle and hamstring issues throughout the year.
Rose has averaged 8.5 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per contest on the season. The 35-year-old guard has been efficient from the floor as well, shooting 45.5% from the field, 37.5% from beyond the arc, and 88.9% from the free throw line. With Ja Morant missing time due to suspension and injury, the veteran has started seven games for the Grizzlies this season.
Rose’s best game of the season came in December when he scored 19 points and added six assists on 50% shooting against the Houston Rockets.
James Wiseman
The former #2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft is spending his fourth season with the Detroit Pistons, currently the worst team in the league. Wiseman is playing a reserve role behind another former Memphis Tiger in Jalen Duren.
The 22-year-old center is playing 14.1 minutes per contest for the Pistons, averaging six points and four rebounds per game on 66.7% shooting from the floor.
The best of the 35 games Wiseman has played this season came back in December against the Philadelphia 76ers, where he scored 20 points and collected 13 rebounds.
Precious Achiuwa
Achiuwa was moved in the OG Anunoby trade back in December, going from Toronto to the Knicks. The 24-year old has earned starting minutes in a Knicks rotation that has been hurt with injuries on the wings and in the frontcourt. And on a Knicks team led by Tom Thibodeau, this means Achiuwa is seeing a lot of court time. He is averaging 41.9 minutes per game in seven February games played.
Achiuwa has thrived in those minutes, averaging 14 points and 11.7 rebounds per contest this month. This series of performances includes his best in his most recent game, where he scored 23 points, added 14 rebounds, and dished out five assists.
On the season, Achiuwa averages 7.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on 49.1% shooting. His role, however, may see a decrease when players like Julius Randle re-enter the Knicks rotation. Regardless, it is nice to see the former Tiger perform like this on the big stage.
Jalen Duren
The most successful former Tiger in the pros has been Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons. Despite playing for a lowly Detroit squad, Duren has made a name for himself in his second NBA season. He earned an invitation to the 2024 Rising Stars Game along with his teammate Jaden Ivey. Duren had a ridiculous start to his sophomore campaign. He totaled 54 points and 46 rebounds across the first three games of the season.
He’s cooled down slightly since, but has still put up impressive production for a second-year center. Duren averages 14 points and 12 rebounds per contest while shooting 63.1% from the floor. His best performance of the season came just one week ago. In a win against the Portland Trailblazers, he scored 27 points, collected 22 rebounds, and blocked three shots.
The former Tiger looks like a centerpiece for the Pistons rebuild in just his second year with the team.
Josh Minott
Minott has yet to play over 10 minutes in an NBA contest this season. This, however, isn’t an indictment of his play. The second-year pro is playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team with the best record in the Western Conference.
He has largely seen playing time with the Timberwolves’ G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves. He has played 12 games there, averaging an impressive line of 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.2 blocks, and 1.6 steals. Minott, known for his defense and athleticism coming out of Memphis, has expanded his offensive game as a pro. He’s shooting 49.5% from the floor and 80% from the free throw line in his time with Iowa.
As Minott continues to improve, expect him to find rotation minutes down the road for a burgeoning Timberwolves team with established stars.
Lester Quinones
Quinones has split time between Golden State and their G-League affiliate (Santa Cruz). He’s starting to find more time in the Warriors’ rotation as of late. Quinones is averaging 19.6 minutes per contest this month in nine games. His best game came a few weeks ago against the Atlanta Hawks. He scored 17 points and added five rebounds and four three-pointers made.
Overall, he’s averaging 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds on 39.6% shooting from three in 19 games with the Warriors. In 16 games with Santa Cruz, he’s been especially productive. He’s averaging 23.5 points, six rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
Look for the second-year Tiger to continue to cement himself toward the back end of Golden State’s rotation with the offensive juice he provides off the bench.
Emoni Bates
Bates was the second former Tiger to earn an invitation to the 2024 Rising Stars Game, playing on the G-League team. The former Memphis and Eastern Michigan player replaced the G-League Ignite’s Ron Holland in the Rising Stars Game.
Bates has spent a majority of his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ G-League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge. There, he’s thrived, averaging 21.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 39% from three on 10.1 attempts per game.
Look for the sharpshooting rookie wing to overperform his second-round draft status. Bates has immense potential on the offensive end. His future development could be important for Cleveland’s plans as a franchise.
