Arizona Wildcats in the NBA: A recap of UA players before All-Star weekend

All-Star break

By Justin Spears / Arizona Daily Star

It's officially the halfway mark of the NBA season what a year it's been in the rejuvenated version of the association. With All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, which starts on Friday and runs through Sunday, it's time to recap the first half of the season. 

Here's a quick recap of the NBA as a whole: Cavaliers have found new light before the trade deadline, Chris Paul has a secret pathway to the Clippers locker room in Staples Center, LeBron James reportedly would consider the Warriors in free agency and James Harden is a frontrunner in the MVP race. 

For ex-Wildcats, the story lines are everywhere. From triple-doubles, to participating in All-Star weekend, to former UA teammates reuniting in coach-player fashion, it's been a fun first half of the season.

Take a look at how every former Wildcat has done in the NBA so far this season.

Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls

Points per game: 15.3

Field goal (%): 43

3-point field goal (%): 35.4

Rebounds per game: 7.7

Assists per game: 1.3

Minutes per game: 30.3

Comment: Lauri Markkanen is on pace to have the best rookie season in Arizona Wildcats history. He's on pace to average 2.5 made 3-point field goals per game, which is the best out of any rookie in NBA history, which was set by Damian Lillard in 2013. Markkanen also became the fastest player in NBA history to make 100 3-pointers, and he only needed 41 games to do it. In January, Markkanen became the first 7-footer to knock down 10 3-pointers in a game and scored a career-high 33 points. So far this season, the rookie from Finland made his mark not only on the Bulls, but in the NBA and has earned respect from legends such as Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James. Markkanen also became a father earlier this month and welcomed a baby boy. Markkanen represented Team World in the NBA Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star weekend, scoring 15 points and hauling in six rebounds. Check out Markkanen's 100 3-pointers from this season:

T.J. McConnell, Philadelphia 76ers

Points per game: 7.3

Field goal (%): 51.1

3-point field goal (%): 51.1

Rebounds per game: 3.4

Assists per game: 246

Minutes per game: 24.5

Comment: Timothy. John. McConnell. The undrafted point guard now in his third season in NBA has been a spark off the bench for the surging Sixers. With Ben Simmons handling the starting point guard position, McConnell is one of the first ones off the bench especially with Markelle Fultz battling a shoulder injury. On Monday, McConnell recorded his first career triple-double (10 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) against the Knicks and became the first player in franchise history to do so coming off the bench. Here's McConnell's highlights from his career night:

10 PTS / 11 AST / 10 REB / 6 STL

Highlights from @TJMcConnell's first career triple-double. pic.twitter.com/jGBDb29xjw

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 13, 2018

Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors

Points per game: 5.4

Field goal (%): 43.6

3-point field goal (%): 22.9

Rebounds per game: 3.4

Assists per game: 3.8

Minutes per game: 25.5

Comment: Another season, another year where Andre Iguodala -- now in his 14th season in the NBA -- gets to play on the uber-talented Warriors team on the hunt to play in their fourth consecutive NBA Finals. The 2015 NBA Finals MVP has a career-low in 3-point percentage and minutes per game, but his presence off the bench in the playoffs should come in handy. The latest storyline for Iguodala: he's a coach now? Against the Phoenix Suns earlier this week, head coach Steve Kerr allowed Iguodala to lead the team in a timeout huddle.

Coach @andre leads the @warriors huddle!#DubNation pic.twitter.com/bePWnGnuve

— NBA (@NBA) February 13, 2018

Kadeem Allen, Boston Celtics / Maine Red Claws (G-League)

Points per game: 18.4

Field goal (%): 47

3-point field goal (%): 34.6

Rebounds per game: 5.8

Assists per game: 5.1

Minutes per game: 34.6

Comment: One of Sean Miller's most favorite guards to ever play in Tucson, Kadeem Allen has shined at the next level as a two-way guard. Boston's second-round draft pick from 2017 hasn't played much with the Celtics this season, but has been the first player to get called up from the G-League affiliate, Maine Red Claws, every time a rotational guard gets injured so it adds depth to the bench. Allen tied the G-League scoring-high with 46 points a few weeks ago. Check out his highlights here:

Jerryd Bayless, Philadelphia 76ers

Points per game: 7.9

Field goal (%): 41

3-point field goal (%): 31.6

Rebounds per game: 2.1

Assists per game: 1.4

Minutes per game: 23.7

Comment: One of the last remaining Lute Olson players left in the NBA, Bayless has been a role player for the up-and-coming Sixers. When star rookie Ben Simmons isn't on the floor, sometimes the Sixers go with an all-Arizona backcourt with Bayless at shooting guard and T.J. McConnell at point guard. The Sixers currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, so you could see Bayless in the playoffs this year. 

