Tag: Hogs In the NBA

WATCH: Former Razorback Stanley Umude has career night in Detroit

Former Razorback guard Stanley Umude had a career night for the Detroit Pistons, one that caught the attention of his former head coach Eric Musselman.

Former Arkansas guard [autotag]Stanley Umude[/autotag] earned a roster spot with the Detroit Pistons after an impressive preseason. On Monday night, he proved that he can hang in the league when given a chance.

Umude played a season-high 16 minutes in the Pistons’ 120-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors and made the most of it. He finished with 16 points on 5-8 shooting from the field and 4-5 from three while grabbing three rebounds. Without Umude’s shooting, the game would’ve been much more of a blowout.

As you can see from the tweet posted above, Arkansas coach [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag], who Umude played for during the 2021-2022 season, took notice.

While Umude only spent one season in Fayetteville, as a grad transfer from South Dakota, he made a huge impact for the Hogs during that season. He appeared in all 37 games that year and helped lead Arkansas to their second-straight Elite 8 appearance.

In the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, Umude put together a memorable performance against Vermont in the first round. Not only did he play all 40 minutes, but he led the team with 21 points (3-4 3PT) and grabbed nine rebounds. He was also the first Razorback to ever play 40 minutes in the NCAA Tournament and not commit a single turnover.

Here’s to hoping we continue to see Umude shine at the NBA level.

Pro Hogs Update: Portis, Moody off to hot starts through two weeks of NBA season

Bobby Portis and Moses Moody lead the way for former Razorbacks through two weeks of the NBA season. Here’s how all 11 Pro Hogs have fared so far.

There are currently 11 former Razorbacks on NBA rosters, tied with Michigan and Gonzaga for fifth-most of any college basketball program this season.

Through two weeks of the NBA regular season, no former Hogs have been as impressive as [autotag]Bobby Portis[/autotag] and [autotag]Moses Moody[/autotag].

Portis has appeared in every game for the Milwaukee Bucks thus far, and has provided the team with production and veteran leadership. Moody, in his third season with the Golden State Warriors, just had the fourth year of his rookie contract exercised on Oct. 31. That came just days after he made his first start of the season, where he recorded 13 points (5-8 FG, 2-5 3P), three rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes.

Let’s go around the league and take a closer look at how all 11 former Hogs are doing so far in this young NBA season.

Black excels in first start for Orlando against Lakers

Anthony Black had 11 points in his first start for the Magic on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Orlando Magic took Anthony Black with the sixth overall pick in June’s draft for a reason, and it’s starting to pay off already.

In Saturday night’s 120-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Black made his first start and put up quite impressive stat line.

According to NBA records, it’s historic.

The Magic are 4-2 in the early season, in a tie for the Southeast Division lead with the Atlanta Hawks, and figure to be in contention for a playoff spot if they can stay healthy.

A young core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Black and Moe Wagner is going to be tough in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando will next play again Monday night against Dallas.

Ten former Hogs on NBA rosters for opening night of 2023-24 season

There’s a strong Razorback presence in the NBA this year. Here’s a look at all ten Pro Hogs on rosters for opening night.

 Tuesday marks the official opening night of the 2023-2024 NBA season. There’s a lot to look forward to across the league, but this season, Razorback fans will have a much larger rooting interest than any previous year.

Ten former [autotag]Arkansas basketball[/autotag] players have made NBA rosters for this season – the most the program has ever had in the league at one time.

The Razorbacks are just one of ten schools with double-digit NBA players this season – joining Arizona, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Texas, UCLA and Villanova. In fact, the Hogs are tied with Texas for the 7th most players in the league to start this year – trailing only Kentucky (26), Duke (24), UCLA (15), Kansas (12), Michigan and Gonzaga (11 each).

Out of those ten former Hogs in the NBA, six have played for current Razorback coach [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag]. That’s just the latest example of how incredible the recruiting has been since Musselman arrived in Fayetteville four years ago.

Let’s take a closer look at every former Razorback on an NBA roster for opening night.

Seven Pro Hogs see action in first NBA preseason games

Seven former Arkansas Razorbacks saw significant action in NBA preseason games on Monday night. Here’s how they fared.

Football and postseason baseball typically dominate the October headlines, but what can sometimes get lost in all of that is the beginning of basketball season.

Last week, this year’s Arkansas basketball team put on their annual Red-White Showcase in front of 6,000 fans in Barnhill Arena. This week, former Razorbacks will take the floor as NBA preseason games began on Sunday afternoon and Monday night.

[autotag]Patrick Beverley[/autotag] (Sixers), [autotag]Ricky Council IV[/autotag] (Sixers), [autotag]Isaiah Joe[/autotag] (Thunder), [autotag]Bobby Portis[/autotag] (Bucks), [autotag]Stanley Umude[/autotag] (Pistons), [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag] (Celtics) and [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] (Thunder) all got their first taste of playing time ahead of the NBA season.

Anthony Black (Magic), Dan Gafford (Wizards), Moses Moody (Warriors), Nick Smith Jr. (Hornets) will all be in action later this week.

Here’s a look at how each of those seven Pro Hogs that played already have fared.

2023 NBA Draft: Anthony Black rises, Nick Smith Jr. falls in latest mock

This latest NBA mock draft has one former Hog trending up and another trending way down.

