Keeping up: Ohio State Buckeyes in the NBA, week of 12/10-12/16

Mike Conley was able to put up some strong statistics last week, but some of that was nullified by the Grizzlies going 0-3 during the week. With Conley and Kosta Koufos playing for the struggling Grizzlies, the 76ers losing the four games they played last week, and Byron Mullens barely seeing the floor, the winner of the week among the former Buckeyes was Jared Sullinger. The Celtics at least split the four games that they played last week, making Sullinger the only former Buckeye that saw significant minutes last week to see his team gain at least one win.

Mike Conley - PG - Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies had a terrible week, losing all three games they played, but it wasn't the fault of Mike Conley. In all three games Conley scored at least 18 points, including putting up his second highest point total of the season against Minnesota on Sunday night when he scored 28 points. In true Grizzlies form this season, Conley couldn't even enjoy his scoring outburst, as he left the game with a bruised left thigh. Memphis has games on Tuesday and Wednesday and Conley is listed as questionable to play. Conley has found some touch from behind the arc lately, hitting at least two three-pointers in four straight games. In Sunday's game where he scored 28 points against Minnesota, Conley tied a season-high with four three-pointers. December has been rough so far for Memphis, with the Grizzlies struggling to a 2-5 record halfway through the month. Currently the Grizzlies have the third worst record in the Western Conference, and they'll need to turn things around quickly so they don't lose anymore ground on a playoff position.

Kosta Koufos - F/C - Memphis Grizzlies

After logging at least 30 minutes in seven of his previous eight games, Koufos saw his minutes inexplicably cut in the Grizzlies final two games last week. In losses to New Orleans and Minnesota, Koufos only saw a combined 30 minutes of floor time. The drop in playing time in those two games was puzzling since Marc Gasol is still out due to injury. In the first game of the week for Memphis against Oklahoma City, Koufos scored 12 points and grabbed 7 rebounds before fouling out after 31 minutes. Should the Grizzlies continue to struggle and Gasol returns full healthy, it wouldn't be a shock to see Memphis try and move Koufos closer to the trading deadline. A playoff contender could get a big boost by acquiring Koufos' defense coming off the bench if the Grizzlies find themselves out of the mix.

Evan Turner - G/F - Philadelphia 76ers

For as bad a week as the Grizzlies had, it was nothing compared to what happened to the 76ers last week. Philadelphia lost all four games they played, including closing out the week with a 139-105 loss to Portland on Saturday and a 130-94 loss to Brooklyn on Monday. Evan Turner's performances fell pretty much in line with his team's play, as in the 106-99 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday Turner committed 9 turnovers. The lone bright spot for Turner in the week was against Toronto on Friday when he notched a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The blowout losses to end the week saw Turner hitting the bench early with the scores out of hand. Turner only scored 3 points in 22 minutes against Portland, and followed it up with 9 points in 25 minutes against Brooklyn. After starting the season 4-2, Philadelphia has lost 17 of their last 20 games. Turner's play has been a little more spotty lately as he has failed to reach double figures in scoring in three of his last six games after only failing to do so once in the first twenty games of the season.

Jared Sullinger - F/C - Boston Celtics

When looking at the combination of the play of both team and personal, Sullinger had the best performance of any Buckeye in the NBA last week. Boston stayed atop the Atlantic Division while splitting the four games that they played last week. The best performance of the week last week for Sullinger came in the win on Monday night over Minnesota where he had 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. In each of the four games that the Celtics played last week, Sullinger had 10 points or more and at least 5 rebounds. While Sullinger has showed some prowess in hitting from beyond the arc this year, in the final two games of the week he did some work in the paint and earned himself some trips to the free throw lines. Sullinger went 16-18 from the charity stripe in those two games, and not surprisingly both of those games resulted in wins for the Celtics. While Sullinger isn't quite at NBA All Star level yet, if he continues his run of play since being inserted in the starting lineup, he should be at least headed to the rookie/sophomores game that takes place NBA All-Star Weekend.

Byron Mullens - F/C - Los Angeles Clippers

Compared with the past few weeks Mullens saw a boom in playing time, but that's not saying much seeing as he has barely left the bench lately. Mullens did see playing time in two games over the past week, but in all his time on the floor totaled 9 minutes. The only entries that Mullens had in the stat sheet was in the win over Washington on Saturday night when he missed a three-pointer and committed a turnover in 3 minutes on the floor. Mullens also did see 6 minutes of playing time in the loss to Brooklyn on Thursday night, but didn't take any shots, grab any rebounds, or really do anything else of consequence. While Mullens isn't seeing much playing time, the formula seems to be working for the Clippers as they are currently 18-9 and sitting on top of the Pacific Division, two games ahead of Phoenix.