{"id":634843,"date":"2026-03-02T17:46:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T17:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/634843\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T17:46:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T17:46:18","slug":"how-are-uconn-players-faring-in-the-nba-a-march-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/634843\/","title":{"rendered":"How are UConn players faring in the NBA? A March update"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the UConn men\u2019s basketball<\/a> team gears up to chase a third national title in four seasons, one of its former stars is embarking on a push for an NBA crown.<\/p>\n

Stephon Castle has quickly become one of the league\u2019s brightest young stars, and in just his second season in the NBA, he\u2019s got a chance to join Ray Allen and Richard Hamilton as former Huskies who made a major impact on an NBA championship-winning team, too.<\/p>\n

Last season\u2019s Rookie of the Year is averaging 16.6 points, 6.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, and shooting 46.7 percent from the field, and his Spurs own the league\u2019s third-best record at 43-17. Oh, and they\u2019ve beaten last season\u2019s champs, the venerable Oklahoma City Thunder, four out of five times this season.<\/p>\n

Even if the Spurs prove too young to snatch the Larry O\u2019Brien trophy this season, it\u2019s clear that UConn fans will be able to watch their former star play a starring role in the NBA playoffs for many springs to come.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at how Castle and the rest of his Husky brethren are faring in the NBA this season.<\/p>\n

1. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs<\/p>\n

If they re-did the 2024 NBA Draft right now<\/a>, there\u2019s no doubt that Castle would go No. 1. Looking back at that draft, it\u2019s actually hard to believe he wasn\u2019t considered a better prospect than French bigs Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, or 6-foot-2 guard Reed Sheppard, who went 1-2-3 ahead of Castle. The Spurs are legitimate contenders, not just because of him but also thanks in large part to superstar Victor Wembanyama, De\u2019Aaron Fox and a solid supporting cast. But Castle is the team\u2019s third-leading scorer, tops in assists and steals, and if all goes to plan, could be the Robin to Wemby\u2019s Batman on some title teams in the future. He\u2019s certainly in a position to make a legendary mark on the league with one of its best-run franchises.<\/p>\n

2. Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers<\/p>\n

Stability seems like it\u2019s coming into Cling Kong\u2019s life. He recently got engaged to his longtime girlfriend<\/a>, and he\u2019s now an established starter in the NBA. Clingan is averaging a double-double: 11.8 points and 11.5 boards, and shooting 53 percent from the field and blocking 1.5 shots per game. The 22-year-old still has plenty of room to grow, and that 3-point shot hasn\u2019t quite come around yet (34.1 percent on 3 attempts per game), but there\u2019s no doubt that he\u2019s got All-Star potential if he keeps improving. Like Castle, you could very well see Clingan in the playoffs\u2013 at least, the Play-In, as the Blazers have a 3.5-game lead on Memphis in the No. 10 spot right now.<\/p>\n

\"MemphisMemphis Grizzlies guard Cam Spencer (24) drives past Denver Nuggets guard Bruce Brown (11) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)
\n3. Cam Spencer, Memphis Grizzlies<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been an up-and-down month for Cam, who went scoreless and scored just two points on two other occasions, shooting a combined 2-for-19 in those games, but then went for 25 points in 25 minutes<\/a> in a win over the Mavs. Despite the occasional struggle, it\u2019s been a terrific second season for Spencer, who\u2019s become a bona-fide rotation player for the Grizzlies, averaging 23.9 minutes per game. He\u2019s put up 11.4 points, 5.5 assists, and is shooting a blistering 44.5 percent from 3 and 47.5 percent overall. Spencer\u2019s sharpshooting, smarts and toughness have been welcome in Memphis, which has several good young players, and Spencer figures to be part of the fold for years to come.<\/p>\n

4. Andre Drummond, Philadelphia 76ers<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget the Middletown big man when rattling off a list of UConn players in the league, but Drummond just keeps on ticking along, now in his 14th season at age 32. He\u2019s averaging 6.9 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 50.2 percent from the floor for the Sixers, who are chasing a top-six seed in the East and have been one of the league\u2019s most exciting young teams.<\/p>\n

\"CharlotteCharlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams, left, and Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond laugh as they stands on the court during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo\/Nell Redmond)
\n5. Liam McNeeley, Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a rough rookie season for McNeeley<\/a>, who has been battling injuries off and on the entire year and hasn\u2019t played since Feb. 6 due to a left ankle sprain. He\u2019s seen action in 28 games so far, averaging 12.2 minutes per, and has put up 4.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in that time. Charlotte has taken off of late behind a promising young core led by Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Kneuppel, and McNeeley has been somewhat of an afterthought this season. Even if McNeeley returns soon, it\u2019s likely he won\u2019t be able to do enough to crash the rotation for a playoff push, so he may be looking at next season to start to show what he can do.<\/p>\n

6. Tyrese Martin, Philadelphia 76ers<\/p>\n

Martin joined Drummond in Philly on Feb. 19<\/a> after being waived by the Brooklyn Nets so the team could make room for new acquisitions following the trade deadline. He had a promising run in Brooklyn last season, even earning some starts as a 3-and-D guy, but his numbers have been down this season, as he\u2019s shooting just 33.3 percent from 3 and 39 percent overall. He\u2019s averaging 7 points and 1.8 assists per game. Martin is on a two-way contract with the Sixers, something he\u2019s been familiar with in his career, and he\u2019ll hope to earn playing time ahead of the playoffs.<\/p>\n

7. Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans<\/p>\n

Hawk\u2019s numbers are way down this season as he\u2019s averaging just 12.9 minutes per game and hasn\u2019t seen any meaningful playing time since mid-January. He\u2019s still on the Pelicans\u2019 books next season, though as a former lottery pick, both sides may be looking for a way out this summer.<\/p>\n

8. Andre Jackson Jr., Milwaukee Bucks<\/p>\n

Jackson has been riding the pine all season, averaging just 6.3 minutes per game for the sorry Bucks, who are 26-33 and look like they\u2019d rather run clear across a five-lane highway than make the playoffs. These will in all likelihood be the final months of Jackson\u2019s time in Milwaukee, as the team has an option on his contract next season.<\/p>\n

Other Huskies in the Pros<\/p>\n

2024 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tristen Newton continues to perform well in the G League. Now with the Houston Rockets\u2019 affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, he\u2019s averaging 24.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2 steals per game. \u2026 2023 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Adama Sanogo is averaging a double-double\u2013 19.3 points and 10.3 rebounds, playing for Hapoel Holon in Israel. \u2026 Samson Johnson is putting up 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds with the Noblesville Boom, the Indiana Pacers\u2019 G League affiliate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the UConn men\u2019s basketball team gears up to chase a third national title in four seasons, one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":634844,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[3845,19179,7,8675,2340,925,974,2680,5316,921,2679,6,11,66,930,17642,4614,922,56096,2681,80246],"class_list":["post-634843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba-playoffs","tag-andre-drummond","tag-andre-jackson","tag-basketball","tag-cam-spencer","tag-connecticut","tag-ct-news","tag-donovan-clingan","tag-hartford-courant","tag-jordan-hawkins","tag-liam-mcneeley","tag-local-news","tag-nba","tag-nba-playoffs","tag-sports","tag-stephon-castle","tag-tristen-newton","tag-tyrese-martin","tag-uconn","tag-uconn-in-the-nba","tag-uconn-mens-basketball","tag-uconn-players-in-the-nba"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116160836695677857","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634843\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}