Former Kentucky basketball stars should figure prominently in NBA’s postseason
The NBA’s regular season concluded Sunday with the Miami Heat atop the Eastern Conference standings and with the Phoenix Suns winning the Western Conference.
That should give a trio of former Kentucky Wildcats stars — Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro with the Heat and Devin Booker with the Suns — a prime opportunity to add an NBA championship to their résumés. All three are top contenders for end-of-the-season NBA awards and have played significant roles in their teams’ success to this point.
But first, there is the NBA Play-In Tournament, which tips off Tuesday night. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets get things started at 7 p.m. EDT, but it’s the second game (at 9:30 p.m. EDT) that’s most of note to Kentucky fans. The Minnesota Timberwolves, with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jarred Vanderbilt, will face the Los Angeles Clippers, with Brandon Boston, with the winner clinching the seventh seed in the West.
The play-in tournament continues through Friday with the NBA playoffs starting in earnest on Saturday afternoon.
Here’s a look at all of the former Kentucky players who reached the postseason, and those that didn’t (and finished the season on an NBA roster).
Best bets for the Finals
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns: With his team winning the West by eight games with a 64-18 record, Booker is a top MVP candidate — he ranked fourth on the league’s latest KIA MVP Ladder, released on April 8. He averaged a career-best 26.8 points during the regular season, which was eighth-best overall in the league. More stats for Booker: 4.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 34.5 minutes, 46.6% on field goals, 38.3% on threes and 86.8% on free throws.
Booker, who reached the NBA Finals with the Suns before losing to the Milwaukee Bucks last season, finished the season strong, including a 49-point, 10-assist effort in a win at Denver on March 24. He sat out two of the last four games for rest while scoring 41 and 32 points in the games he did play.
Even though he’s not considered a top-three MVP candidate, some of his competitors have spoken up for his credentials.
“Devin Booker is the MVP of the NBA with as consistent as he’s been,” the Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green said recently on his podcast. “He’s faced injuries, he’s come back, hasn’t missed a beat. Their team has continued to win, they’re leading the NBA in first place by a long shot. Got to go with Devin Booker as my MVP.”
The Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant also praised Booker on his podcast. “I just think he’s really mastering who he is right now,” he said. “He’s figuring it out, like how to play at an elite level and still win. He’s always scoring the ball but he knows how to win.”
Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Mychal Mulder, Miami Heat: Adebayo, a Defensive Player of the Year Award contender, and Herro, a favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year Award, have helped lead the Heat to a 53-29 record, two games better in the East than the Celtics, Bucks and 76ers. Adebayo and Herro are trying to make it back to the NBA Finals after losing two seasons ago to Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Adebayo averaged a double-double in the regular season with 19.1 points (a career high) and 10.1 rebounds. He also contributes 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks in 32.6 minutes. Herro’s 20.7 points per game (with only 10 starts in 66 games), 4.0 assists and 39.9% accuracy from three-point range are also career bests.
Adebayo hasn’t been bashful about campaigning for defensive player of the year, though he’s not considered one of the favorites.
“We got the No. 1 seed, we got a top-five defense,” he told the Miami Herald. “I literally guard one through five. So that means I can guard the center, I can guard the power forward, I can guard the wings and the point guard. There are a lot of dudes that can’t do that. So that’s why I think I’m the Defensive Player of the Year.”
Herro appears to be a safe bet for the Sixth Man Award.
“He’s special,” teammate Jimmy Butler said recently, according to the Miami Herald. “His confidence is at an all-time high, as it should be. That Sixth Man of the Year, we already know who it’s going to. But he deserves it because he does work incredibly hard and he cares about winning first …”
Mulder, who is with Miami on a two-way contract with the NBA G League, is not eligible to play in the postseason. He started out the year on a two-way deal with the Orlando Magic and played in 15 games, averaging 3.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 13.0 minutes. He appeared in two games since joining the Heat and averaged 7.0 points and 1.5 rebounds. The rest of his time was spent with the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce, where he scored 16.5 per game and shot 42.1% from long range.
Locked into the playoffs
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers: Maxey has been stellar in his sophomore season for the Sixers, who finished fourth in the East with a 51-31 record. The midseason addition of James Harden, though, along with MVP candidate Joel Embiid makes Philadelphia a serious contender for the championship. Maxey’s numbers are way up from his rookie year — from 8.0 points per game to 17.5, from 2.0 assists to 4.3 and from 30.1% from three-point range to 42.7 (third-best in the NBA). He started 74 of the 75 games he played and averaged 35.3 minutes.
DeMarcus Cousins and Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets: Cousins, who is trying to revive his career after multiple injuries, got his first opportunity with a pair of 10-day contracts with the defending champion Bucks. He played well, averaging 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds. That led to 10-day deals, and then a regular contract, with the Denver Nuggets, who compiled a 48-34 record (sixth in the West) while playing all season without injured star Jamal Murray (who is reportedly unlikely to return for the playoffs after an ACL injury a year ago). Cousins has played in 31 games with the Nuggets, averaging 8.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 13.9 minutes.
