Kansas basketball: Devonte Graham posts third double-double of the year

Kansas basketball fan-favorite Devonte’ Graham posted back to back double-doubles, bringing his total up to three on the season.

Devonte’ Graham is continuing to prove his worth in the NBA. The Kansas basketball alum already has three double-doubles on the season in only 10 games, and the ceiling is extremely high this season for Graham. Now, if the Charlotte Hornets had a better overall team.

The Hornets are predicted to finish last in the NBA Eastern Conference this season by Sporting News. An ideal situation for Graham would be similar to that of Frank Mason, who was traded from the basement dweller Sacramento Kings to the NBA title contender Milwaukee Bucks. As long as Graham’s in Charlotte, his chances of getting a ring are slim to none.

Still, Devonte’ is balling out for the Hornets. The second-year NBA player scored 19 points and recorded 10 assists last night in a loss to the 76ers and fellow Jayhawk alum Joel Embiid who almost had a double-double of his own. Embiid finished with 18 points and nine rebounds on the night.

Graham is off to a great start this season, as evidenced by his statistics. So far this year, he’s been shooting the ball well with a 41.1% field goal percentage and 41.5% from behind the three-point line. Graham’s also been averaging over seven assists per game so far this year. Pretty good for the sixty-fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft.

Here are the highlights from Graham and the Hornets’ loss to Embiid and the 76ers last night:

Kansas basketball has a great reputation for producing exceptional NBA talent, and these two are awesome but very different examples. Devonte’ Graham was a four-star prospect that stayed four years with the Jayhawks. He was a late second-round draft pick that didn’t have huge expectations in the NBA.

Joel Embiid, on the other hand, was a five-star recruit that only played one season with Kansas basketball. The talented center was taken with the third overall pick by the Philidelphia 76ers and expected to become the face of the franchise. So far, Embiid has done all that and more for the 76ers.

Devonte’ Graham is in the process of carving out a successful career in the NBA. If he keeps performing like he has been, it’s a real possibility that a contender team trades for him to come off the bench at the point guard position, or maybe even start.

Graham and the Hornets’ next game is this Wednesday, November 13 at 6:00 PM against the Memphis Grizzlies.