Channing Frye, Los Angeles Lakers

Points per game: 18.4

Field goal (%): 50

3-point field goal (%): 34.1

Rebounds per game: 2.4

Assists per game: 0.6

Minutes per game: 12.4

Comment: Channing Frye was the last Wildcat to be traded from the Cavaliers and he was sent to the Lakers, where he got to reunite with his former UA teammate Luke Walton... who's the head coach. Walton and Frye were teammates at Arizona from 2001-03 so while Frye is new to L.A., he's familiar with what Walton expects of him. So does Walton yell at Frye when he makes a mistake on the court? Does Walton just allow Frye to do whatever he wants? That remains to be seen, but Frye is excited to be a Laker and even posted a comical video after he was traded. 

.@Channing_Frye on his trade: “Don’t go 0-6 or they’ll trade yo a**” 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/HByTterVen

— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) February 8, 2018

Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic

Points per game: 18.4

Field goal (%): 44.7

3-point field goal (%): 34.6

Rebounds per game: 8.3

Assists per game: 2.2

Minutes per game: 34

Comment: Aaron Gordon might be the best Wildcat currently in the NBA right now. One of his biggest flaws at Arizona was that he couldn't make free throws and he couldn't shoot outside of the paint. And being a combo forward in the new generation of the NBA, the ability to hit mid-range jump shots and 3-pointers is a staple. Gordon has taken more 3-point attempts this season than any year of his four-year NBA career and doubled 3-pointers made. He's also averaging 3.2 more rebounds than he did last season so the high-flying Gordon has been more aggressive shooting the ball and attacking the boards. Unfortunately for Gordon, he will miss out on the All-Star weekend festivities as he withdrew from the Slam Dunk Contest due to a hip flexor injury. Check out Gordon's best dunks of the season. 

Solomon Hill, New Orleans Pelicans

Comment: In late August, Solomon Hill tore his left hamstring in a workout in his hometown of Los Angeles, and was diagnosed to miss 6-8 months. The sixth month is coming up in about a week so Hill will be in that frame to return, but he's not rushing back to prevent another setback. "Once I can get that strength in the left, I’ll be able to slide, I’ll be able to close out, be able to do those things and trust it. You don’t want to go out there having a big disparity between the right and left and take the wrong step that could be a setback,” Hill told SB Nation. Last season, Hill averaged 7 points and 4 rebounds off the bench for the Pelicans.   

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brooklyn Nets

Points per game: 14.3

Field goal (%): 47.2

3-point field goal (%): 27.9

Rebounds per game: 6.5

Assists per game: 2.3

Minutes per game: 28.3

Comment: The shim master himself is having the best season of his NBA career and has started 45 of the 46 games for the Nets this season. Hollis-Jefferson has a career-high in every statistical category except for steals, which is interesting considering he's arguably the best defender Miller has sent to the NBA. Hollis-Jefferson still got it done on the defensive end in the first half of the season, and his highlight moment was a chase down block on LeBron James. 

Richard Jefferson, Denver Nuggets

Points per game: 1.6

Field goal (%): 41.7

3-point field goal (%): 28.6

Rebounds per game: 0.9

Assists per game: 0.6

Minutes per game: 8.6

Comment: Jefferson was traded from the Cavs to the Nuggets in October and hasn't had much of a role with Denver has he did in Cleveland, but the 37-year-old is maintaining what has been a solid NBA career. Will Jefferson retire? His one-year, $2.3 million contract is up after this season so it's a possible scenario.

Stanley Johnson, Detroit Pistons

Points per game: 8.7

Field goal (%): 37.8

3-point field goal (%): 29.2

Rebounds per game: 3.7

Assists per game: 1.6

Minutes per game: 28

Comment: The former No. 8 pick of the 2015 draft has found his role with Pistons and started 33 of the 46 games this season. Johnson has played more small forward than shooting guard this season, but his production has been more effective this season than in years past. The Pistons flirted with possibly trading Johnson before the deadline, but he survived and has played well with new teammate Blake Griffin, who was traded from the Clippers. Since the Pistons acquired Griffin, Johnson has averaged 14 points per game. Maybe that's just what he needed. 

Jason Terry, Milwaukee Bucks

Points per game: 2.3

Field goal (%): 40

3-point field goal (%): 34.2

Rebounds per game: 0.8

Assists per game: 0.8

Minutes per game: 11

Comment: The 40-year-old is one of three players left in the NBA that was drafted in the 1990s. Like Richard Jefferson, JET is another player that could retire in the near future. With the Bucks, Terry played quality minutes as a shooting guard especially since the depth of the position is thin. With Malcolm Brogdon and Tony Snell at the helm, Terry is a body that allows Milwaukee's young shooting guards to get rest during games. How much older is Terry compared to the rest of the team? The only player closest to Terry's age is Mirza Teletovic, 32, and everyone else is in their 20s. When Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was born, Terry was Lute Olson's prized recruit as a senior in high school.