Wednesday, nine former Illinois prep athletes saw minutes in various NBA games. Below I look into and share each of their NBA performances from March 30.
Best of the Day: Max Strus
Max Strus (Stagg) began his NBA journey after signing with the Boston Celtics as an undrafted free-agent back in 2019. He played for the Celtics in Summer League but would be waived in the Fall. He’s since climbed back from that and his ACL injury with the Bulls and is finding his footing in the league.
Two years later, Strus has found a home with the Miami Heat. The 6-5 forward has become a valuable piece to the Heat rotation and has come up big throughout the season. Wednesday was no different.
Strus got his second consecutive start on Wednesday. He would come up big as he made four threes and had several defensive stops to take down his former squad.
- Max Strus (Stagg/Miami Heat)- 32 minutes, 14 points, 5/10 FG, 4/9 3PT, 7 rebounds, an assist, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, and a game-high +17 in a 106-98 win over the Boston Celtics.
- Tied his career-high for rebounds and blocks.
- Set a new career-high for steals.
For more on Strus, read South Florida Sun Sentinel writer Ira Winderman’s piece here.
More of Strus’ defenses from Wednesday:
Rest of the Day’s Performances:
- Jalen Brunson (Stevenson/Dallas Mavericks)- 39 minutes, 18 points, 8/14 FG, 1/3 3PT, 1/1 FT, a game-high 2 offensive rebounds (tied with 3 others), 5 total rebounds, 6 assists, a tunrover, and -5 in a 120-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
- Keifer Sykes (Marshall/Indiana Pacers)- 15 minutes, 10 points, 4/6 FG, 1/3 3PT, 1/1 FT, 2 assists, a steal, and -2 in a 125-118 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
- Admiral Schofield (Zion-Benton Township)- 15 minutes, 6 points, 2/6 FG, 1/2 3PT, 1/1 FT, an offensive rebounds, 2 total rebounds, an assist, a turnover, and -9 in a 127-110 loss to the
- Fred VanVleet (Auburn/Toronto Raptors)- 32 minutes, 5/15 FG, 2/7 3PT, 0/1 FT, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, a game-high 5 steals, a team-high 2 steals (tied with 2 others), a turnover, and +20 in a 125-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
- Patrick Beverly (Marshall/Minnesota Timberwolves)- 23 minutes, 10 points, 3/6 FG, 2/4 3PT, 2/3 FT, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, a block, and -17 in a 125-102 loss to the Toronto Raptors.
- Isaiah Roby (Dixon/Oklahoma City Thunder)- 34 minutes, 14 points, 6/14 FG, 0/2 3PT, 2/6 3PT, a game-high 5 offensive rebounds, 9 total rebounds, 2 assists, a game-high 1 block, 2 turnovers, and -14 in a 136-118 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
- John Konchar (West Chicago/Memphis Grizzlies)- 9 minutes, 0/1 Fg, 0/1 3PT, an offensive rebound, an assist, and +1 in 112-111 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
- Andre Iguodala (Lanphier/Golden State Warriors)- 16 minutes, 3 points, 1/3 FG, 1/3 3PT, 3 rebounds, an assist, a team-high 2 steals (tied with Draymond Green), 3 turnovers, and -1 in a 107-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Extra News:
Andre Iguodala (Lanphier) and Fred VanVleet (Auburn) are one of the 10 finalists for the 2021-22 Twyman Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.
Admiral Schofield (Zion-Benton Township) celebrated his 25 birthday on Wednesday. Happy birthday, Admiral!
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