Where are they now? Friar Pros
Checking in on AJ Reeves, David Duke Jr., Justin Minaya and Kris Dunn
The Providence College men’s basketball is on an absolute heater. On the heels of the Program’s most successful season in a generation, the Friars look poised to have another deep run in March and compete for both the Big East regular season and tournament championship. There’s no doubt that the Friars are riding high BUT (and there’s always a ‘but’) one thing that I think all members of Friartown can agree on is that the professional ranks, specifically the NBA, have not exactly been kind to former Friar stars. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with going to play professional basketball in Australia, Europe or Asia, making a great living, and living a better life than 99% of the population. No matter how good that life may be, it’s still not playing in the NBA. Providence does have an extremely impressive roster of international players, and a quick REAL GM search reveals the following Friars playing professional hoops spread out across the globe.
Props to all these guys but for today, we’re going to focus on the Friars who are currently playing professional in the NBA or G-league. First up, the most recent Friar to join those ranks.
AJ Reeves:
After being a key cog in last season’s Sweet 16 run, Reeves actually had the opportunity to return to Providence for a 5th season due to the extra year of eligibility all collegiate athletes received due to COVID-19. Reeves made the decision to set his sights on professional hoops and after going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Boston Celtics after a few Summer League appearances. Upon signing his professional contract, Reeves was designated to the Celtics G-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws (essentially the AAA-baseball version of the NBA).
The exhibit 10 contract Reeves signed with the Celtics organization basically means if he stays on the Red Claws roster for more than 60 days (he passed that mark in December) he’s receives a $50K bonus, on top of the ~$40K base salary for G-league players. Not all bad!
So far this season Reeves has appeared in 11 games for the Red Claws, with 2 starts. He’s averaging a modest 2.7 ppg, 1.0 apg, and .55 rpg in roughly 10 minutes per game. The main goal for Reeves this season was to land with a team, and prove that he’s worthy of keeping a roster spot. Mission accomplished. I’ll be honest I thought Reeves was destined for a career overseas, and he still may be, but he’s proved me wrong to this point and it’s great to see him succeeding with the Celtics organization.
David Duke Jr.:
The Prince who was Promised. Providence’s own native son. It’s been two years since DDJ left Providence and in that time he’s had quite the journey. A quick timeline of Duke’s NBA Journey to date includes:
Undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft
Signed a contract with the Brooklyn Nets as an unrestricted free agent
Prior to the 2021 season, DDJ’s contract was converted to a two-way contract between the Nets and their G-league affiliate, the Long Island Nets
Divine Friars - what exactly is a two-way contract? Funny you should ask! A two way contract is essentially a player designation the NBA instituted a few years back for players that are too good to be stuck in the G league, but can’t quite crack a regular NBA rotation. Two way players 1) can play in up to 50 of their NBA team’s 82 regular season games 2) can practice with, travel with and sit on the bench of their NBA team as an ‘inactive member’ of the roster 3) are paid a flat rate equal to half the NBA league minimum (~410K) 4) can only be designated as two-way players their first 3 years in the league
After being tendered as a restricted free agent by the Brooklyn Nets, DDJ signed another two way contract with the organization prior to the 2022 season
DDJ’s rookie season was the inaugural ‘Big 3’ season in Brooklyn with superstars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. That experiment has since blown up and all three players are elsewhere but still, I’d pay good money to hear some of those locker room stories. For only spending a little more than a year bouncing back and forth between the NBA and the G-league, I get the tales DDJ can tell are up there with the best of em. I remember seeing a picture from his rookie year where he was getting up shots after practice with Kevin Durant and thinking to myself, ‘wow, this kid who arrived to Providence as a promising freshmen the year after I left campus is now getting up shots, sitting on the plane, breaking down film and getting guarded in practice by / with one of the greatest players to ever live. Pretty damn cool’!
As for his play on the court, Duke has proven that he can be a regular contributor at the NBA level, but I’d say he’s yet to fully find his footing. One thing I am positive of, is that Duke is too talented to be a G-league player for much longer. Here are his stats for both the Brooklyn and Long Island Nets for both 21-22 and 22-23:
2021 - 2022 Season:
Brooklyn Nets (22 games, 7 starts): 15.5 mpg, 4.7 ppg, 3.1 rebounds, .8 assists, .6 steals, 36.1% FG, 24.3% 3PT, 81% FT
Long Island Nets (13 games, 13 starts) 29.5 mpg, 16.2 ppg, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals, 37.3% FG, 30.3% 3PT, 89.7% FT
2022 - 2023 Season:
Brooklyn Nets (16 games, 0 starts): 8.8 mpg, 2.9 ppg, 1.0 rebounds, .8 assists, .4 steals, 43.8% FG, N/A 3PT, 50% FT
Long Island (14 games, 14 starts) 33.5 mpg, 22.0 ppg, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 steals, 48.6% FG, 34.3% 3PT, 81.6% FT
Again, dominating at the G-league level, participating in the G-league All Star Game this past weekend, but hasn’t yet found his footing in the NBA. I see Duke spending the remainder of this year bouncing between the NBA and G-league, with a massive offseason ahead of him. It is vital that he improve his outside shooting. In 16 appearances this season for the Nets, he hasn’t even attempted a shot from beyond the arc. DDJ doesn’t even need to be THAT consistent from deep, his athleticism and defense will give him a real shot to break into NBA rotations, but he has to at least be a threat to make an outside shot. The conundrum for DDJ is that he is an above average free throw shooter. Usually FT shooting is a pretty strong indicator of a player’s ability to extend their range out to the 3 point line. For some reason, it doesn’t seem to be translating just yet, but DDJ is an absolute grinder, so I’d bet on him being able to figure out his 3 point stroke sooner versus later. Anyone that can consistently put up a highlight reel like this…
… is going to catch on with an NBA team. One thing I’ll be keeping an eye out for is whether or not Duke makes the Nets postseason roster. Even if he doesn’t get any game time, it’s hard to overstate just how significant a developmental experience that would be for Providence’s own.
