After receiving some criticism for his performance in last year’s playoffs, the defending champion’s star forward was elite in the first round against the Orlando Magic.
After getting roughed up in a Game 1 in which he struggled from deep, Tatum sat out in the second game of the series. The forward returned in Game 3 and tallied 36 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists alongside a steal and a block on the defensive end. The St. Louis native ended the series with averages of 31.3 points per game, 11.3 rebounds per game and 5.3 assists per game. His per-game scoring is good for third among all scorers this playoffs and second among remaining players.
The remaining player with the highest scoring average — Jalen Brunson — will stand at the opposite sideline starting Monday in TD Garden. Brunson and the Knicks are coming off of a six-game series victory over the Pistons capped off by a game winning 3-point shot by the star point guard. The two teams have a legendary playoff history, but the last time they faced off in the postseason was 2013, when a Carmelo Anthony led Knicks squad took down the Celtics in the first round.
Griffin Conine
The second-year outfielder was off to a solid start this season, with a .281 average and 0.3 wins above replacement in just 64 at bats, before an undisclosed shoulder injury was announced last week. Unfortunately, the Marlins announced Thursday that his 60-day injured list stint would be extended to a season long after the surgery.
Marcus Stroman
It has been a tough start to the season for the righty now pitching in the Bronx, N.Y. Currently sitting out with knee inflammation, the former Cub had a dismal first three starts, totaling just 9.1 innings pitched across three appearances with 12 earned runs. Calls for cutting his contract have grown stronger among the Yankee faithful, especially with the June 1 opt-out deadline approaching.
JJ Redick
It was a tough playoff coaching debut for the former star Blue Devil and 15-season NBA veteran. Redick’s Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, which included two home losses for a team that went 31-10 at Crypto.com Arena in the regular season. Redick was hailed all season for galvanizing the team’s defense, helping them to a 113.8 defensive rating. That number jumped to 116.7 in the series against Minnesota, particularly due to poor fourth quarter performances. And the decline on defense was only compounded by lowered offensive numbers in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers scored just 16.7% of their points in the fourth quarter against Minnesota, the worst by any team in NBA playoff history. Whether due to a lack of conditioning or to being out-strategized by Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, it was a disappointing end to a promising first season for the long-touted Redick. Still, leading the team to a 3rd place regular season finish in the Western Conference is no small feat, and with the likely return of Luka Doncic and Lebron James next season, the future does look bright for Duke’s all-time leading scorer.
Jayson Tatum’s lone season with the Blue Devils ended with him leading Duke to an ACC Championship.
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