Pro Blue: Former Wolverine Jordan Poole goes off for 43

This week’s Pro Blue was highlighted by a career performance from Jordan Poole and a season-high from Moe Wagner. We’ve also seen a return to action for one ex-Michigan Wolverine and a series of DNPs for another.

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

Note: All stats are as of December 21st.

jordan poole, Warriors of the Golden State

Poole has exploded lately and won’t come off the bench, having started every game since December 3. While the Warriors have struggled, losing five of their last six, Poole was hardly the cause. On Sunday against the Raptors, Poole exploded for 43 points with six assists on 23 shots. He shot 61% from the field and 45% from three.

In the month of December, Jordan averages just under 27 PPG. He enters star territory with no sign of slowing down.

Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks

Hardaway rebounded from his pathetic performance last Wednesday by hitting double digits in all three Dallas games this week. He’s been fighting from deep, highlighted by an 8-1 performance in Cleveland on Saturday, but is making his presence felt defensively while playing over 30 minutes a game.

franz wagner, Orlando magic

The Magic’s winning streak eventually stalled, but they’ve still won seven of their last eight. Franz Wagner continues to fill the statistics sheet evenly across the board. He now averages 19.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 3.5 APG. Somehow he doesn’t lead the team in any major statistical category but is second on the team in almost every category. On Wednesday night, he scored 25 points as he led the Magic to a 116-110 win over the Houston Rockets.

Caris LeVert, Cleveland Cavaliers

LeVert has cooled off quite a bit this week despite the Cavaliers winning five straight games. He hasn’t topped 13 points in any of the five games while shooting 4-for-17 from deep. He still gets significant minutes off the bench (30+ minutes per game) but struggles a bit with non-fouling defense. Despite the struggles, he should still be in the running for sixth man of the year.

Moritz Wagner, Orlando Magic

On Friday night in Boston, Moe had arguably the best performance of his career. He dropped 25 points with eight rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting. He was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity flick. Even more impressive is that Wagner has not missed a free throw since December 3 and is connected on 34 straight.

Wagner is on his feet when the Magic travel, as he tends to anger the opposition. Statistically, he’s having the best season of his career in points, rebounds, and assists. His hot start has what it takes to be a breakthrough year for Wagner.

Caleb Houston, Orlando Magic

Houston has not played during Orlando’s recent winning streak. However, he wasn’t sent to the G-League either. Hope he’s ready.

Mussa Diabate, Los Angeles Clippers

Diabate was recalled to the Clippers from the G League and appeared in two games this week. On Thursday against Phoenix, he had eight points, eight rebounds, an assist and a steal in 16 minutes of non-garbage time. On Saturday against Washington, he scored just two points in 18 minutes and collected two rebounds. He clearly still has a long development schedule ahead of him, but it’s promising that he’s getting vital minutes.

Duncan Robinson, intense heat

Robinson continues to play a little better. He has a total of 34 points in Miami’s last three games. That’s the largest three-game total for him in all three games this season. During the season, he increased his scoring average to 6.6 PPG, which is slightly better but still far short of what he’s achieved in previous years.

isaiah liver, Detroit piston

Livers missed out this week with a shoulder injury.