Kentucky has a little less than 30 former players in the NBA right now. With the playoffs reaching the Conference Finals, only 5 remain. No school has or will most likely ever have the pro success former Kentucky players have had under John Calipari.
The Miami Heat currently lead 3-1 over the Boston Celtics, with Bam Adebayo being a key contributor to that. Also on that Heat team is 2022 Sixth Man of the Year, Tyler Herro, who at the moment is injured but hopes to be back for the Finals if they can win one more game. So far through four games, Adebayo is averaging 16 points and 8 rebounds a game which is the main reason why they are on the brink of a Finals appearance.
Over in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 in a series that was pretty much one-sided. For the Nuggets, Jamal Murray simply dominated on both sides of the floor and showed why he is not one to leave open, ever. Over those four games, Murray averaged 33 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 53% from the field. On the other team, Anthony Davis played his game averaging 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks while shooting 47% from the field overall, but that was still not enough to make it to the NBA Finals. Also on the Lakers are Jarred Vanderbilt and Wenyen Gabriel, with Jarred getting the most playing time of the two. He was tabbed as one of the best defenders remaining in the playoffs and got a lot of spotlight as the young role player tries to carve out a serious opportunity out in L.A.
After watching these playoffs so far, it is honestly amazing how incredible former Kentucky players are in the pros. Year after year it never fails to amaze me. Adding to that, there are plenty of young stars heading to Kentucky right now who will be the next faces of those Conference Finals, very, very soon. I have no doubt at all that the recruiting class coming in will have many going to the league in due time, but for now, let's rally around the ones headed to the Finals and the ones who will first be stepping foot onto campus this summer.