Former Duke Standout Shines in NBA Debut With Grizzlies

Former Duke Blue Devils power forward Matt Hurt was called up to the Memphis Grizzlies on a 10-day contract on Monday after coming off a dominating 35-point, 14-rebound performance against the Santa Cruz Warriors last weekend.

Hurt didn’t waste any time making an impact with the Grizz, as he scored 10 points and grabbed two rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. The former Duke standout knocked down two threes in his NBA debut.

Before being called up to the Grizzlies, the 6-foot-9 forward was playing outstanding basketball with the Memphis Hustle.

This season, Hurt is averaging 25.5 points (leading scorer in the NBA G League) and 8.4 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 57% from the field and 50.6% from beyond the arc on seven attempts per game.

This is an excellent opportunity for Hurt, as the Grizzlies are banged up this season and signing multiple guys to 10-day contracts. The former Duke star power forward will look to build off his solid debut in the Grizzlies next game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.

It's always fun to see former Blue Devils make an impact at the next level. Duke fans will remember Hurt mostly from his contributions in the 2020-21 season, when he averaged 18.3 points and 6.2 boards per game while shooting 44.4% from 3-point range as a sophomore.