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Former Maryland basketball forward Jake Layman broke records in his NBA debut, scoring 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting in eight minutes against the Golden State Warriors. His five made three-pointers tied for the most any rookie in the NBA has made in his debut and his 17 points were the most by a Trail Blazers rookie since all-star Damian Lillard.
Layman also recorded a rebound, an assist and a steal.
Though his production may have come in final minutes of a blowout game which saw his team lose, 127-104, Layman was a spark that caught national attention as he trended on Twitter. He even caught the eye of Warriors star Kevin Durant in the former MVP’s postgame interview. Durant suggested that “maybe he should be playing more.”
His teammate, Lillard, called him a “super-athlete.”
In Blazers coach Terry Stotts’ postgame interview a reporter even asked if Layman would be in his starting lineup.
It was a very good opening night for the former Terp, but he’ll have to be consistent if he wants to crack Portland’s rotation. With no clear dominant small forward in the fold, there’s surely an opening.