BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As the Indiana Hoosiers continue hosting recruits and transfer portal targets this month, the program has a clear message to send: "Pros are made here." A graphic with those very words appeared on the scoreboard for Oumar Ballo and others at their official visits on campus. The program has churned out several NBA players in recent years, and will look to continue doing so. Several of those players are getting set to compete in the NBA Playoffs.
Below is the full release from IU Athletics:
Six former Indiana men’s basketball standouts are set to take center stage in the 2024 NBA postseason:
OG Anunoby, New York Knicks
A mid-season trade sent Anunoby, the 23rd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, from the Toronto Raptors to the New York Knicks. In 23 games with the Knicks, Anunoby averaged 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per contest while playing 34.9 minutes a night. The former NBA All-Defensive Team selection shot 48.8% from the floor, 39.4% from the 3-point line, and 74.5% from the free throw line after the trade.
The Knicks wrapped up the second seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 50-32 and will await the results of the 2024 SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament to determine their first-round opponent.
Thomas Bryant, Miami Heat
Bryant, a seven-year NBA veteran, appeared in 38 games for the Miami Heat and averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game.
Miami earned the eighth seed and will play the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 17, on ESPN. The winner of that game will secure a spot in the playoffs and a series against the second-seeded New York Knicks.
Eric Gordon, Phoenix Suns
Gordon, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, appeared in 68 games for the new-look Phoenix Suns and averaged 11.0 points on 37.8% shooting from the 3-point line. He has also posted 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game in 27.8 minutes.
The Suns finished as the six seed in the Western Conference and will take on the third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round beginning on Saturday, April 20, in Minneapolis.
Jalen Hood-Schifino, Los Angeles Lakers
Hood-Schifino, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, played in 21 games with the Los Angeles Lakers while splitting time with the G League’s South Bay Lakers.
The eighth-seeded Lakers will square off with the seventh-seeded New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 16, on TNT with the winner advancing to face the second-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Golden State Warriors
Jackson-Davis, a 2023 Consensus All-American, made 16 starts and 68 appearances in his debut season with the Golden State Warriors. The 57th overall pick averaged 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocked shots in 16.6 minutes per game. He shot 70.4% from the floor.
The 10-seeded Warriors will square off with the No. 9 seed Sacramento Kings at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 16, on TNT. The winner will take on the loser of the No. 7 versus No. 8 game for the final playoff seed. The winner of the final play-in game will travel to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder in the opening round.
Cody Zeller, New Orleans Pelicans
Zeller, and 11-year NBA vet, appeared in 43 games for the New Orleans Pelicans. The former No. 4 overall pick averaged 7.4 minutes in a reserve role.
The seventh-seeded Pelicans will square off with the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 16, on TNT with the winner advancing to face the second-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
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