This is the part of the year where talking about Buckeye sports gets a little tougher. D'Angelo Russell's announcement that he is going pro is an ample opportunity to talk about the only interesting live sporting event involving Buckeye athletes until September, the NBA playoffs.
Four Buckeyes are in the NBA this season (it will be five when Russell enters next year): Evan Turner, Jared Sullinger, Mike Conley and Kosta Koufos. All four are in the postseason, either as their team's leaders or significant bench players. Here, I will give a brief overview of their teams, what they're doing in the postseason and what to expect from them in the future.
Evan Turner
| Category | G (GS) | PTS | REB | AST | STL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REGULAR SEASON | 82 (57) | 9.5 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 1.0 |
| PLAYOFFS | 3 (3) | 13.3 | 9.0 | 5.3 | 1.0 |
A year or two ago, Evan Turner's career was in jeopardy. He has been derided for a poor attitude and an inability to understand his role on a team, but he has had the best season of his career in 2015 as a Boston Celtic.
The Celtics weren't expecting to make the playoffs this year, but Turner (whose role on the team has expanded over the season) helped to drag them out of the Eastern Conference muck and into a series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. As always, The Villain is a high-usage scorer with turnover problems. In spite of poor shooting this season (43 percent from the field, 28 percent from three), he has been the team's best defender. He'll stick around as long as he keeps a proper attitude.
Has Evan Turner made any unwise decisions in the last week?
Yup. Because of Turner's defensive versatility, he has been matched up with the best basketball player in the world, LeBron James. Late in game 3, ET tried to dunk on the best basketball player in the world. This was a fateful decision.
Ignore the many physical reasons why I'm not in the NBA: if I tried that dunk, got obliterated like that and was told "You tried" by LeBron James, I'd curl up on the parquet floor and whimper for the next two days. There's no way to recover one's pride after a block that emasculating, but at least Evan Turner is still trying to play basketball.
Jared Sullinger
A 2012 first round draft pick, Sullinger is in his third season with the Boston Celtics. A back injury and legal trouble held him back at the start of his career, and a stress fracture in his left foot cost him some time in 2015, but he has been one of the Celtics' best players this season when healthy.
| Category | G (GS) | PTS | REB | AST | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REGULAR SEASON | 58 (49) | 13.3 | 7.6 | 2.3 | 0.7 |
| PLAYOFFS | 3 (0) | 9.3 | 5.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
Sullinger is the team's best rebounder and an assist machine from his position, but his mid-range shooting (from three to 16 feet) is a killer. If he can get healthy and improve his shooting, he'll be Boston's starting power forward for years to come.
How often is Jared Sullinger healthy?
Sadly, not very often. He made a hasty return from injury to play against the Cavaliers, but he hasn't been the X-factor some were hoping for – he's just there. A bruised tailbone (leaving him probable for game 4) doesn't help either. Some people's bodies just don't like them.
The Boston Celtics are down 3-0 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and in all likelihood will be swept on Sunday afternoon. That's why it might be a good idea to take a look at the other team with Buckeyes in the postseason: the Memphis Grizzlies.
Fortune has smiled on the Grizzlies, delivering an easy first-round matchup in the west against the Portland Trail Blazers. Even though Memphis is lower-seeded, it is up 3-0 in the series thanks in part to the efforts of Mike Conley and Kosta Koufos.
Mike Conley
| Category | G (GS) | PTS | REB | AST | STL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REGULAR SEASON | 70 (70) | 15.8 | 5.4 | 3.0 | 1.3 |
| PLAYOFFS | 3 (3) | 16.0 | 3.7 | 1.7 | 1.0 |
As an eight-year veteran, Mike Conley has known both scorn and praise. Years ago, he was unfairly derided by some unhinged Grizzlies fans as the worst starter in the NBA. Now he's a maestro point guard with total control of Memphis's gritty offense, and it's hard to imagine what the Grizzlies would do without him.
How are Mike Conley's orbital bones feeling?
A bit ouchy. In the third quarter of game 3 against Portland he took an elbow to the eye socket and had to be treated at a local hospital. Based on his tweets after the fact he seems to be OK, but the Grizzlies can't beat the Golden State Warriors in the next round without him.
Proud of my guys for stepping up! Huge win tonight. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. I will be fine! #GNG #allheart
— Mike Conley (@mconley11) April 26, 2015
Kosta Koufos
| Category | G (GS) | PTS | REB | AST | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REGULAR SEASON | 81 (3) | 5.2 | 5.3 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| PLAYOFFS | 3 (0) | 4.7 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 1.3 |
Kosta Koufos has defied most of his career expectations. After one underwhelming year at Ohio State, Koufos hung around for a few years before becoming a good starting center for the Denver Nuggets.
Koufos has been a Memphis Grizzly for two seasons, and he has been solid as a reserve center. He used to be all-offense, but now he's a defensive stopper.
Does Koufos have any rim-rattling dunks this postseason?
He sure does! Kosta Koufos unleashed the best dunk of the night in game 3 against the Trail Blazers, and he drew a foul to boot. In a game the Grizzlies won by only a few points, it was greatly needed.
In all likelihood, neither the Memphis Grizzlies nor the Boston Celtics will win the NBA title. But if you're an uninvested fan, it'll be cool to see Buckeyes contribute along the way.
