There are 19 total players that played high school basketball in Illinois and made it on a NBA court in the first half.
Twelve of those players have been shared in the Round 1 and Round 2. articles. Feel free to go back and check those out after your read Round 3.
Today’s articles includes the final seven players. This articles looks at the seasons being had by six of the longest tenured Illinois-NBA hoopers plus one rookie. A player that should have been included in that first group is Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis (Hinsdale Central). Since he was missed, he is being included in Round 3.
Anthony Davis
The longest tenured player from Illinois in today’s NBA is Anthony Davis (Perspectives). He has been playing since 2012 and is in his 13th season in the NBA.
This season has been an interesting one for the former No. 1 overall pick. Davis started the season as the starting center for the Los Angeles Lakers and is now sideline by injury as a newly-acquired player for the Dallas Mavericks.
Davis gets a lot of flack on social media about his time on the bench. It’s undeserved at this point. Last season, he played 81 games between the regular season and playoffs. This season, he played in 42 of the 45 Lakers games leading up to the trade.
During that stretch, he had 32 double-doubles and has carried the Lakers to some big victories. The big-man had a season-high nine straight double-doubles from December 28 through January 21.
His best game of the season came in a road win against Charlotte on January 27. Davis had a season-high 42 points (17-28 FG, 0-2 3PT, 8-10) and 23 rebounds (eight offensive) with two assists, two blocks, and four turnovers in the win. This was his second to last game with Los Angeles.
Davis was then traded just alongside Max Christie (Rolling Meadows) and a pick to Dallas in a 3-team trade that brought Luka Doncic to Los Angeles.
He made one appearance for the Mavs before being sidelined with left abductor sprain. Davis had 26 points (10-18 FG, 2-2 3PT, 4-6 FT) with 16 rebounds (four offensive), seven assists, three blocks, and a turnover in 30 minutes before leaving in the third quarter of a win against Houston.
His injury is set to sideline him for a multiple weeks to a whole month.
For the season, he’s played 43 games and is averaging 25.7 points on splits of .528/.313/.786 with 12 rebounds (2.9 offensive), 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.2 blocks in 34.2 minutes per game. He had 13 double-doubles with 30+ points and 10+ rebounds. He earned All-Star honors (10th of his career) but did not play due to injury.
Jahlil Okafor
Jahlil Okafor (Whitney Young) has played around the globe since he last played in the NBA in 2021. Now, four years later, he’s made it back onto a NBA court.
Okafor was signed by the Indiana Pacers and immediately waived before the start of the season. On October 27, he joined their G League affiliate Indiana Mad Ants. This would be his second stint in the G League and his first since the 2022-2023 season- played for the Mexico City Capitanes.
The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft quickly accepted and embraced his role with the Mad Ants. He’s be a consistent scorer and rebounding threat for them while offering their roster some veteran leadership.
Between the Tip-Off Tournament and the regular season, Okafor has played 30 games for the Mad Ants. He’s averaging 18.6 points on 65.5 percent shooting with 8.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 30.5 minutes per game. He earned a spot in the NBA G League Next Up Game during All-Star Weekend but would not end up playing.
Indiana came calling again and signed him to a 10-day contract right before the break. Pacers are the fifth teams he’s played for during his career. He made just one appearance with them. In his first game since 2021, he played just three minutes and 22 second while grabbing one rebound and assisting one basket on February 11.
Richaun Holmes
Richaun Holmes (Lockport) and Okafor were drafted in the same draft both by the Philadelphia 76ers- Holmes was drafted with the No. 37 pick. Unlike Okafor, Holmes has managed to play in every NBA season since that draft. His career has been up and down as he dealt with inconsistent playing time and off the court issues but he’s still playing.
This is his second season with the Washington Wizards and despite a slow start, he’s matched his total in games (17) from last season. He’s averaging 5.9 points on 65.1 percent shooting with 4.9 rebounds (1.7 offensive) in 15.9 minutes per game.
It was a slow build up for Holmes. He played in just four of his team’s first 33 games and seven of the first 44.
The last 10 games has been a different story. Leading up to the break, he’s played 10 consecutive games for Washington and had made four starts as well. During this span, he’s averaging 8.2 points on 73.9 percent shooting with 6.4 rebounds (2.2 offensive), 1.6 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 21.1 minutes per game.
He even scored 10 or more in three straight games from February 7-10.
On February 3, Holmes had zero points but grabbed 10 rebounds in a win against Charlotte.
On February 7, he had his first double-double of the season in a loss to Cleveland. The 31-year-old had 12 points (4-7 FG, 4-6 FT) with a season-high 12 rebounds, three assists, and a block. Also, He scored his 4,000 career-point this game.
Last noteworthy performance was a season-high in points in a loss to San Antonio on February 10. Holmes had 17 points (8-9 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1-2 FT) with four rebounds and a block.
In starts, he’s averaging 12 points on 74.1 percent shooting with 7.3 rebounds, 1 assists, and a block in just 21.1 minutes per game.
Fred VanVleet
Fred VanVleet (Auburn) is in his ninth season in the NBA and is midway through his second year with the Houston Rockets. VanVleet was a one-time All-Star and won the 2019 NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors. Now with, the Rockets, he’s been given the keys to help lead them to one of their own.