More work to do
These former Cats are participating in the NBA Play-In Tournament and will have to win a game, or two, to make it into the final 16.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Jarred Vanderbilt, Minnesota Timberwolves: The second of two former Kentucky stars on the KIA MVP Ladder is Towns, in ninth. He has averaged 24.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 blocks while leading the Timberwolves to their best season in years — seventh in the West at 46-36. Towns, who shoots 41.0% from long range, won the three-point contest at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. Vanderbilt is in his fourth NBA season and posted career highs across the board with 6.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 25.4 minutes. He has started 67 of 74 games he has played in this season.
Brandon Boston, Los Angeles Clippers: Boston’s rookie season has been solid with averages of 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.5 steals in 14.9 minutes as a reserve in 51 games for the Clippers (eighth in the West at 42-40). He has struggled a bit from long range, though, at 30.6%.
Keldon Johnson: San Antonio Spurs: Johnson is the second-leading scorer at 17.0 per game for the Spurs (10th in the West at 34-48). That’s up from 12.8 per game last season. He shoots 39.8% from three-point range and also averages 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
Rajon Rondo, Cleveland Cavaliers: Rondo started the season with the Lakers before moving to the Cavaliers via a midseason trade. Since joining Cleveland (eighth in the East at 44-38), he has contributed 6.2 points and 4.9 assists in 19.4 minutes. He has shot 39.7% from long range with the Cavaliers.
Kevin Knox, Atlanta Hawks: Another former Wildcat making the playoffs after being traded from a non-playoff team is Knox, who started his season, and his career, with the New York Knicks. Knox has averaged 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per game for Atlanta (ninth in the East at 43-39). Of note, though, is a 17-point performance on March 30 at Oklahoma City.
PJ Washington and Nick Richards, Charlotte Hornets: Washington posted double-digit points (10.8) in his third straight season for the Hornets (10th in the East at 43-39). He started 28 of 65 games played and also averaged 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks. Richards, in his second NBA season, has played in 50 games with five starts and averaged 3.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 7.3 minutes.
Outside looking in
Anthony Davis, Malik Monk and Wenyen Gabriel, Los Angeles Lakers: The second team on this list with three former Wildcats on the roster was initially thought to be one of the favorites to win the NBA title. Yet multiple injuries to multiple players derailed their season (11th in the West at 33-49). Davis played in only 40 games, averaging 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 blocks. Monk had his best season statistically with 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.8 steals, 28.1 minutes, 39.1% threes). And Gabriel joined the team on a two-way deal that he played into a regular contract by season’s end. He averaged 6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 19 games with the Lakers after playing briefly for the Nets and Clippers earlier in the season.
De’Aaron Fox and Trey Lyles, Sacramento Kings: Fox topped 20 points per game for the third straight season with 23.2. However, his 5.6 assists were the lowest since his rookie season (4.4). Lyles, traded midseason from the Pistons, averaged 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds for the two clubs.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed the end of the season with an ankle injury, averaged 24.5 points, 5.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals for the Thunder (14th in the West at 24-58).
Hamidou Diallo, Detroit Pistons: Diallo, whose last game was on March 9 because of a broken finger, averaged 11.0 points per game, just a bit less than his 11.6 the season before. He started 29 of 58 games for the Pistons (14th in the East at 23-59) and also contributed 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals.
Julius Randle, Immanuel Quickley and Nerlens Noel, New York Knicks: Another NBA squad with a trio of former Wildcats (it was four before Knox was traded) and a disappointing season based on expectations is the Knicks (11th in the East at 37-45). Randle underwent a turbulent season and averaged 20.1 points (down from 24.1 the season before), 9.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists. Quickley added 11.3 points and 3.5 assists in his second season while Noel contributed 3.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks in 22.5 minutes.
Eric Bledsoe, Portland Trail Blazers: Bledsoe started out with the Clippers (9.9 points and 4.2 assists) before being traded to the Trail Blazers (13th in the West at 27-55). An Achilles injury, however, kept him from playing in a single game for Portland.
Isaiah Jackson, Indiana Pacers: The rookie played a bit under the radar with the Pacers (13th in the East at 25-57) seemingly being content to play for a lottery pick in this summer’s draft. He averaged 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 15.0 minutes in 36 games, including 15 starts. When given the opportunity, he came on at the end of the season with 12.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in five April games.
John Wall, Houston Rockets: Wall did not play at all this season as the Rockets (15th in the West at 20-62) elected to play a younger lineup and attempted to move the former UK star before the trade deadline. Wall hasn’t played a full slate of games since the 2016-17 season — 41 in 2017-18, 32 in 2018-19, none in 2019-20 and 40 in 2020-21.
