THE FLATS – Iman Shumpert continues to be a leader and positive locker room influence on a young team in Sacramento … Derrick Favors shifts to bench role with Jazz … Thaddeus Young has helped the Pacers to fifth place in the East through 24 games … That and more in this edition of the Georgia Tech #ProJackets Basketball Report.
Iman Shumpert continues to assert himself as a leader and spokesman for his Sacramento Kings team, going to far as to give the Kings, who are above .500 and in eighth place in the Western Conference, an alternate nickname. The Kings are the sixth-highest scoring team in the NBA at 114.7 points per game, while Shumpert has averaged 9.4 points while hitting 39.4 percent of his three-point attempts.
Derrick Favors has shifted to a bench role for the Utah Jazz, who are treading water at 12-13 in 10th place in the Western Conference, giving way to rookie Jae Crowder. In Tuesday’s 139-105 win over San Antonio, Favors had 14 points (shot 5-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line), five rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block and four turnovers in 23 minutes of action.
Josh Okogie, selected 20th overall by Minnesota in this year’s NBA Draft, is in a stretch where he has played in only two of the Timberwolves’ last seven games as coach Tom Thibodeau has reduced his rotation to nine players, not including the team’s two draft picks. In one of those games, however, the former Georgia Tech star scored 12 points in 10 minutes in a 128-89 win over San Antonio.
Thaddeus Young is averaging near double figures (9.9 points per game) this season, but some have taken notice of a diminished capacity to score from long range, as the 2006-07 Yellow Jacket has connected on just 16 percent of his three-point field goal tries. He remains strong as a defender and a rebounder from his forward position as his Pacers are 14-10 and hold third place in the Central Division, just two games out of first.
Marcus Georges-Hunt, who spent last season with the Timberwolves and was unable to stick with the Boston Celtics after training camp this season, has missed the Maine Red Claws last three games with a reported knee injury. The 2016 Tech graduate has averaged 13.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in the team’s first nine games.
“I like being able to show that you can do more than one thing and do it at a high level.”@imanshumpert talks his routine on and off the court 📝 » https://t.co/NzxW0vFWSy pic.twitter.com/N6MJ3UP9CD
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 5, 2018
Shump narrating a nature documentary is must-see TV 😂
[via @SacramentoKings] pic.twitter.com/zV9uD9gktj
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) December 3, 2018
Just getting started lil bro! Good luck the rest of the way!! #TeamCP3 #FamilyTies🤞🏾 pic.twitter.com/fPsj2IIrVj
— Chris Paul (@CP3) December 5, 2018
| PLAYER | SEASON STATS | TEAM RECORD | |
 | DERRICK FAVORS, F Utah Jazz Number: 15 NBA Experience: 8 seasons Years at Georgia Tech: 2009-10 Hometown: Atlanta, Ga. Status: ACTIVE | 10.4 ppg 7.0 rpg 0.9 bpg 59.2 FG% | 12-13 overall 10th – 5 GB Streak: W 1 Last 10: 5-5 |
 | MARCUS GEORGES-HUNT, F Maine Red Claws (G League) Number: 13 NBA Experience: 1 season Years at Georgia Tech: 2012-16 Hometown: College Park, Ga. Status: ACTIVE | 12.2 ppg 5.2 rpg 1.2 apg 38.7 FG% | 4-8 overall 12th – 6 GB W 1 Last 10: 3-7 |
 | JOSH OKOGIE, G Minnesota Timberwolves Number: 20 NBA Experience: Rookie Years at Georgia Tech: 2016-18 Hometown: Snellville, Ga. Status: ACTIVE | 7.8 ppg 3.5 rpg 1.3 apg 38.1 FG% | 12-12 overall 9th – 4.5 GB Streak: W 1 Last 10: 7-3 |
 | IMAN SHUMPERT, G Sacramento Kings Number: 9 NBA Experience: 7 seasons Years at Georgia Tech: 2008-11 Hometown: Oak Park, Ill. Status: ACTIVE | 9.4 ppg 3.2 rpg 1.7 apg 43.6 FG% | 12-11 overall 8th – 4 GB Streak: W 2 Last 10: 5-5 |
 | THADDEUS YOUNG, F Indiana Pacers Number: 21 NBA Experience: 11 seasons Years at Georgia Tech: 2006-07 Hometown: Memphis, Tenn. Status: ACTIVE | 9.9 ppg 5.0 rpg 1.3 apg 49.1 FG% | 14-10 overall 5th – 5.5 GB Streak: W 1 Last 10: 6-4 |
