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NBA Playoffs to feature 13 former UK players spread among 7 teams


By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today

Kentucky will be well represented when the NBA Playoffs begin Saturday.

Overall, 13 former players will compete in the postseason on seven different teams. New Orleans’ roster will feature five former players, led by Anthony Davis, followed by DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Liggins, Darius Miller and Rajon Rondo. Cousins is out because of an injury and will not compete in the playoffs.

Bam Adebayo (Miami), Eric Bledsoe (Milwaukee), Dakari Johnson (Oklahoma City), Jodie Meeks (Washington), Patrick Patterson (Oklahoma City), Alex Poythress ( Indiana), Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota) and John Wall (Washington) also will be competing in the playoffs.

Another former Wildcat — Dwane Casey – who played on Kentucky’s national championship in 1978, will coach his No. 1 seeded Toronto Raptors in the Eastern division.

Davis averaged 28 points per game to lead New Orleans back to the playoffs. Cousins was scoring 25 points per game before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in December. Towns scored 21 points per outing to lead the Timberwolves to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.

Wall (19.4 ppg), Bledsoe (17.7 ppg) also averaged double figures this season.

Devin Booker, Cousins, Davis and Wall have been invited to compete in the USA Men’s Basketball minicamp in July. Kentucky coach John Calipari was happy but expected more of his former players to receive an invite.

“If you ask me, we should have had one more or two more guys invited as well,” Calipari tweeted. “My boys are all grown up.”

Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at keith.taylor@kentuckytoday.com or twitter @keithtaylor21.


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