The 2024–25 NBA season ended with two former Zags on the league’s biggest stage—one leaving with a championship ring, the other emerging as arguably the most complete on-ball defender and floor organizer in the league. But the finals only told part of the story. Across rosters in both conferences, Gonzaga alumni continued to carve out roles, fight for rotation spots, and, in a few cases, force a reappraisal of what their careers might become. Now that the season has closed, it’s possible to take fuller stock of what they accomplished, where they struggled, and what comes next.
Corey Kispert – Washington Wizards
There’s something quietly brutal about watching Corey Kispert disappear into the mess in Washington. Since draft night, he’s been stuck in NBA purgatory: a proven movement shooter on a team with no structure, no direction, and no real plan for veterans in their prime. The Wizards tied the worst record in franchise history at 15–67, posted the third-worst scoring margin in league history, and rotated through another season of raw prospects and reset pressers. Kispert deserved more than another year of waiting around.
Before thumb surgery ended his season in March, Kispert averaged 11.6 points on 45.1% shooting and 36.4% from deep. His two-point percentage dropped to 57.4%, and his finishing inside five feet fell nearly 10 points from the year before. His Player Production Average dipped to 57, and he posted a career-worst -2.2 defensive box plus-minus. The shot still held, and his off-ball movement remained sharp, but his role kept shrinking as Washington leaned into youth development over reliability.
The Wizards used two more first-round picks on teenage wings—Tre Johnson (No. 6) and Will Riley (No. 21)—both overlapping Kispert’s spot on the depth chart. He’s still under contract, and the shooting will travel, but the hope now is that Washington finds a trade partner: a franchise that actually knows how to use a high-volume, low-maintenance floor spacer with real value in a functioning offense. Kispert can help a good team. This just hasn’t been one
Jalen Suggs- Orlando Magic
The Magic opened the season looking like a problem: they blew out Miami on opening night, Paolo dropped 50 on Indiana, and the defense looked airtight. But within two weeks, both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner were sidelined with torn obliques, and the season pivoted to attrition. Even with long injury absences from their two stars, the Magic clawed their way to 47 wins, finished second in the league in defensive rating, and clinched home-court advantage in the play-in before pushing Boston to five games in the first round. It was a breakout season by any measure, just not the one they were hoping to have.
For Jalen Suggs, it was another reminder of what’s possible and how fragile it still is. He played just 35 games, the fewest of his career, after suffering a back injury in January and a season-ending trochlea injury in his left knee shortly after. But in those 35 games, he posted the best per-game numbers of his career: 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 2.2 made threes. His three-point shooting ticked up to 31.4%—still low, but improved—and he looked more confident pulling the trigger early in the clock. The defense stayed sharp, and the game finally seemed to slow down for him. But availability remains the gap: outside of a 75-game run in 2023–24, Suggs hasn’t cracked 40 games in any season.
Orlando isn’t waiting around. They added Tyus Jones in free agency, drafted Jase Richardson and Noah Penda, and now enter the season with serious guard depth and championship odds just behind New York and Cleveland. Suggs still projects as a rotation piece—especially if the defense holds and the shooting stabilizes—but the leash is getting shorter. He’s eligible for an extension soon, and the front office is clearly prioritizing offensive creation at both guard spots. If he’s healthy, he’ll help. If not, the Magic now have other options.
Julian Strawther – Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets won 50 games but never found the right mix behind Nikola Jokić. Their bench was inconsistent, the shooting unreliable, and the offense collapsed whenever Jokić sat. They bowed out to Oklahoma City in the second round and reset the rotation by trading Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson—a move that prioritized fit and flexibility over firepower. Denver still has arguably the league’s best player, but the support structure remains unstable.
Julian Strawther became a relevant piece amid the turbulence. He played 65 games, averaged 9.0 points in 21 minutes, and raised his three-point shooting to 34.9% on moderate volume. His true shooting climbed to 55.9%. He looked more comfortable working off-ball—relocating into space, cutting with timing, and hitting floaters with touch. His defense remained exploitable, and his decision-making didn’t always hold up under pressure, but he carved out a real role before an MCL sprain in March paused his momentum. He returned in time for the second round, logged real minutes against the Thunder, and helped win Game 6 with 15 second-half points.
With Porter gone and no rookies added to the roster, Denver enters the season with real uncertainty on the wing. Strawther fits more than he floats. His Game 6 performance wasn’t a moment that came out of nowhere—it was the kind of showing that reveals what’s already there when the stage finally catches up. He read the floor early, found space others didn’t see, and stayed aggressive when the offense slowed down. For Gonzaga fans, none of it felt unfamiliar. This is the player they watched for years: instinctive, poised, unshaken. The challenge now isn’t proving he can belong, but proving he can repeat it. If Denver lets him build rhythm early, he has the tools to settle the question fast.
Drew Timme – Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn spent last season in acquisition mode. They cycled through stopgaps at nearly every position, finished near the bottom of the East, and used all five of their first-round picks in June to bring in new talent rather than consolidate. Egor Demin, Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf will all demand developmental minutes next season, and the frontcourt rotation is already crowded with players the organization invested heavily in. But amid that churn, Drew Timme earned a second look. After two years bouncing between G League affiliates and battling back from a season-ending foot injury as a rookie, he broke through late in the year with the Nets and made the most of his window.
Across nine appearances, Timme averaged 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 28 minutes per game. He started twice, posted three double-doubles, and dropped 19 points in just his second NBA outing. Those games followed a dominant G League run with Long Island, where he put up 23.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game on 57.4% shooting, earning All-G League second team honors and a multi-year deal from Brooklyn. His touch inside has always translated, but his passing reads and spot-up range—38.5% from three across 29 G League games—were the bigger breakthroughs. He still struggles defensively, especially in space, but his offensive toolkit gives him real utility in second units that need connective play from the elbows.
The Nets exercised Timme’s $2 million team option ahead of free agency, but they also drafted Michigan big man Danny Wolf, a seven-footer with ball-handling upside and overlapping skill traits. That makes the summer league a proving ground again. Timme isn’t auditioning for the league anymore—he’s fighting for permanence. He’s now logged real NBA minutes, scored in games that counted, and shown he can operate within an offense that doesn’t bend to accommodate him. If he defends just well enough to stay on the floor, he won’t need a gimmick to stick.
