The 2022 NBA playoffs are underway and I thought it would be fun to provide a quick breakdown of which former Stanford players are participating both as players and in other capacities.
Brook Lopez-Milwaukee Bucks: Brook Lopez is currently on the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 12.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game this season. Lopez played in just 13 games in the regular season due to a back injury that kept him out all the way through March. He’s back now and had a great performance in the Bucks’ 93-86 Game 1 victory over the Bulls, scoring 18 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Lopez won a championship with the Bucks last season, making him the first Stanford player to win an NBA title as a player since Mark Madsen (2001, 2002 Los Angeles Lakers). Jarron Collins won three NBA titles as an assistant coach with the Warriors, but more on him later.
Lopez averaged 16.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in his Stanford career. In his sophomore year before leaving for the NBA, he averaged 19.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Stanford made the NCAA tournament in both of his seasons on The Farm (2007 & 2008), reaching the Sweet Sixteen in 2008. Lopez was also named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team in 2007.
Dwight Powell-Dallas Mavericks: Dwight Powell was the 45th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Hornets and then traded to the Cavaliers before getting traded to the Celtics before the season started. Later that same season, Powell was traded to the Mavericks, where he has been ever since. Powell has carved out a nice role for himself with the Mavericks, averaging 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game during his eight year career.
This season, Powell is averaging 8.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, starting in 71 games during the regular season. The Mavericks are currently tied 1-1 in their first round series with the Utah Jazz. Powell has started in both games, averaging 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He’s been really aggressive on the offensive glass in the series, with 2.0 offensive rebounds per game.
Powell was a really solid player at Stanford for four years (2010-14), averaging 10.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for his career. In his senior season, he averaged 14.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, helping Stanford get to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2014 NCAA tournament. A lot of the same things that made him a great player at Stanford in terms of his toughness and physicality, have been a major reason why he he’s lasted in the NBA for as long as he has.
Ziaire Williams-Memphis Grizzlies: Ziaire Williams was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies after averaging 10.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in his freshman season on The Farm. Williams came to Stanford as a McDonald’s All-American but wasn’t able to have the kind of impact that he was hoping to have. Part of that had to do with COVID and having to play the majority of his home games in Santa Cruz, part of that had to do with his game just not being as well suited for the college game, and part of it had to do with the fact that it’s just hard to make an impact as a freshman. Despite his freshman season not being as good as it was expected to be, he was still productive during his time at Stanford and did well enough that the Grizzlies were willing to pick him as high as they did.
Williams is averaging 8.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game this season and is part of a Grizzlies team that is the number two seed in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies are locked up 1-1 in their first round series with the Timberwolves. Through two playoff games, Williams is averaging 8.5 points per game, so he’s been about as productive as he’s been during the regular season.
Tyrell Terry-Memphis Grizzlies: Tyrell Terry is technically on the Grizzlies roster, though he is yet to play in a playoff game and likely won’t see any playoff action. He’s been on a two-way contract, spending time with the Grizzlies’ G-League affiliate Memphis Hustle. Terry has played in just two games for the Grizzlies this season, averaging 1.5 minutes per game. Still, he is worth mentioning in here since he is a member of a team that is in the playoffs.
Terry had a really strong freshman season at Stanford back in the 2019-20 season, averaging 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. However, it was still a surprise to see him leave for the NBA after that season as many didn’t feel he was ready for the NBA grind. While he was selected in the early second round by the Dallas Mavericks, in hindsight, it would have likely been better for him to stay in school longer, polish his game, and just become more mature.
Jarron Collins-New Orleans Pelicans (assistant coach): Jarron Collins is with the New Orleans Pelicans right now as an assistant coach. The Pelicans are the eighth seed in the Western Conference, though they had a surprise 125-114 victory over the top seeded Phoenix Suns in Game 2. Collins is in his first season with the Pelicans after being on the Warriors’ staff from 2014-2021, where he won three NBA championships as was previously mentioned. Collins played in the NBA for 10 seasons, mostly with the Jazz, though he did also play for the Suns, Clippers, and Trail Blazers in his final two seasons.
During his time at Stanford, Collins alongside his twin brother Jason Collins, helped Stanford reach the NCAA tournament for four years in a row from 1998-2001. Stanford reached the Final Four in their freshman year in 1998. Collins averaged 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in his Stanford career. In his senior year, he averaged 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game before getting selected with the 52nd overall pick by the Jazz in the 2001 NBA Draft. Jason was selected with the 18th overall pick by the Houston Rockets in the same draft before getting traded to the New Jersey Nets.
Landry Fields-Atlanta Hawks (assistant general manager): Landry Fields is currently the assistant general manager of the Atlanta Hawks, who currently find themselves down 0-2 to the Miami Heat in the first round. Fields was with the San Antonio Spurs organization for four seasons (2016-20) before joining the Hawks in his current role (2020-present). He worked his way up from being a scout with the Spurs for three seasons to being the general manager of their G-League team, the Austin Spurs, in his fourth season. Now in his second season with the Hawks, Fields is making a name for himself as a rising front office executive in the NBA.
Fields was the 39th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks and played five seasons in the NBA with the Knicks and Toronto Raptors, averaging 6.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for his career. His best season was his rookie year with the Knicks in which he averaged 9.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game on 49.7% shooting from the field, 39.3% shooting from 3-point range, and 76.9% shooting from the foul line. Fields’ NBA career was shortened due to injury, but when he was in his prime, he was looking like a real gem of a find in the second round and likely would have had a much more fruitful playing career had he stayed healthy.
During his time at Stanford (2006-10), Fields averaged 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in four seasons. Fields was a part of two NCAA tournament teams in 2007 and 2008. Fields really grew as a player from his freshman to senior season. He averaged 4.2 points per game as a freshman and 4.1 points per game as a sophomore. As a junior, he took a big leap averaging 12.6 points per game. As a senior, he was phenomenal, leading the Pac-10 in scoring with 22.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. He not only became one of the top players in the Pac-10, he became one of the top players in the country as well.
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