Eric Musselman has had at least one player drafted to the NBA in each of the seasons he’s been coaching the Razorbacks.

His first year it was [autotag]Isaiah Joe[/autotag], then [autotag]Moses Moody[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag]. This year, there’s a real chance that we could see five Razorbacks drafted. [autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Smith Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Ricky Council[/autotag] have officially declared for the draft. [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag] have both declared for the draft while maintaining their eligibility.

Out of all five players to declare for the draft, Anthony Black and Nick Smith Jr. are virtual locks to be taken in the first round. Where they will be drafted is the only mystery right now.

Adam Finklestein of 247Sports.com released his latest NBA mock draft and it was pretty shocking at first glance. Anthony Black was projected to go at No. 6 to the Orlando Magic. Meanwhile, Nick Smith Jr. had fallen out of the lottery and is projected to go No. 21 to the Brooklyn Nets.

Black has been projected as a late lottery pick in most other mock drafts to now, so this represents a significant move up draft boards. For Smith, he’s been flirting projected in the mid-to-late lottery since the beginning of the season. Seeing him falling out of the lottery and all the way down to No. 21 would be disappointing and surprising.

At the end of the day, this is just another prediction and a lot can change between now and June 23. The NBA Draft combine starts on May 16 and will help give teams a clearer picture of potential prospects.

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Razorbacks in the NBA: Mid-Week Report (Nov. 13-17)

There are six Pro Hogs in the NBA currently, here’s a look at how they’ve performed over the past few games.

It’s hard to remember a time where Arkansas basketball had as many former players on NBA rosters as they do right now.

The resurgence of Arkansas basketball under Eric Musselman has led to there being a spotlight on the program and a renewed sense of pride in being a former Razorback.

All six former Hogs that are playing in the NBA right now are contributing to their teams and carving out solid careers. The past two seasons have seen a pair of former Razorbacks (Bobby Portis and Moses Moody) win an NBA championship and hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in June.

It’s a great time to be a fan of all things Arkansas basketball, and Razorbacks Wire has you covered when it comes to keeping you up to date on the NBA careers of all former Hogs.

Here’s a look at how they fared in games played from Nov. 13 through Nov. 17.

Jaylin Williams officially signs rookie contract with Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City is dedicated to developing Jaylin Williams into a solid NBA player based on his rookie contract.

Former Arkansas forward [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] has officially signed his rookie contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Saturday that Williams, the 34th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, has signed a four-year deal worth $8.2 million total.

Williams entered the NBA Draft after two successful seasons at Arkansas, where he appeared in 63 games with 40 starts. During his time in Fayetteville, Williams averaged 7.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Williams saw most of his playing time during his sophomore campaign. He started in 35 of the 37 games that he appeared in, averaging 10.9 points per contest. His most impressive stat, was his NCAA-leading 54 drawn charges.

So far in NBA Summer League action, Williams has appeared in two game with the Thunder. In his debut on July 5 against the Utah Jazz, Williams scored two points and secured six rebounds in Oklahoma City’s 98-77 win.

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Former Razorbacks Joe, Smith named to 76ers Summer League Roster

There’s another NBA team with two former Hogs on their roster…

Arkansas fans were ecstatic to find that former guard [autotag]JD Notae[/autotag] had been named to the Golden State Warriors Summer League Roster, as he would be teaming up with a former teammate in [autotag]Moses Moody[/autotag].

It appears that the Warriors will not be the only NBA roster that features two former Razorbacks.

The Philadelphia 76ers revealed their Summer League roster over the weekend, and they also feature two former Hogs in [autotag]Isaiah Joe[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Smith[/autotag].

Joe has played in 96 total games since joining the 76ers in 2020. He played in a career-high 55 games in 2021-22, where he averaged 3.6 points per contest. For Smith, he is getting a chance with the 76ers after spending a season with the Toronto Raptors, where he played in just two games with the Raptors’ G-League affiliate, Raptors 905.

The 76ers will be playing in a two-city Summer League competition beginning Tuesday, July 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah against the Memphis Grizzlies. They will then move to Las Vegas beginning Saturday, July 9 to play the Toronto Raptors.

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JD Notae added to NBA Summer League Roster

Notae, who was not selected during the 2022 NBA Draft, is set to be reunited with a former Razorback this summer.

After a week of waiting, former Arkansas guard [autotag]JD Notae[/autotag] will finally get an opportunity to continue his career in the NBA.

The Golden State Warriors released their roster for summer league action on Wednesday, and Notae was included in the 19-man roster.

Notae said in a press conference Wednesday that he is excited about this opportunity, and hopes to leave an impression for Warriors executives.

“Just try to pick up on the terminology as quick as I can,” Notae said. “And just go out there and play my butt off. At the end of the day, that was our culture at Arkansas. Just go out there and play hard. And at the end of the day, if I do that, I can leave everything else on the court.”

What motivates Notae even more, is that he gets a chance to play with former Arkansas teammate, [autotag]Moses Moody[/autotag]. Moody was also named to the Summer League roster, and is excited to reunite with Notae.

 “We left off on a pretty good foot when we made it to the Elite Eight together. That’s my dawg,” said Moody. “So we’ve been hanging out and everything since he’s been here. So I was happy to see he was on the roster.”

Notae and Moody will reunite on the court again for NBA Summer League action beginning Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

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