ProToppers Primer: Courtney Lee, Jeremy Evans tip season off
Last night the NBA began play with three games, and tonight, the rest of the league gets in on the fun, including our two ProToppers in Courtney Lee and Jeremy Evans. Checkout how they did in the preseason, as well as some info on the teams they’re playing tonight to get the season started.
COURTNEY LEE. MEM. Courtney Lee<strong> </strong>and his Memphis Grizzlies will open 2014/15 at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Lee is expected to be a large contributor at the guard position for Memphis, and is looking at a night-in night-out starting job. He’s projected to get the start tonight, and is looking to improve upon a year in which he shot a career high 48% from the floor last year. This preseason saw Courtney average 7.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. A not-so-fun-fact for the Grizz – they’ve never won a season opener since relocating from Vancouver to Memphis. If you missed our interview with Beale Street Bears editor Xan Nikchevich, you can <a href=. vs. Minnesota Timberwolves. 7:00, FedEx Fourm
UTA. Jeremy Evans<strong> </strong>looks to start this season differently from last year, as he missed a bunch of time to start the year due to an injury. Well, as of my typing this (and, knocking on wood of course), Evans is not listed on the injury list for the Jazz, and he will look to start his season with the rest of his team as they welcome in the Houston Rockets, who played – and defeated – the Los Angeles Lakers last night. The Jazz hold the all-time advantage against the Rockets, with a 98-84 record against Houston. And, the last time the Jazz opened their home schedule against Houston, you have to flip the calender back all the way to 2006, but it was a victory. Alright, enough about the teams, and on to Jeremy! Evans played in six of Utah’s preseason games, finishing with an average of 2.2 points and about one rebound per contest. He did finish with three double-doubles last year, a career high. The most amount of time he saw in the preseason came in their final game against the Suns, in which he played 13 minutes and netted six points. Hopefully he can find larger ways to contribute, and be given more time on the floor as the season goes on.. vs. Houston Rockets. 8:00, Energy Solutions Arena. JEREMY EVANS
If you can watch either of these contests, let us know how the boys are doing so we can keep a close eye on them!