Arizona might not have any basketball until the start of 2021, but there are still former Wildcats playing the game at the pro level. The NBA playoffs began this week and there are six players still competing for the championship in the league's bubble in Orlando. Five of the former UA standouts played for current head coach Sean Miller while there is one remaining holdover from the Lute Olson era still lacing up his sneakers in the NBA.
Here is a closer look at the players still working to win a title this season.
TJ McConnell – Indiana Pacers
Bubble stats: 6.2 ppg, 4.4 apg, 12 steals
The McKale Center fan-favorite point guard has carved out a nice career for himself in the NBA. Now part of the Indiana Pacers after starting his career with the Philadelphia 76ers he has made Miller's prediction that he would stick in the league come true. McConnell has struggled through his first two playoff games this season with just seven points and five assists combined in the two losses to Miami.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson – Toronto Raptors
Bubble stats: 4.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg
All of the former Wildcats still alive in the NBA playoffs are in the Eastern Conference meaning the chance to play for the championship could be a bit easier. Hollis-Jefferson just happens to be on one of the teams in the best position to represent the East as the Raptors are the defending champions and currently the No. 2-seed in the Eastern Conference after finishing the regular season with over 50 wins. Arizona's former star Sixth Man played his first four years in Brooklyn before signing with the Raptors during the offseason. He only played six minutes in the Raptors' win over the Nets Wednesday but he scored six points in 12 minutes in Game 1.
Stanley Johnson – Toronto Raptors
Bubble stats: 7.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.4 apg
The former lottery pick has had a tough time finding his footing in the NBA. He played for the Detroit Piston and New Orleans Pelicans before signing with the Raptors in the offseason. Johnson, who shined for the Wildcats in the 2014-15 season as a freshman, has only averaged 6.6 points in his NBA career. So far he has not played in either of the first two playoff games for Toronto but he did get an opportunity to shine late in regular season when he scored 23 points, dished out six assists and pulled down four rebounds in a win over the Denver Nuggets last week.
Aaron Gordon – Orlando Magic
Bubble stats: 15.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg
The Orlando Magic star forward will miss the second playoff game of the season Thursday as he deals with a hamstring injury that kept him off the floor during the final seeding games this month. That means Gordon wasn't part of the Magic's huge upset of top Eastern Conference team Milwaukee this week. It is unclear when Gordon will be ready to go, but the Magic could certainly use him if the series is a long one. The former UA star signed a massive four-year, $84 million extension with the Magic back in 2018 and has become a highlight-reel dunker in the NBA's dunk contest along with being a key piece to his franchise up to this point in his career.
Solomon Hill – Miami Heat
Bubble stats: 6.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg
The Miami Heat had some struggles during the restart portion of the regular season, but so far has found success to open the playoffs with two wins over the Pacers so far. Miami has a nice blend of younger players and veterans with one of the players who has been in the league for a bit being one of Miller's favorite players at Arizona. Hill has moved around the NBA a bit, but he as continued to make an impact wherever he has landed. Now he is in Miami and he has put together some solid performances so far this month although he has not played in either playoff win. He did score 21 points and grab seven rebounds in a win over Indiana last week, however.
Andre Iguodala – Miami Heat
Bubble stats: 5.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.0 bpg
The NBA is always about who's next, but there will always also be room for players that are up in age and can still play with the best of them. Iguodala has had a successful NBA career and that includes being part of three championship teams with the Golden State Warriors. He won the NBA Finals MVP in the 2015 season and he was an NBA All-Star in 2012. The former UA star has put together an impressive stint in the league and it continues with the Heat even if his contributions aren't as big as they were earlier in his career. Iguodala scored seven points and had two blocks in the win over Indiana on Thursday and he has four blocks through the first two games of the playoffs. He has had two 12-point performances in the bubble already in losses to Milwaukee and Phoenix but he is likely going to be part of a team that moves on with Miami up 2-0 in its first-round series.
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