Life in the NBA sure ain’t easy.
If you’re fortunate enough to even put on a practice jersey, you’ve already hit the athletic lottery. But then when it comes to making a roster spot, earning a multi-year contract, contributing off the bench or earning starter’s minutes, you’re competing with the elite of the elite, fighting to fulfill your hoop dream in an overcrowded ecosystem full of freak athletes with automatic jumpers who still won’t make it.
Former UConn players have found out just how tough it is to make a name for yourself in the world’s best league, and while a few of them are excelling, some are facing uncertain times ahead. It doesn’t take much– a loss of confidence, a minor flaw in your game, a not-fully-fit ankle to throw you off, and sometimes out of the rotation.
This is a big year for some former Huskies, as they fight for their NBA futures.
Here’s a look at how they’re faring so far:
1. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs: Castle caught a tough break with a left hip flexor strain, and will miss at least the next 1-2 weeks. The injury comes just as the Spurs announced that Victor Wembanyama would miss at least the next few weeks with a calf strain. It’s a tough blow for Spurs fans, and it interrupts the brilliant season Castle had been putting together, as last season’s Rookie of the Year was averaging 17.3 points, 7.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds and shooting 49.7 percent from the field. Those are impressive numbers for a second-year player, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Castle in an All-Star Game in the near future.
2. Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers: It’s been a bit of an eventful season for the second-year big man, who’s now on his second NBA coach after Chauncey Billups was arrested in the infamous federal gambling probe. Quite the difference from the experience he had with Dan Hurley, for sure. Still, Clingan has trucked along, taking over as the Blazers’ starting center after the team moved on from Deandre Ayton in the offseason. He’s averaging 8.9 points and 9.2 rebounds in 25 minutes per game so far, and has held off any competition from rookie center Yang Hansen, the Chinese prospect who the Blazers drafted in the first round this June, which raised some eyebrows. Hansen’s selection doesn’t appear to have had anything to do with how the Blazers feel about Clingan, however, as the Bristol big has started all 14 games.
3. Cam Spencer, Memphis Grizzlies: Cam just keeps exceeding expectations. He might have entered the league a 6-3, relatively scrawny kid with questions about whether or not he could hang physically with NBA athletes, but he’s answering all of them, and earning playing time for the Grizzlies. Spencer’s averaging 9.1 points and 3 assists per game while shooting an impressive 44.8 percent from 3, and 43.8 percent overall. The Grizzlies love his competitiveness and attitude (as UConn fans did), and with the team struggling at 4-11, it’s easy to see Spencer getting even more playing time as the season goes on. Right now, he’s a key rotation piece, averaging 19 minutes per game and has even started one game this season. Spencer signed a multi-year contract in the offseason, so he’s in Memphis’ plans going forward, which shouldn’t surprise anyone anymore.
4. Andre Drummond, Philadelphia 76ers: The 32-year-old vet has turned into the 76ers’ reliable backup, an insurance policy that kicks in when Joel Embiid is out, which is, to be fair, quite, quite often. He’s started four games this season and averages 22.8 minutes per game. He’s averaging 8.5 points and 9.6 rebounds and shooting 59.7 percent from the field. Now, if only LeBron James would retire, so Drummond could claim the active rebounding leader title (he’s currently second, with 11,096).
5. Tyrese Martin, Brooklyn Nets: The Nets are turn-the-TV-off awful, starting out 2-12 and clearly in rebuild mode, leaving plenty of minutes for guys looking to prove themselves. Martin has taken advantage, averaging 20 minutes per game and starting twice. He hasn’t had his best shooting season so far, hitting just 30 percent from 3-point range and 37.9 percent overall, and is averaging 7.4 points and 3 rebounds per game. Still, for a guy who spent much of his first three seasons in the G League, he’s given himself a chance to land on an NBA roster for years to come.
6. Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans: It’s been a tough stretch for Hawk, who burst onto the scene in his rookie year with some big performances but has really struggled this season, shooting just 25 percent from 3-point range and 31 percent overall. He’s averaging 14.9 minutes per game for the moribund Pels, who are 2-12. A change of scenery may be best for Hawkins, but he needs to be more consistent with his jumper and improve his defense in order to make waves in the NBA.
7. Liam McNeeley, Charlotte Hornets: McNeeley’s NBA journey has been bumpy so far, as he’s dealt with nagging injuries and now an illness that was set to see him miss his fourth straight game on Wednesday. The first-round pick has yet to make a true impact, and he’s been buried a bit in the rotation, averaging 12 minutes per game. It was slightly curious that Charlotte drafted him after taking Kon Knueppel with the No. 4 overall pick, as both have similar strengths, and Knueppel has been playing well, even landing in the top spot on NBA.com’s Rookie Ladder. So far, McNeeley has contributed 4.1 points per game and is shooting 31 percent from the field.
8. Andre Jackson Jr., Milwaukee Bucks: Jackson has had an up-and-down time with the Bucks, going from rarely-used reserve to starter back to one of the last men on the bench. He’s clearly all the way out of head coach Doc Rivers’ rotation, as he’s seen a total of just 23 minutes in garbage time this season and has yet to score. Jackson’s biggest issue has clearly been his shooting ability, as Huskies fans saw in college, but he made up for it with great defense and athleticism. The problem is, Milwaukee doesn’t have enough shooters and it’s hard to justify Jackson on the court at the same time as Giannis Antetokounmpo, who also isn’t a perimeter threat. Jackson may still have an NBA future, but it likely won’t be with the Bucks. The team has an option on his contract next season and the way things are going, it doesn’t look like they’ll be picking that up.
Other Huskies in the Pros: Tristen Newton has been balling with the Minnesota Timerwolves’ G League team, averaging a gaudy 25 points, 8.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds per. He hasn’t really gotten a shot in the NBA, but he’s proving he’s too good for the G League. Here’s hoping he doesn’t become a basketball Crash Davis. … Adama Sanogo has found a home in Italy, playing for Trapani in Serie A. He hasn’t made quite the impact one would expect yet, averaging just 4.3 points in 11 minutes through his first eight games. … James Bouknight is the leading scorer for the G League Mexico City Capitanes, who aren’t affiliated with any NBA team. He’s averaging 19 points per so far. … Hassan Diarra is averaging 10.8 points per game with Maccabi Ra’anana in Israel.
