Keeping up: Ohio State Buckeyes in the NBA, week of 11/5-11/11

There can't be very many people out there that expected both Evan Turner's 76ers and Jared Sullinger's Celtics to both be sitting at 4-4 after two weeks, and tied for the Atlantic Division lead. Meanwhile in the Western Conference, more was expected out of Mike Conley's Grizzlies, who at 3-5 are already sitting four games behind San Antonio in the Southwest Divison.

Mike Conley - PG - Memphis Grizzlies

Conley has continued to take more a scoring role in the Grizzlies offense early in the season, but it hasn't been translating into wins for Memphis. In two of the three games Conley scored at least 20 points for the Grizzlies, with the high for the week being the 26 points he scored in the loss to New Orleans on Wednesday. In the lone win that Memphis earned during the week Conley showed some of the thievery that we've been accustomed to see from him the last few years, notching three steals in the win over the Golden State. The start for Memphis has been less than ideal at 3-4, and a quick turnaround could be needed to keep from losing more ground in the crowded Western Conference.

Kosta Koufos - F/C - Memphis Grizzlies

Last week saw some consistent number from Koufos, as in the three games that the Grizzlies played Koufos scored between six and eight points in all three games. The Grizzlies are off to a slow start under new coach Dave Joerger, but if they can put everything together it looks like Koufos will be a nice option off the bench to spell Marc Gasol. So far this season Koufos is averaging about 16 minutes per game with 6.2 PPG and 3.5 RPG. In two of the three games last week Koufos registered a block, and if the Grizzlies could get a few more of those each game teams might think twice about bringing it inside against Gasol and Koufos.

Evan Turner - G/F - Philadelphia 76ers

The dream start to the season continued for Evan Turner, with the former Ohio State star scoring at least 20 points in each of the four games that the 76ers played. While Philadelphia only split two games with Cleveland last week, Turner is going to wish he could play against the Cavs every game after registering double-doubles in both games against Cleveland. In the first game of the home-and-home with Cleveland, Turner scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the 94-79 win over Cleveland in Philadelphia. The next night saw Philadelphia lose in double overtime, but Turner made the most of it, putting in a season-high 31 points and pulling down another 10 rebounds. After two weeks Turner is averaging 25.4 PPG and 6.7 RPG, and if those numbers continue we might be talking about Evan Turner as a possible All Star candidate.

Jared Sullinger - PF - Boston Celtics

With a new coach and core this year, many were talking about the Celtics being pretty high in the draft lottery at the end of the season. So far things aren't going to plan for the experts, as Boston is now riding a four-game winning streak. Sullinger has been strong of the bench for Brad Stevens' team, playing 20-25 and scoring in double figures in all four games last week. The best game for Sullinger last week was the 91-89 win over Orlando which saw Jared score 11 points, pull down 6 rebounds, and dish out 4 assists. In 18.7 MPG so far this season Sullinger is putting in 10.8 PPG and grabbing 5.2 RPG. Imagine what Sullinger's nightly stat lines would look like if he was getting starter minutes. The early play of Sullinger is a promising sign after he missed the last half of his rookie season due to injury.

Byron Mullens - F/C - Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers spent most of the week on the road, but Mullens didn't see too much time on the court for Doc Rivers. In the three-game road trip that the Clippers took, Mullens only saw a little over 20 minutes of court time and scored just six points, all of them in the 102-97 loss to Miami. In fact Mullens committed nearly as many fouls on the road trip (five) as the number of points he scored. The next game that the Clippers play is on Wednesday night against Oklahoma City on ESPN, so it'll be interesting to see if Rivers finds some more time for Mullens or if Byron continues to ride the bench.

Greg Oden - C - Miami Heat

Greg Oden has yet to appear in a game for the Heat this year, but it's not a surprise that the Heat aren't rushing Oden to get back onto the floor. Coach Erik Spoelstra gave a little bit of insight into Oden's recovery and where he stands right now with Miami. While Miami is just 4-3 so far this season, they have the big picture in mind, and that means trying to save Oden for the stretch run and playoffs.

In case the NBA wasn't enough for Buckeye fans tracking former shootyhoopin' Buckeyes, David Lighty signed with JSF Nanterre in the French League last week. Nanterre now has former Ohio Staters Lighty, Deshaun Thomas, and Je'Kel Foster on their roster. Gotta figure it's only a matter of time before Columbus is taken over with Nanterre jerseys,