As every true basketball fan knows, Kentucky has the most active NBA players of any college in the country, and that can get a little hard to keep track of when 14 former Wildcats were spread across the opening two rounds of the NBA playoffs.
To make it easier to follow, here’s a breakdown of each Cat in the NBA playoffs and how they performed when it mattered most.
First Round
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies
The Thunder feature arguably the best fully developed Kentucky product since Anthony Davis in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), and the likely MVP is doing MVP things so far in the playoffs.
On a Thunder team that won 20 more games than the Grizzlies this season, Gilgeous-Alexander had no problem leading Oklahoma City past Memphis, averaging 27.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists over the four-game sweep.
Don’t let SGA’s scoring dip fool you, as he was only needed for 23 minutes in a Game 1 blowout, where he still posted 15 points in a 51-point win.
Also hailing from Kentucky, Cason Wallace saw 20.5 minutes per game in the opening series, contributing 4.0 points, 2.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds on 41.2% shooting.
No. 2 Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 Golden State Warriors
In an upset loss to the Warriors, the Rockets didn’t lean much on the lone Kentucky alum between the two teams.
Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, failed to score in the 10 total minutes he saw during the series, but he made the most of his seven minutes in Game 5, notching one block and two steals on the defensive end.
No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves
This series featured three former Wildcats: Julius Randle and Rob Dillingham for Minnesota, and Jarred Vanderbilt for Los Angeles.
Dillingham, the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft, did not appear in the series, but Randle was nothing short of pivotal in a 4–1 series win for a Wolves squad considered the underdog against LeBron, Luka and the Lake Show.
Randle averaged 22.6 points, four above his regular-season mark, 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists, shooting 48.1% from the field and 39.3% from three-point range. In the opening-round loss for the Lakers, Vanderbilt averaged 1.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 12.2 minutes per game.
No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers
The only former Cat in this 4–5 matchup, Jamal Murray has built his reputation on big playoff moments for the Nuggets, and that continued in this series where he averaged 22.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists across seven games against the Clippers.
His standout moment came in Game 5, when he exploded for 43 points, five rebounds, seven assists, one block and two steals, with just one turnover, while shooting 64.4% overall and 57.1% from deep.
That performance gave Denver a 3–2 lead before they closed the series in Game 7.
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Miami Heat
Miami featured two former Kentucky standouts — Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro — but despite their best efforts, Cleveland rolled to four straight dominant wins over the Heat.
In his first season as an All-Star, Herro struggled to close the series. While he posted 33 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in Game 2, he managed just 17 total points in Games 3 and 4, shooting 6-23 from the field and 2-12 from beyond the arc.
Adebayo also had difficulty maintaining consistency, surpassing his season average in Games 1 and 3 but barely breaking double digits in Games 2 and 4.
Ultimately, Adebayo’s 17.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, combined with Herro’s 17.8 points, weren’t enough to prevent a disappointing sweep by the Cavs.
No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Detroit Pistons
New York versus Detroit was an entertaining series between two franchises that have struggled to find playoff success this century, but Karl-Anthony Towns was determined to make an impact and lead the Knicks to the next round.
In a six-game series win for New York, Towns averaged 19.7 points and 10.0 rebounds while flirting with 50-40-90 shooting splits, proving his efficiency on a star-studded Knicks roster.
Though his numbers were below his season averages of 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds, Towns has helped carry New York on its deepest playoff run since 2000.
No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks
Throughout the five-game series between the Pacers and Bucks, there was virtually no action from former Kentucky players. Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson, the No. 22 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, had his season cut short by a torn Achilles after just five regular-season games.
Milwaukee’s Chris Livingston, meanwhile, logged five minutes of playoff action versus Indiana, missing his only shot attempt and recording one rebound.
Second Round
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets
In one of the best second-round matchups, Gilgeous-Alexander continued his hot streak as the Thunder battled Murray and the Nuggets through seven intense games.
Though still slightly below his season average, SGA averaged 29.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists, including a standout performance of 35 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals while shooting an eye-popping 63.2% from the field and 75% from three.
Maintaining his consistency, Wallace continued to impress in his limited role, averaging 6.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals in 21.4 minutes per game.
Murray, on the other hand, struggled to find rhythm in the series and managed just 13 points in 35 minutes during Denver’s 125–93 loss in Game 7.
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Warriors
After Steph Curry injured his hamstring in Game 1 of the Warriors’ conference semifinals matchup against the Timberwolves, Minnesota had a lot less to worry about.
Randle, already above his scoring average in the opening round, boosted his numbers by 8 points per game, averaging 25.2 points on improved shooting at 53.3% from the field.
Minnesota blew past Golden State, winning four straight after dropping Game 1 at home, advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season.
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 3 New York Knicks
In what was arguably the biggest upset of the 2025 playoffs, Towns and the Knicks defeated the Celtics in six games, rallying from two 20-point deficits in the first two games to take a shocking 2–0 series lead in Boston.
Over the six games, Towns averaged 19.8 points and 12.7 rebounds, leading the team in rebounds and ranking second in scoring.
KAT and the Knicks will face Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals for a spot in the NBA Finals.
No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 4 Indiana Pacers
As previously mentioned, Jackson, the only Kentucky alum on either side, was sidelined with a torn Achilles less than two months into the regular season.
The Pacers defeated the top-seeded Cavaliers in five games, stunning the Cavs on the road to take a commanding 2–0 series lead before closing it out in Cleveland with a 114–105 win.
Recap
Of the 14 former Kentucky Wildcats rostered by NBA playoff teams, eight advanced past the opening round and competed in the conference semifinals.
Six Cats now remain on the four teams left standing: Gilgeous-Alexander and Wallace with the Thunder, Randle and Dillingham with the Timberwolves, Towns with the Knicks and Jackson with the Pacers.
With this in mind, a former Wildcat is guaranteed to take home an NBA championship ring this June.
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