Auburn in the Pros - Volume 3

I’m back with another edition of Auburn in the Pros, our 3rd of the season. Today, we’re going to focus on our four guys who were on last year’s roster currently playing professionally. All 4 guys Bryce Brown, Malik Dunbar, Jared Harper and Horace Spencer continue to play well in their respective leagues.

Jared Harper - Northern Arizona Suns

7 games - 22 PPG, 5 APG, 3 RPG

Jared is off to a roaring start in Prescott Valley. While the Suns dropped their first 2 games at home, Harper did his part in the scoring department, averaging 30.5 points in the first 2 games of the year. He scored more than in any game of his college career in his G-League Debut, scoring 34 points, and had 8 assists and 5 rebounds in a game the Suns were undone by free throw shooting late and lost by a point in the final second when the Clippers hit 3 free throws to steal the season opener from the Suns.

In Game 2, Jared scored 27 points in a loss to the Texas Legends.

After missing the Suns 3rd game with a groin injury, Harper returned to the lineup and led the Suns with 20 points to knock off the Warriors to get the Suns back to .500 on the season.

Harper has combined for 50 points in his last 3 games as he continues to run the point for the Suns.

Jared should be on a NBA roster right now, period. Harper and the Suns are back in action later today.

Bryce Brown - Maine Red Claws

9 games - 14.7 PPG, 1.9 APG, 3.9 RPG, 29-79 3-point range (36.7%)

Bryce Brown arguably plays on one of the best teams in the G-League, and it’s certainly one of the most talented. In 7 games for the Red Claws, Bryce is averaging 14.7 points a game and has continued to shoot it from way downtown.

He started slow in Game 1 scoring just 8 points but has performed much better in his last 3 games, increasing his point total in each game. He had a season high 8 rebounds along with 16 in Maine’s home opener win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

In 2 games against the 605 Raptors, Bryce scored 20 and 21 points respectively.

Bryce’s best game came on November 23rd against the Westchester Knicks. He had 29 points and took over the game in the 3rd Quarter to give the Red Claws a lead they would not relinquish.

Bryce struggled over the weekend with a pair of 5 point games but I fully expect him to heat back up from 3 really soon. At 7-2, Bryce and the Red Claws return to action on Thursday.

It’s also not too early to mention that Bryce and the Red Claws will be playing the Hawks G-League squad in Atlanta on January 18th.

Malik Dunbar - Artland Dragons (Germany)

10 games - 19.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2 APG

Malik Dunbar continues to do excellent work overseas for the Artland Dragons. Malik has scored in double figures in 9 of his first 10 games, and the one he didn’t, he had 15 rebounds. While Artland has struggled to get wins this year, Malik has provided his new team with a spark and energy that we all fell in love with while he was in Auburn.

You may remember Malik scoring 33 in his 3rd professional game, that was his career high. But Malik has been fairly consistent throughout the season and has established himself as the team’s leading scorer and one of the best players in the league he is playing in right now. Malik also has a 30 point game and a 28 point game this year, with some clips from his 28 point game posted below.

After a 2 week break, Malik’s Dragons will return to action on Saturday.

Horace Spencer - Atenas (Argentina)

10.5 PPG, 10 RPG (14 games overall)

15.5 PPG, 10.7 RPG (6 games La Liga)

Horace has played in 14 games overall but the last 6 have been a part of Atenas annual La Liga season and thus, I decided to show both sets of statistics.

Spencer is turning into Argentina’s “Mr. Double-Double” posting double doubles in 3 of his 6 La Liga games, while falling a rebound short of another double-double in 2 more La Liga games.

Horace had his best game of his career on November 23rd in which he had 22 points and 15 rebounds before fouling out with 3 minutes left in a game that Atenas lost by 1.

Horace and Atenas return to action on Monday night December 9th.

That’s all for today. Keep following @ShootyHoopsWill for game-by-game results from these guys and I’ll have another update on these guys in a couple weeks. War Eagle Jared, Bryce, Malik and Horace!