What to watch, when to watch as former UK stars open NBA playoffs
John Wall, Rajon Rondo and Patrick Patterson will be among the former Kentucky standouts participating in the upcoming NBA playoffs.
Wall, a four-time all-star, is having perhaps his best season for the Washington Wizards, while Patterson contributes key minutes off the bench for Toronto, the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Rondo helped Chicago lock down the No. 8 seed in the East on Wednesday night.
In all, eight ex-Cats are on playoff teams’ rosters. Here’s a guide to finding them in action:
Memphis Grizzlies
6-6 point guard
First season in the NBA
At UK: 2013-15
Twitter: @DrewRoc5
2016-17 regular season: After a year toiling in the D-League, Harrison has become a regular contributor off the bench, averaging 5.9 points and 2.8 assists in 20.4 minutes per game. He’s made 18 starts, including one April 5 in which he logged 37 minutes and scored 12 points with three assists. He was hampered by an ankle injury late in the season.
First-round playoff opponent: San Antonio Spurs
What to watch: As a No. 7 seed, Memphis will have to deal with the consistently lethal Spurs, and Harrison will have to help keep his team in the game when starter Mike Conley needs rest. Harrison’s season plus-minus (the stat that measures how the team scores compared to the opponent) is minus 13 when he’s in the game. His counterpart Patty Mills’ plus-minus is plus 409. That’s a reflection on the disparity between the teams and their benches. It’s going to be difficult.
When to watch:
8 p.m. Saturday, Memphis at San Antonio (ESPN)
9:30 p.m. Monday, Memphis at San Antonio (TNT)
9:30 p.m. Thursday, San Antonio at Memphis (TNT)
8 p.m. April 22, San Antonio at Memphis (ESPN)
April 25, Game Five if necessary
April 27, Game Six if necessary
April 29, Game Seven if necessary
Oklahoma City Thunder
6-11 center
Sixth season in the NBA
At UK: 2010-11
Twitter: @Enes_Kanter
2016-17 regular season: Kanter has settled into a consistent and reliable role off the bench, averaging 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per game. While his minutes have gone down since his peak season in 2014-15 when he was traded to the Thunder from Utah, his production hasn’t slipped much (then 15.5 ppg and 8.9 rpg).
First-round playoff opponent: Houston Rockets
What to watch: The sixth-seeded Thunder will get Houston in the first round, a team Kanter struggled against early in the season, but found more success late, scoring 23 points on 9-of-12 field goal shooting in a 137-125 loss at Houston on March 26 and scoring 15 points with 13 rebounds in a 118-116 loss on Jan. 5. He matches up well with Rockets centers Nene Hilario and Clint Capela.
When to watch:
9 p.m. Sunday, Oklahoma City at Houston (TNT)
8 p.m. Wednesday, Oklahoma City at Houston (TNT)
9:30 p.m. April 21, Houston at Oklahoma City (ESPN)
3:30 p.m. April 23, Houston at Oklahoma City (ABC)
April 25, Game Five if necessary
April 27, Game Six if necessary
April 29, Game Seven if necessary
Utah Jazz
6-10 power forward
Second season in the NBA
At UK: 2014-15
Twitter: @TreyMambaLyles
2016-17 regular season: Lyles has struggled mightily in his second season, shooting a paltry .364 from the field and averaging 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in just 16.4 minutes per game. He started 33 games as a rookie, but just four this year as his production has not improved from what Utah might expect from the 12th overall pick in the 2015 draft.
First-round playoff opponent: Los Angeles Clippers
What to watch: Don’t expect to see much of Lyles in the lineup against the Clippers. He’s logged a lot of DNPs as the regular season has wound down and has only played for three or four minutes per game when he has gotten in.
When to watch:
10:30 p.m. Saturday, Utah at Los Angeles Clippers (ESPN)
10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Utah at Los Angeles Clippers (TNT)
10 p.m. April 21, Los Angeles Clippers at Utah (ESPN2)
9 p.m. April 23, Los Angeles Clippers at Utah (TNT)
April 25, Game Five if necessary
April 28, Game Six if necessary
April 30, Game Seven if necessary
Toronto Raptors
6-9 power forward
Seventh season in the NBA
At UK: 2007-10
Twitter: @pdpatt
2016-17 regular season: Patterson is in the final year of a three-year, $18 million contract, but he only sees 24.8 minutes per game off the bench, averaging 6.9 points and 4.6 rebounds as a power forward with some range. He’s made 36 percent of his 252 three-pointers this season, but his 39 percent overall field goal percentage should be higher.
First-round playoff opponent: Milwaukee Bucks
What to watch: Patterson has run hot and cold this season. When he contributes, he can be a factor, as he showed in a 15-point, 29-minute performance against the Knicks on April 9. His last time out against the Bucks, he scored five points and grabbed two rebounds while committing four fouls in 19 minutes. That should mean he’s due, at least.
