Jock Landale Stats: How many points has Suns’ sophomore center averaged this season?
The Phoenix Suns have relied on Jock Landale, the unlikely hero who played extended minutes against the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs. With that in mind, let's take a peek at how he performed in the 2022-23 season and the playoffs.
Landale is in his second year after leaving the San Antonio Spurs following his rookie season. With the Suns, the Australian bigman has played in key moments for his physicality and non-stop effort. For this season, he averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists for Phoenix.
He isn't much of a scorer, but he knows how to play his role the right way. Due to this, he's earned the trust of Monty Williams during crucial moments. So far, he's only played six games for the Suns in their current postseason run. Landale is averaging 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds, while shooting 57.1% from the field.
The Suns will make Landale start in their Game 6 bout against the Denver Nuggets after confirming that Deandre Ayton will not be available tonight. Ayton suffered a rib contusion in Game 5 and is the reason for why he'll be on the sidelines with Chris Paul tonight.
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Looking at Jock Landale's stats before his NBA career
Prior to his arrival in the NBA during the 2021-22 season, Jock Landale was a standout star in the National Basketball League, the Australian basketball league. He played for the Melbourne United back in the 2020-21 season where he made a name for himself as an elite talent.
During the one season he was back in his hometown, Landale averaged 16.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while knocking down 55% of his shots from the field. He isn't much of a scorer, but his efforts made him a star in the NBL and was key to him making it into the NBA.
Jock Landale led the United to the NBL Grand Final where they swept the Perth Wildcats in a best-of-five series. The Aussie bigman won the NBL Grand Final MVP award.
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How well did Jock Landale play in his rookie season?
Fans are slowly finding out who Jock Landale is this season. To the surprise of many, this season isn't his first in the NBA and has had prior experience playing for the San Antonio Spurs during the 2021-22 season. Although he wasn't able to play much during his rookie campaign, a ton of Spurs fans appreciated his time with the team.
Landale played 54 games for San Antonio and averaged 4.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists. The 6-foot-11 big only averaged 10.9 minutes for the Spurs and posted a season-high 26 points against the Indiana Pacers. During the 2022 offseason, he was part of the trade package that was centered around Dejounte Murray, which sent him to the Atlanta Hawks.