The 2020-21 NBA playoffs and the inaugural play-in tournament begin today, and as usual, the Duke Blue Devils are well represented.
An ACC record 29 former Duke players began the season on NBA rosters. Fifteen will now participate in the playoffs.
Kentucky (32) is the only program with more players throughout the NBA on opening day with 21 players featured in the postseason.
Below is a full list of Blue Devils you can see during the NBA postseason:
San Antonio Spurs – Tre Jones
The No. 10 Spurs will face the No. 9 Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN for a chance to play the loser of the No. 8 Golden State Warriors and No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 8 spot in the playoffs.
Jones, the No. 41 overall pick in the 2020 draft, has played with the Spurs and in the G League during his rookie season but is expected to be on San Antonio’s playoff roster.
He’s averaged 2.5 points, 0.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game this season.
More on Tre: Family affair: Spurs’ Tre Jones to make NBA debut against big brother
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Memphis Grizzlies – Tyus Jones, Grayson Allen, Justise Winslow
The No.10 vs. No. 9 game in the Western Conference offers a Duke family rivalry between Memphis’ Tyus Jones and San Antonio’s Tre Jones.
Memphis has three former Duke players on its roster, including Jones (6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds a game), Justice Winslow and Grayson Allen.
Allen is questionable with an unspecified abdominal soreness injury, but is having a breakout year. He’s averaged 10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists this season.
Indiana Pacers – Cassius Stanley
Stanley hasn’t produced much his rookie year, but has been quite productive in the G League. He’s still expected to be on the Pacers’ playoff roster, which enter the postseason as a No. 9 seed. They’ll face the No. 10 Charlotte Hornets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on TNT in the opening Eastern Conference play-in game.
Charlotte Hornets – Vernon Carey
Carey has spent most of his rookie season in the G League but is expected to be on Charlotte’s playoff roster.
Boston Celtics – Jayson Tatum, Jabari Parker
Tatum continues to be one of the best players in the NBA, making his second All-Star team this season while averaging 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
Parker was traded to the Celtics midway through this season and has produced off the bench. The No. 7 Celtics will face the No. No. 8 Washington Wizards Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on TNT in the second Eastern Conference play-in game.
Dallas Mavericks – JJ Redick
Redick is back in the playoffs, this time with the No. 5 Western Conference seed Dallas Mavericks. Now in his 14th year, Redick was acquired by the Mavs’ during a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans. He’s averaging 7.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists for Dallas this season.
Atlanta Hawks – Cam Reddish
Reddish, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 draft, was averaging over 10 points and four rebounds a game for the Hawks before suffering an Achilles tendon injury that has kept him on the sideline since late February.
The Hawks are the No. 5 seed out of the Eastern Conference.
Los Angeles Clippers – Luke Kennard
Kennard, now in his third NBA season, is averaging 8.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists a game for the No. 4 seeded Clippers out of the Western Conference. Kennard was traded to the Clippers from the Detroit Pistons in November and has played well coming off the bench. Los Angeles will face Dallas in the opening round.
New York Knicks – RJ Barrett
It’s been eight years since the New York Knicks made the playoffs, and Duke’s RJ Barrett is a big reason why. The former No. 3 overall pick, scores 17.6 points and grabs 5.8 rebounds a game for the No. 4 seeded Knicks out of the Eastern Conference. They’ll face Atlanta in the first round.
Denver Nuggets – Austin Rivers
In his 8th NBA season, Rivers is now with the Nuggets, averaging 24 minutes a game off the bench while scoring nearly eight points per contest. The Nuggets earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and will face No. 6 seed Portland in the first round.
Brooklyn Nets – Kyrie Irving
Irving enters the playoffs with his best shot at winning a title since teaming up with Lebron James for a NBA championship run in 2016. He finished the regular season ninth in the league in scoring with 26.9 points and will lead the No. 2 Nets against the winner of the No. 8 Washington Wizards and No. 7 Boston Celtics Eastern Conference play-in game.
Philadelphia 76ers – Seth Curry
Curry may have gone undrafted out of Duke, but he’s found a home as a deadly three-point shooter in the pros. Curry and the No. 1 seed 76ers out of the Eastern Conference will look to win their first NBA title since 1983.
Curry is averaging 12.5 points and game for Philly.
David Thompson is an award-winning reporter for the USA Today Network covering NC State and Duke athletics. He can be reached at dthompson1@gannett.com, at 828-231-1747, or on Twitter at @daveth89.