Pro Blue: Caris LeVert on scoring hot streak for Cavaliers

Shockingly, our list of Michigan Wolverines in the NBA only includes two starters — and they both play for the same team and have the same last name. However, it’s the bench contributions that are making all of the difference.

Let’s see how each of the nine former Wolverines on NBA rosters did this week.

Note: All stats are as of Dec. 14.

Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors

Last Wednesday against Utah, Poole put on an absolute clinic, scoring 36 points with eight assists and four rebounds. He somehow found his way on the free throw line 13 times and connected on 12 of them, despite only shooting 4-for-13 from deep. In the other three games this week, Poole has scored 20, 18 and 20 points respectively, all while shooting a high volume of shots.

Tim Hardaway Jr, Dallas Mavericks

This week, Hardaway struggled with consistency issues a bit. In a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday nights, THJ only scored eight points in the first contest and 12 in the second. However, he got things clicking Monday against the Thunder, scoring 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting from three. In fact, all he made were threes and free throws.

Sadly, he came crashing down to Earth with his roughest game of the season last night against Cleveland. Hardaway only scored three points in 31 minutes on just five shots. He was virtually invisible out there.

Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic

Things have gotten a little nutty for the Magic, as they have won four games in a row. Many thanks are due to Franz Wagner. In Orlando’s four games this past week, Wagner has scored 15, 34, 23 and 24 points respectively. Most impressively, the 34 points against the Raptors came on just 15 total shots. Wagner has become a hyper-efficient scorer who can be a leader on this team, not just a contributor.

Caris LeVert, Cleveland Cavaliers

Similar to Poole and Wagner, LeVert has been on a hot streak. In the previous week, he hadn’t scored more than seven points in any contest. This week, he scored 20+ points in three of four games.

This is mostly due to his aggression on the court. Friday and Saturday marked just the second and third times this season LeVert shot the ball more than 20 times in a game. Both paid dividends with him recording 22 points in each game. Still coming off the bench, it will be interesting to see if Cleveland goes with a three-guard starting lineup any time soon or if he becomes a trade chip once again.

Moritz Wagner, Orlando Magic

Since getting healthy, Mo has been getting quite a bit of run for Orlando during this winning streak. He has started all four contests and average over 13 points per game. Last Wednesday against the Clippers, he tallied a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds on just 13 shots. Foul trouble has been an issue for him early on this season, but so far he’s shown enough to warrant staying in the starting lineup.

Caleb Houstan, Orlando Magic

Houstan only saw action in one of the four Magic games this week. He scored five points in 12 minutes against the Clippers and was a DNP-Coach’s Decision in the other three. I would not be surprised to see a G-League trip in his near future just to keep his playing time up.

Moussa Diabate, Los Angeles Clippers

With Ivica Zubac out, Diabate was recalled from the G-League on Monday. He played three minutes Monday night against Boston and had two points and three rebounds. However, he was also named G-League Player of the Week during his time down there. Los Angeles appears to be using his two-way contract to the fullest extent this season.

Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat

On Wednesday night, the Heat broke a franchise record with 24 made three-pointers in a game. Robinson played his part, shooting 4-of-8 from deep to end with 14 points on the night. The shooting stroke had to feel good, as it was his first double-digit scoring performance since Nov. 14 and his best shooting performance since Nov. 1. This was all on the heels of a dreadful performance against the Spurs on Saturday where he only scored three points in eight minutes of action.

Isaiah Livers, Detroit Pistons

Livers didn’t play this week due to a shoulder injury.