Zona Zealots
Fansided

Former Wildcats shine on opening night in the NBA

By Eric Townsend

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - OCTOBER 19: Bennedict Mathurin #00 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates after making a basket against the Washington Wizards at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on October 19, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - OCTOBER 19: Bennedict Mathurin #00 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates after making a basket against the Washington Wizards at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on October 19, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

NBA action is officially here and a few of our former Wildcats made their highly-anticipated debuts with the start of the 2022-23 season.  

NBA action is back! Months after former Wildcats Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry, and Christian Koloko made their debuts in the Summer League, our Wildcats returned to the hardwood for the start of the 2022-23 NBA season.

Over the past several months, our Wildcats have been receiving plenty of preseason hype, especially as our rookie trio shined in Las Vegas, and again in preseason action over the past couple of weeks.

And with the NBA season officially here, our Former Wildcats were out in full force as basketball action tipped off.

Deandre Ayton – C (Phoenix Suns)

Fresh off of signing a max deal with the Suns this Summer, Ayton returns for his fifth season in the NBA. And on Wednesday evening, the former Wildcat kicked off his 2022-23 season.

Once again, Deandre was in dominant form as he finished his evening with 18 points and 10 rebounds on 8-11 shooting. Phoenix went on to beat the Dallas Mavericks by a 107-105 final!

Josh Green – SG (Dallas Mavericks)

Entering his third season in the NBA, Josh played 18 minutes on Thursday night in the Mavericks’ 107-105 loss to the Suns. Green finished his evening with just one point scored; however, he still had a big day as he grabbed four rebounds, dished two assists, recorded one steal, and earned one block.

Lauri Markkanen – PF (Utah Jazz)

Returning for his sixth season in the NBA, Lauri begins his first season in Utah, however. Having bounced around from Chicago to Cleveland and now Utah, the former Wildcat was impressive in the Jazz’s win.

Playing 33 minutes, the ‘Finnisher’ ended his evening scoring 17 points on 6-12 shooting including 3-7 from three. He also grabbed four rebounds, dished four assists, and earned two steals in the Jazz’s 123-102 win over the Nuggets.

Aaron Gordon – PF (Denver Nuggets)

Returning for another season in Denver and playing in his 9th NBA season overall, the veteran Wildcat was impressive on Thursday evening as the Nuggets took on the Utah Jazz.

Playing with former Wildcat Zeke Nnaji and competing against Markkanen, Aaron was dominant as he scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 33 minutes played. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as the Nuggets lost 123-102.

Zeke Nnaji – C (Denver Nuggets)

Entering his third season in the NBA, Zeke is slowly getting better as a player, but unfortunately, Zeke plays for a deep Nuggets team, and on Thursday night he did not play in the Nuggets’ 123-102 loss to the Utah Jazz.

Dalen Terry – SG/SF (Chicago Bulls)

Despite putting together an impressive Summer, unfortunately, Terry did not play in the Bulls’ 116-108 win over the Miami Heat.

Bennedict Mathurin – SF (Indiana Pacers)

Making his highly-anticipated NBA debut on Wednesday evening, the former No. 6 overall pick was electric off the bench. Logging 28 minutes, Mathurin scored 19 points on 7-15 shooting (3-7 from three) with seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

T.J. McConnell – PG (Indiana Pacers)

Teaming up with former Wildcat in Indianapolis, TJ returned to the hardwood after some injury issues in 2021-22, and he didn’t seem to miss a beat.

Registering 17 minutes played, McConnell finished his night with 8 points on 4-9 shooting with four assists, one rebound, a block, and a steal. Unfortunately, the effort was not enough as Indiana fell to the Washington Wizards by a 114-107 final.

Christian Koloko – C (Toronto Raptors)

Also making his highly-anticipated NBA debut, C-Lo did see a bit of action on Thursday evening as he logged 15 minutes of game time while scoring three points on 1-4 shooting. Koloko would, however, make his presence known on the glass as he grabbed six rebounds and blocked one shot. Toronto went on to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers by a 108-105 final.

Andre Iguodala – SF (Golden State Warriors)

Playing in his 19th and final season in the NBA, unfortunately, Iggy did not dress on Tuesday evening; however, the Warriors were in dominant form without Andre as they beat the Los Angeles Lakers by a 123-109 final.

Related Story. The latest look at the Arizona Basketball roster for 2022-23. light

Don’t forget to follow us at @ZonaZealots on Twitter and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of Arizona news, opinions, and recruiting updates!

Home/Cats in the Pros