Category: Buffs in NBA

Derrick White making NBA history amidst Celtics’ playoff run

CU men’s basketball great Derrick White is putting up historic shooting numbers this postseason

The Boston Celtics are doing whatever it takes to survive after going down 3-0 against the Miami Heat in the eastern conference finals. The Celtics got the Game 4 win, and former Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball star Derrick White is one reason why.

White had a strong performance in Game 1 but wasn’t a factor in the other two games. But in Game 4, he stepped up again with 16 points on 5-of-10 from the field.

As a result, White became the first player in NBA history to score 200-plus points on 50/45/95 shooting during a playoff run, per StatMuse. That is quite the accomplishment for White, and he has been a big factor once again for the Celtics.

The Celtics need somebody to step up besides Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and White has shown that he can be that guy for head coach Joe Mazzulla.

Game 5 is back in Boston on Thursday as the Celtics try to be the first team to come back down 3-0, and they will need another strong showing from White if they want to have a chance.

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Forever Buff Derrick White has strong shooting performance in Eastern Conference finals opener

Derrick White hit a trio of 3s in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals

It didn’t result in a win, but Derrick White was a strong contributor coming off the Boston Celtics’ bench in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday.

The former Colorado men’s basketball guard shot 4-for-6 from the field, including a team-high three 3-point makes, and finished with 11 points on the night. He also added two rebounds, an assist and a steal in Boston’s 123-116 loss to the surging Miami Heat.

White, who recently earned NBA All-Defensive honors, was also tasked with guarding Jimmy Butler at times.

If Boston can recover from its Game 1 loss and take the best-of-seven series, White could be in Colorado for the NBA Finals if the Denver Nuggets advance as well.

White’s Celtics host Miami in Game 2 on Friday.

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Derrick White named to NBA All-Defensive second team

Former Buff Derrick White was recognized for his defensive efforts with the Celtics this season

The Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball alums are still alive in the NBA playoffs. Well, at least Derrick White is with the Boston Celtics.

Moreover, White was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team on Tuesday for the first time in his career. White was the leading vote-getter on the second team, which also includes Draymond Green, OG Anunoby, Bam Adebayo and Dillon Brooks.

White has emerged as a key piece once again for Boston, averaging 12.4 points per game with 3.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists during the regular season. However, his defense has been a massive reason why he keeps earning heavy minutes, and he’s averaging just north of 28 minutes a game while playing all 82 regular season contests.

White was an easy choice to make the team, and his performance in the playoffs so far has been outstanding as well. White is also the NBA’s leading shot blocker among all guards, which is quite the feat. His highlight reel is fun to watch as well.

Unfortunately, the Celtics lost the game on Tuesday night, and the Philadelphia 76ers now hold a 3-2 series lead with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals on the line.

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Buffs in the NBA: Jabari Walker has career-high scoring night for Portland Trail Blazers

Forever Buff Jabari Walker had the best scoring game of his rookie season for the Blazers

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but Jabari Walker has slowly put together a solid rookie season for the Portland Trail Blazers.

The former CU Buffs men’s basketball forward is averaging 2.9 points and two rebounds per game, and on Friday he scored a career-high 14 in Portland’s loss to the Chicago Bulls. Walker’s previous high was 11 against the Indiana Pacers back in January.

Walker, who was the 57th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, impressed in the summer league, and while he’s still not receiving many minutes with the Blazers, his development remains on a strong trajectory.

At Colorado, Walker played two seasons and was first-team All-Pac-12 as a sophomore.

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Cody Williams a projected No. 2 pick in ESPN’s latest 2024 NBA mock draft

ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony has Cody Williams going second overall in his recent 2024 NBA mock

It’s way early, but it’s never too early to start talking about future Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball star Cody Williams. The five-star player is set to come to Boulder in the fall and will soon play for the USA Men’s Nike Hoops Summit Team alongside Bronny James.

NBA draft analyst Jonathan Givony of ESPN dropped his latest 2024 NBA mock draft, and he has Williams as the second overall pick (subscription required).

James also landed in the top 10 of Givony’s mock, and there’s a path still remaining that could see James and Williams facing off against each other in 2023-2024.

The talent that Williams brings is unquestionable, although some wonder how his game will translate to the college level.

