Category: Sooners in the NBA

Sooners great Trae Young Leads Atlanta Hawks to NBA Play-In

Former Sooners point guard Trae Young leads the Atlanta Hawks into their play-in matchup against LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets.

Former Oklahoma Sooners point guard, Trae Young, is enjoying what should be an All-NBA season as the Atlanta Hawks go into the NBA Play-In tournament against LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets.

The 9-seed Hawks had a rough start to their season but rebounded in the second half to earn home court in the first leg of the play-in. If they beat Charlotte, they’ll go on the road to play the loser of the Brooklyn-Cleveland game. If they win that, they will be the 8-seed and have a date with the 1-seed Miami Heat.

Young has led an electric Atlanta offense with 28.4 points per game and 9.7 assists per game. During his one season at OU, Young averaged 27.4 points per game and 8.7 assists per game.

It should be noted that Trae Young’s max extension will begin next season and the sharpshooter will be under contract through the 2026-2027 season. Atlanta will need to be in a better position to win than the play-in tournament if they want to win rings with Young in the future.

I like the Hawks’ chances of getting out of at least the first leg of this play-in. Atlanta went 27-14 at home this year and I think their offense will be too much for a middle of the road team like Charlotte.

As for how they’ll fare in the second leg and beyond, it depends.

I’m not sure what to make of Cleveland. They’re a young team and they will have home court advantage if they meet Atlanta in the second leg of the play in.

Assuming they beat the Cavs, I don’t like their chances of beating Miami. Miami is just too good and too deep.

It’s not impossible for the Hawks to make a run. They’ve been the lower seed before and they’ve succeeded. As the 5 seed, the Hawks beat the 4-seed Knicks in five games and then the 1-seed Sixers in seven games.

The Hawks and Hornets will tip-off at 6 P.M. CST on ESPN on Wednesday.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

How did Social Media React to former Sooner Austin Reaves’ game-winner for the Los Angeles Lakers?

How did social media react to Austin Reaves’ game-winner to beat the Dallas Mavericks in Overtime?

In what turned out to be a tight back and forth game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers, it was a former Oklahoma Sooner who came through as the hero of the night.

With the Mavericks making things difficult for L.A.’s big three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, the Lakers needed someone to step up to provide a lift and they got it in the form of Austin Reaves on a career night.

Reaves came off the bench to play 32 minutes for the Lakers and was 5 of 6 from the field, with all five buckets coming on three-pointers, setting a career-high for points, three-pointers made, and rebounds in the process. And while the Lakers are filled with stars up and down the lineup, it was the rookie out of Oklahoma who came through with the clutch game-winner in overtime to give the Lakers the 107-104 lead over the Dallas Mavericks.

It was a fantastic performance for Austin Reaves with an even better finish and social media was ablaze after Reaves clutch three to win it for the Los Angeles Lakers. Let’s take a look at some of the best reactions on social media.

Trae Young comes lands in the top 20 of ESPN’s NBA Top 100

Former Sooners great Trae Young gets chosen as a top 20 player in ESPN’s ranking of the Top 100 NBA Players entering the 2021 season.

We’re smack dab in the middle of football season, but it’s never a bad time to highlight one of the great Sooners of the past in other sports. As ESPN attempts to rank the Top 100 basketball players entering the 2021 season, Trae Young finds himself at number 17 on ESPN’s rankings.

Here’s what ESPN had to say about Young, who rose 12 spots from the 2020 version of the list.

One big question: What’s next? Young is one of the most ascendant young stars in the league, but the big questions here are does he have another gear and can he click into it this season? The keys are shooting efficiency and turnovers. Last season, Young made just 34.3% of his 3s (and just 31.3% in the postseason) and was among the league’s leaders in giveaways. If he can improve in those areas, he immediately becomes an MVP candidate for Atlanta. – Kirk Goldsberry, ESPN

Why he rose 12 spots: You might be old enough to remember when people (guilty!) wondered whether Young’s size would limit his playoff value. Instead, Young delivered one of the best postseason debuts in recent memory, leading the Hawks to the conference finals with 28.8 PPG and 9.5 APG and firmly establishing himself as a star. – Kevin Pelton

Trae Young had a tremendous postseason for the Atlanta Hawks, helping them reach the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the eventual NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks.

In his first postseason, the former Oklahoma Sooners star averaged 28.8 points per game, 9.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.

Trae Young is one of the best young players in the NBA and his game has only gotten better since entering the league. Heading into his fourth season with the Hawks, he should be one of the favorites for league MVP in the 2021-2022 season.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

Stream college football games from the SEC, Big 12, The American, and more on ESPN+

[listicle id=32786]

WATCH: Austin Reaves wins Summer League contest for Lakers at the buzzer

Austin Reaves made his presence felt for the Los Angeles Lakers as he grabbed a rebound and hit the game winner with 2.5 seconds left.

It was surprising when former Oklahoma Sooners’ Guard Austin Reaves went undrafted. After going undrafted, he then signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in a developmental deal.

He’s making his presence felt early in his career for the Lake Show. With the Lakers down one in the closing seconds, Reaves corralled a rebound and hit a put back in the paint with 2.5 seconds left on the clock to lift the Lakers to a summer league win over the Phoenix Suns.

It was a typical workman like performance for Reaves who went 4 of 9 from the field for 11 points. He added four rebounds and one assist, filling up the box score like he did for the Oklahoma Sooners. Reaves was fourth on the squad in minutes and hit one of his two three point attempts.

Though it was only summer league, it was an exciting start to his Lakers career. Every minute matters and Austin Reaves is taking advantage of an opportunity to earn a spot with the big club. With efficient performances like this one, Reaves should find himself with a bench role in LeBron James’ Lakers.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions.

[listicle id=32786]