When to watch:
5:30 p.m. Saturday, Milwaukee at Toronto (ESPN)
7 p.m. Tuesday, Milwaukee at Toronto (NBATV)
8 p.m. Thursday, Toronto at Milwaukee (NBATV)
3 p.m. April 22, Toronto at Milwaukee (TNT)
April 24, Game Five if necessary
April 27, Game Six if necessary
April 29, Game Seven if necessary
Chicago Bulls
6-1 point guard
11th season in the NBA
At UK: 2004-06
Twitter: @RajonRondo
2016-17 regular season: Rondo has developed a reputation as a player who’s difficult to manage since he left Boston in 2015, and he had his run-ins with Bulls Coach Fred Hoiberg this season. But the storm seems to have passed and Rondo is back to displaying some of the circus-like ability and toughness that made him a four-time all-star. He’s averaging 7.8 points, 6.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game.
First-round playoff opponent: Boston Celtics
What to watch: Rondo will have to spend a lot of his time checking Celtics phenom Isaiah Thomas, who averages 28.9 points per game out of the point guard spot with 5.9 assists per game. In matchups earlier this season, Rondo has kept his assists numbers up, but scored two, zero, 12 and four points in the four regular-season games.
When to watch:
6:30 p.m. Sunday, Chicago at Boston (TNT)
8 p.m. Tuesday, Chicago at Boston (TNT)
7 p.m. April 21, Boston at Chicago (ESPN)
6:30 p.m. April 23, Boston at Chicago (TNT)
April 26, Game Five if necessary
April 28, Game Six if necessary
April 30, Game Seven if necessary
Washington Wizards
6-4 point guard
Seventh season in the NBA
At UK: 2009-10
Twitter: @JohnWall
2016-17 regular season: Wall, who made his fourth straight All-Star Game, is having perhaps the best season of his career, averaging 23.1 points and 10.7 assists with a .451 field goal percentage, all career highs.
First-round playoff opponent: Atlanta Hawks
What to watch: Under first-year Coach Scott Brooks, who was let go after eight years with Oklahoma City, Wall and backcourt mate Bradley Beal have led the Wizards to their first division title and first-round home-court advantage in 38 years, and they’ve had the best record in the Eastern Conference since Dec. 1. The Wizards split 2-2 against No. 1 seed Boston and went 1-2 against No. 2 seed Cleveland. Wall scored 37 in the last matchup with the Cavaliers, a 127-115 win in Cleveland.
When to watch:
1 p.m. Sunday, Atlanta at Washington (TNT)
7 p.m. Wednesday, Atlanta at Washington (NBATV)
5:30 p.m. April 22, Washington at Atlanta (TNT)
8 p.m. April 24, Washington at Atlanta (TNT)
April 26, Game Five if necessary
April 28, Game Six if necessary
April 30, Game Seven if necessary
Houston Rockets
6-10 forward
First season in the NBA
At UK: 2011-13
Twitter: @kwiltj
2016-17 regular season: Wiltjer has made only 13 appearances in a reserve role for the Rockets this season. He last played April 2 and committed one foul and one turnover in five minutes.
First-round playoff opponent: Oklahoma City Thunder
What to watch: Do not expect to see Wiltjer unless the game gets out of hand.
When to watch:
9 p.m. Sunday, Oklahoma City at Houston (TNT)
8 p.m. Wednesday, Oklahoma City at Houston (TNT)
9:30 p.m. April 21, Houston at Oklahoma City (ESPN)
3:30 p.m. April 23, Houston at Oklahoma City (ABC)
April 25, Game Five if necessary
April 27, Game Six if necessary
April 29, Game Seven if necessary
Boston Celtics
6-6 guard
Third season in the NBA
At UK: 2013-14
Twitter: @realjamesyoung
2016-17 regular season: Young has been splitting time between the Celtics and the D-League over his three-year career. This season, he’s appeared in 28 games for Boston, averaging 2.4 points and 7.8 minutes per game. When he is in, he shoots mostly three-pointers and makes them about 35 percent of the time. He last played April 5, getting a steal in five minutes of action.
First-round playoff opponent: Chicago Bulls
What to watch: Do not expect to see Young unless the game gets out of hand.
When to watch:
6:30 p.m. Sunday, Chicago at Boston (TNT)
8 p.m. Tuesday, Chicago at Boston (TNT)
7 p.m. April 21, Boston at Chicago (ESPN)
6:30 p.m. April 23, Boston at Chicago (TNT)
April 26, Game Five if necessary
April 28, Game Six if necessary
April 30, Game Seven if necessary
Jared Peck: 859-231-1333, @ItSaysHere
This story was originally published April 13, 2017 at 6:09 PM with the headline "What to watch, when to watch as former UK stars open NBA playoffs."