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UConn and NBA job opportunities: Which former Huskies have best shots of grabbing roster spots
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- UConn and NBA job opportunities: Which former Huskies have best shots of grabbing roster spots
After snaring 17 rebounds in his third NBA preseason game, Tarris Reed Jr. was thinking about Dan Hurley .
"I knew I could have got 20, 25," Reed told reporters on Monday in San Antonio , where he was drafted in the first round after leading UConn's run to the 2026 national title game. "Immediately after the game I was thinking about what Coach Hurley would say to me and he would've been ripping me, man."
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The former Huskies' center has Hurley's sayings still in his head as he navigates the start of his rookie season and begins a new championship quest with former Husky Stephon Castle and the Spurs.
"I feel like that's the part where I've got to grow," Reed went on. "Just keep my foot on the gas, you know? I had like 10 rebounds in the first eight or 10 minutes, like I could've easily ended up with 20. So, being even more persistent, more tenacious on that part and yeah, keep going."
Reed is competing for backup minutes at center behind superstar Victor Wembanyama , and has shown this preseason the ability to provide some of what the team needed in last year's run to the NBA Finals. He averaged 17.9 minutes of action in the Spurs' five preseason games and grabbed 9.5 rebounds while scoring 5.0 points per game on 50% shooting.
His press conference answer circulated the internet as Spurs fans began to fall in love with the former Huskies' big man.
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"This is what makes the vocation of Coaching special," Hurley wrote, sharing the clip on X . "Helping these talented young men during a critical developmental stage of their lives. A relentless mentality is a competitive advantage."
The Spurs' regular season begins with a rematch of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on NBA Opening day Tuesday.
Here is where you can find the rest of the former Huskies who are locked in or have a shot at making an opening day roster:
Alex Karaban, Sacramento Kings
Karaban hurt his ankle and didn't see great results once he returned in Summer League, but he was obviously healthy in all five games this preseason, averaging 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals in 15.8 minutes per. UConn's all-time winner will be scratching to get into the Kings' rotation, and could see some early time.
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Liam McNeeley, Charlotte Hornets
McNeeley played well when he had the opportunity in 32 NBA games last season and averaged 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists over 20 games in the G League. The Hornets created an opening this offseason with the departures of LaMelo Ball, Josh Green and Miles Bridges, and the UConn one-and-done could find a way in.
Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Steph Castle has had a championship mindset his whole life, from high school to his banner year as part of a juggernaut at UConn and immediate transition onto a title contender in the NBA. The Spurs are looking to get back to the finals for the second year in a row; the question is: how will they juggle the loaded backcourt of Castle, De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, the 2025 second overall pick out of Rutgers.
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Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
Clingan played and started 77 games last year for the Blazers, doubling his offensive production and growing his reputation as one of the best rebounding and shot-blocking centers in the league. He'll continue to grow in that role in Portland, which added Ja Morant and will have Damian Lillard returning from an achilles tear.
Cam Spencer, Memphis Grizzlies
Spencer played well in four preseason games and will be a rotation player in Memphis, which shed Clingan's new teammate, Ja Morant, in the offseason. He averaged. 23.8 minutes per game and started 20 of 72 appearances last year, finishing 25th in the league in assists per game (5.6) and scoring 11.1 points per game while shooting 44.9% from 3-point range.
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Tristen Newton, Sacramento Kings
The two-time champion point guard and former All-American signed a training camp deal with the Kings and made the most of it, scoring 15 points in 19 minutes against Clingan's Blazers. He went 4 of 9 from the field, 1-for-3 from 3, with two rebounds, three assists and a steal in that one. Now he waits to see if he's done enough to earn a roster spot in Sacramento, which clearly tried to add winners this summer.
Jordan Hawkins, Chicago Bulls
Hawkins spent the final weeks of training camp preparation in Storrs working with Hurley and his staff as he awaited his new landing spot after three relatively forgettable years in New Orleans. Finally landing a two-way deal with the Bulls, Hawkins had his 3-point shot on display in two preseason games as he hit 6 of 8 from beyond the arc and averaged 10.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 14.4 minutes per game.
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Andre Drummond, New York Knicks
Drummond looked more than ready for his 14th NBA season, this one with his childhood favorite New York Knicks after an emotional championship season. He will replace Mitchell Robinson, who signed with Boston, as the reserve for Karl-Anthony Towns. The Middletown native averaged 8.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 blocks in 14.9 minutes per game this preseason.