Questions also remain on how Tad Boyle handles Williams. After all, Colorado isn’t normally the place players come to when they are expected to be a one-and-done.

Nonetheless, Williams is going to be exciting to watch in Boulder next season, and having likely a future first-round pick (and someone who was even projected No. 1 overall in another mock) is surely going to be a fun talking point for Colorado.

Only time will tell if Williams lives up to the hype or not.

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REPORT: Dallas Mavericks signing McKinley Wright IV to training camp deal

REPORT: McKinely Wright IV will join the Dallas Mavericks on a training camp deal

Following a rookie season spent mostly in the G League, McKinley Wright IV is reportedly not returning for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Instead, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Colorado men’s basketball great is going to Dallas on a training camp deal.

Wright appeared in just five NBA games last season but in the G League, he averaged 19.1 points and 7.7 assists in 18 games for the Iowa Wolves.

The Mavericks are coming off a run to the Western Conference Finals, led in part by fellow former Buff Spencer Dinwiddie. If Wright can impress in training camp and make the roster, Dallas’ backcourt could be fun to watch for Buffs fans.

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LOOK: Spencer Dinwiddie working out with Kevin Durant, Evan Mobley, Mike James

LOOK: Spencer Dinwiddie was working out with a few of the game’s best

As the saying goes, iron sharpens iron.

The official NBA Twitter account posted a video of Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball great Spencer Dinwiddie getting some offseason work in with a few of the game’s best at Coach Olin Simplis’ “The Guard Whisperer’s” Friday Run.

Dinwiddie, who just wrapped his first half-season with the Dallas Mavericks, was joined by Cleveland Cavaliers’ youngster/ex-USC Trojan Evan Mobley and former Brooklyn Nets teammates Kevin Durant and Mike James. The workout appeared to have gone well, and some speculate that Dinwiddie could lure KD to Dallas.

Check out a few highlights from their session below:

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PHOTOS: Former Buffs in the NBA summer league

Photos: Former Buffs in the 2022 summer league

The 2022 Las Vegas Summer League wrapped on Sunday with a pair of former Colorado Buffaloes — Jabari Walker and George King — winning it all with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Also playing in the league were McKinley Wright IV (Phoenix Suns), D’Shawn Schwartz (New York Knicks), Tyler Bey (Philadelphia 76ers) and Jeriah Horne (Sacramento Kings). It is, however, yet to be seen how many of those forever Buffs will get NBA playing time.

But especially with Spencer Dinwiddie and Derrick White, who both impressed in the NBA playoffs, Colorado has quite the group of young talent playing in the pros.

Check out the best pictures from the Buffs’ presence in the summer league:

CU Buffs in the NBA: Summer league roundup

Here’s how all six former Buffs performed in the NBA summer league

Colorado Buffaloes fans saw quite a few familiar names make their way to the Las Vegas Summer League.

All eyes were on Portland Trail Blazers rookie Jabari Walker, the most recent Buff playing in the circuit. Walker not only went home as a summer league champ, but he also signed a three-year contract in the process.

But, there were a few other notable players that also used to play college basketball at the CU Events Center. There were a total of six former Buffs who earned NBA summer league roster spots.

Let’s check in on them and recap how each of them performed:

Jabari Walker and the Blazers are Summer League champions

Jabari Walker is a Summer League champ

Jabari Walker is a Summer League champion!

The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the New York Knicks on Sunday, 85-77, to win their fourth game during the Las Vegas Summer League.

The former Colorado Buffaloes star has made the transition a seamless one so far. His debut was impressive, and he also posted a double-double shortly after. He then signed a three-year contract, including a full guarantee in his rookie year and a partial one for his sophomore campaign.

Not bad for a guy who almost went undrafted, for some reason.

Now, Walker is a Summer League champ and continued his impressive performance with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double on Sunday,

He also added a couple of blocks, and Walker continues to look like an absolute steal of a draft choice.

His Summer League averages are stellar, and he did it all in a low average of 22 minutes per game.

Walker will now take some time and work on his craft more before training camp and the 2022-23 season begins. But, Las Vegas was terrific for Walker. Not only did he become a Summer League champ, he earned a contract and made some major noise in Sin City.

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