The 2024-2025 NBA season begins with excitement for the many young Huskies in the league.
Opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season is upon us as nine former UConn stars are getting ready to take the next step of their professional careers this year in the league.
The majority of these guys are on the younger side, looking to establish themselves in the NBA. Eight of the nine played for head coach Dan Hurley and more are expected on the way. UConn’s representation had been dwindling before Hurley’s tenure.
Here’s a rundown of Huskies in the NBA:
Andre Drummond, Philadelphia 76ers
Drummond is entering his 13th season in the NBA. A mainstay in the column of former Huskies in the league, the 6-foot-11-inch center rejoins the Philadelphia rotation for a second time in his career — the first coming in 2021-22 when he split time between the 76ers (49 games) and Brooklyn Nets (24 games).
Drummond’s role in Philly may evolve over the course of the season. He will surely start the season coming off the bench, but he is also playing behind the highly skilled, yet injury-prone, Joel Embiid. If the injury bug bites again, Drummond could see more minutes as a result. As the big man enters his age-31 season, concerns of decline and wear and tear are growing. But he remains a serviceable big man in a league where spots (and contracts) are hard to come by.
Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans
The 14th pick of the 2023 Draft enters his second season in the NBA after a modest rookie campaign. The Gaithersburg, Maryland product averaged 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and one assist per game in 17.3 minutes each night across 67 games played, with 10 starts.
Hawkins helped make up what was an already-productive backcourt that included CJ McCollum, and Jose Alvarado before the Pelicans traded for all-star Dejounte Murray last June. The rotation can get crowded in the backcourt this season, but Hawkins should get a shot to grow his role.
Andre Jackson Jr., Milwaukee Bucks
Jackson Jr. fractured a finger on his left hand in a July summer league game against the Los Angeles Lakers, but quickly underwent surgery to allow him to be ready for the start of the season. The defensive-minded guard impressed in his first season with the Bucks last year and is expected to play a similar role with limited minutes this upcoming season. In his first year in the NBA, the UConn alum played just 10 minutes per game averaging 2.2 points.
Tyrese Martin, Brooklyn Nets
The decision to keep Martin rostered on a two-way contract came at the expense of Killian Hayes, whom the Nets sent to the team’s Long Island G League affiliate. Martin has bounced around quite a bit since he was drafted by Golden State in 2022.
The Warriors traded him to the Atlanta Hawks, where he appeared in just 16 games — his only NBA experience thus far. In 30 games with the Hawks’ G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, Martin averaged 18 points per game, nearly nine rebounds and two assists in 33.0 minutes per game. His two-way deal does not promise him NBA minutes, but an already-injured Nets lineup might force the hand of Brooklyn’s coaching staff to call on Martin as the season gets under way.
Adama Sanogo, Chicago Bulls
Sanogo, like Martin, is signed on a two-way contract. And again like Martin, he will likely spend most of the upcoming season in the G League. Chicago is looking to make some noise in the eastern conference — the NBA projected the Bulls to clinch the last play-in tournament spot come the season’s end — but they will probably be doing so without Sanogo in the regular rotation. Established league veterans like Zach Lavine, Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams will handle the majority of the team’s minutes in the frontcourt. Sanogo has played just nine NBA games thus far in his professional career and will continue to grow his skills in the G League.
Steph Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Future NBA Hall-of-famer Chris Paul called Castle ‘a hooper’ in response to the rookie guard’s preseason performance. Through five games, Castle shot an effective 44.7% from the field en route to 11 points per game. The No. 4 pick in the NBA draft will compete against former teammate Donovan Clingan for Rookie of the Year votes and will certainly slot into a role where he will see respectable minutes for Gregg Popovich’s squad.
Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trailblazers have high hopes for the No. 7 pick in the NBA draft. Clingan is among the most accomplished young players in the league coming off back-to-back national championships during his time with the Huskies, where he averaged 13 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in his final collegiate season. While the Blazers may not have high hopes for team success this season, Clingan joins a young core that the organization hopes can grow together into a formidable force for years to come. Look for Clingan to make a name for himself in the Rookie of the Year race alongside Castle.
Cam Spencer, Memphis Grizzlies
An ankle sprain will sideline Spencer to begin the regular season, but when he does make his professional debut for Memphis, it is unsure whether it will be as a member of the Grizzlies or the G League’s Hustle. NBA teams are allotted three two-way contracts on their roster and Spencer currently holds one of them.
Tristen Newton, Indiana Pacers
The 23-year-old shooting guard was taken with the 49th overall pick in this year’s draft. Newton appeared in four preseason games for the Indiana Pacers, contributing a handful of baskets each game on less-than-average shooting splits. Newton will likely begin the season with the team’s G League affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants, in an effort to refine his skills after a successful career in Storrs.