Justin Minaya:
Similar to Reeves, one year wonder Justin Minaya decided to forego an additional COVID season and try his luck in the professional ranks. Also similar to Reeves, Minaya went undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft before signing on with the Charlotte Hornets for the Summer League showcase. After Summer League, Minaya was signed on with the Mexico City Capitanes of the G-league. The logistics here are a bit tricky but essentially the Capitanes are not affiliated with a specific NBA team, so Minaya would in theory be eligible to sign with any NBA team were they to offer him a contract.
Minaya has started 13 of the 15 games he’s appeared in this season, and is averaging 33.5 minutes per game, good for second on the team. Minaya often shares the back court with former UConn standout Shabazz Napier, and is averaging 10.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. A swiss army knife who can do a bit of everything, just like his time with the Friars.
Minaya can hoop. The main area that he’ll need to improve if he wants to have a chance to stick around with an NBA team is his outside shooting. The 6’7 wing profiles as a perfect ‘3 and D’ player in the NBA if he can approach and acceptable percentage from deep. Providence fans know well that Minaya has the size, strength and quickness to guard all 5 positions on the floor, but he needs to become a reliable 3 point shooter to fully reach his ceiling at the next level. Minaya is converting just 30.8% (20-65) of his attempts from deep for Mexico City this season. His defensive prowess may entice NBA front offices but he needs to be at or around 35% to get a real chance. I think we’ll see Minaya in the league before too long, his athleticism is just too tantalizing for teams to pass up, and if he can continue to improve his accuracy from deep, we could see him in the league for quite awhile.
Kris Dunn:
Before their was Bryce Hopkins, their was Kris Dunn. The original superstar of the Cooley era. Dunn was an absolute force during his time at Providence, believe me, I saw it up close and personal as my first two years on campus overlapped with Dunn’s last two. He was as big a deal as it gets. Dunn was the 5th overall pick in the 2016 Draft, selected by a Minnesota Timberwolves team that was, to be polite, an organization not accustomed to success. Following a promising rookie season, Dunn was traded to the Chicago Bulls in a deal that earmarked him to be the point guard of the future for Michael Jordan’s former franchise.
Dunn battled injuries across his 3 seasons in Chicago but managed to appear in 149 games (119 starts) averaging 28.1 minutes, 10.7 points, 5.1 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 steals on 43.2% FG, 31.1% 3PT and 75.8% FT. Those 3 years in Chicago was the best run of Dunn’s career so far. Even with constant injury (primarily ankle and knee issues) battles and an outside shot that never fully developed, he was entrusted with running Chicago’s offense and had no trouble creating shots for his teammates, or for himself. He was also an ELITE defender and got serious consideration for the NBA’s all defensive second team (I won’t bore you with the details of the voting, just know that Dunn was unanimously considered a premier defensive guard in the NBA).
After the ‘19-20 season, Dunn signed a 2-year, $10 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks. Unfortunately, injuries reared their ugly head once again in Atlanta, and Dunn only appeared in 9 games total (4 regular season, 5 playoffs) for the Hawks. Dunn was included as salary cap filler in a few trades while injured, ending up on waivers as an unrestricted free agent for the ‘21-22 season, eventually signing multiple 10-day contracts with the Portland Trail Blazers to end the season.
Talk about a whirlwind of a career! Dunn has officially appeared in games for 4 NBA franchises, and is now suiting up for the Washington Wizards G-league affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go’s. Dunn has seemingly found his groove again in the nation’s capital, in 20 games (8 starts) this season, the former All-American is averaging 29.7 minutes, 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.6 steals, and I would be shocked if he didn’t end up on an NBA roster over the next few weeks, as he’s already getting interest from several NBA teams for the homestretch of the season.
Dunn’s achilles heel was always his outside shot, and NBC Sports Washington had a fantastic write up last month about the personal journey Dunn went on to rebuild his shooting form. Finally healthy, and after turning down more money to go play overseas at the start of this season, Dunn reached out to former teammates and spent countless hours studying film to try and find a consistent shooting form that worked for him. He’s now playing his best basketball in years and ready to yet again make an impact in the NBA.
Though his NBA career has been an up and down journey, Dunn still boasts an impressive career statline:
245 Games (129 Starts): 24.1 minutes, 8.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 42% FG, 29.9% 3PT, 73.9% FT.
Regardless of what’s next for Dunn and his $27.3 million in career earnings, it’s great to see him healthy and playing at a high level. I think Dunn will be back in the league by the end of the month, here’s to hoping he can stick around for awhile.