Despite the down season offensively, VanVleet has helped contribute in big ways and has hit some big shots. VanVleet and Houston currently sits in fourth place in the West.
VanVleet came up clutch with some big shots in a Houston win over Oklahoma City on December 1. He had a season-high 38 points (10-19 FG, 5-9 3PT, 13-14 FT) with two rebounds and a turnover in the win.
He also had a crucial steal on a sideline-inbound play in a win over Los Angeles Lakers on January 1. Max Christie (Rolling Meadows) tries to inbound the ball to LeBron James but VanVleet cuts the pass and completes the interception for his only steal of the game. That steal sealed the win. VanVleet finished with 15 points (5-12 FG, 3-8 3PT, 2-3 FT) with two rebounds, two assist, a steal, and a block in just over 42 minutes on the court.
This season, VanVleet is averaging 14.6 points on .387/.344/.824 with 3.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.6 steals on 35.5 minutes per games. Many of his stats this season have declined from last season and some are near career-lows. His point average is the lowest since he had 11 per game in 2018-2019.
He has four double doubles so far this season. He also has four games with six or more made 3-pointers. Houston is 4-0 in those games with wins against Minnesota (road, Cleveland (home/road), and New Orleans (road). Some of those clutch shots for Rockers mentioned above also took place in the January home win over the Cavs.
VanVleet was sidelined the last seven games of the first half with an ankle injury. Rockets are hoping he comes back even stronger as he’s been a vital playmaker even when he’s having down performances.
Jevon Carter
Jevon Carter (Proviso East) is in his seventh season. His first five were spent the Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets, and Milwaukee Bucks. His hometown team signed him to a multi-year deal in 2023 and has been with the Chicago Bulls ever since.
Carter has taken a step back this season with Chicago. He’s played just 26 games and is averaging 3.6 points on splits of .402/.362/.750 with one rebound and one assist per game.
He’s averaging career-lows in minutes played, field goals, field goal attempts, 3-pointers, 3-point attempts, rebounds offensive rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and points.
The 29-year-old has just five appearance playing double-digits minutes this season. From December 21 through January 10, Carter played in seven of the 10 Bulls games. When Ayo Dosunmu (Morgan Park) went out with injury after Christmas, Carter had his best game once given significant minutes the following game.
Carter played just under 36 minutes in a loss against Atlanta on December 26. He had a season-high 26 points (9-15 FG, 7-11 3PT, 1-2 FT) with four rebounds, five assist, a steal, and a turnover in the loss.
The Bulls are guard-heavy so playing time is limited. Since the beginning Carter has made the most of whatever he has so look for him to contribute on and off the court for this Chicago team.
Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson (Stevenson) has become a king in New York.
Dallas Mavericks are probably still regretting they did not bring him back.
Brunson is in his seventh season in the NBA and his third with the New York Knicks.
He has played in all 53 games for them and is averaging 26.1 points on splits of .492/.397/.816 with 2.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 0.9 steals in 35.2 minutes per game. He has 11 double doubles this season- he had only nine last season.
He has played 1,904 minutes so far this season under Coach Tom Thibodeau. It ranks fifth in the NBA. His teammates Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart are No. 1 and No. 2 on the list.
Brunson is averaging near career-highs in several categories but the for sure ones are free throws (5.8), free throw attempts, and assists (7.5). His 2.4 turnovers per game are a career-worst unfortunately.
He made a career-high 16 free throws in an overtime win on the road against Washington on December 28. That same game, he had a season-high 55 points (18-31 FG, 3-11 3PT, 16-17 FT) with three rebounds, nine assists, and three turnovers in 44 minutes.
Brunson also set a new-high in assists in a 27-point win on the road against Denver on November 25. He had 23 points (8-14 FG, 4-5 3PT, 3-3 FT) with three rebounds, 17 assists, and two turnover in 38 minutes.
The last game of the first half could just be a Knicks Classic the way it ended. New York outlasted the Atlanta Hawks, 149-148, in overtime on February 12. Brunson dropped 36 points including the game-winner with three rebounds (one offensive), and eight rebounds in the win.
Each month, Brunson continues to average more points per game. For November, he averaged 22.8 per game and for February so far, he’s averaging 27.8 points per game. He’ll find an open teammate but he’s not afraid to get his own.
Brunson’s first half earned him his second All-Star game nod and was even a starter. He also participated in the 3-point contest during the All-Star game weekend but was an early-exit.
The 28-year-old is not satisfied and it shows, he’s very hunger to lift New York to their first NBA Championship since 1973. He’s got his buddies and is hoping to continue to ascend the standing the second half. Watch out, NBA.
Matas Buzelis
Matas Buzelis (Hinsdale Central) is the least experienced of all these players and should have been mentioned in Round 1. But he won’t be forgotten and this final section will have everyone all up to date.
Buzelis was taken by his hometown Chicago Bulls with the No. 11 pick in last summer’s draft. During summer league, he did not play spectacular but managed to average 16.4 points on 33 percent shooting. Buzelis struggled from the arc as he shot just 21 percent.
The rookie has spent most his time with the Bulls but did make two starts with their G League affiliate. For Windy City, he’s averaging 22.5 points on 42.2 percent shooting with 9.5 rebounds, three assists, and 3.5 blocks in 34.4 minutes per game.
His time has been spent mostly coming off the bench for Chicago. He’s played in 53 of their 55 games. He has made just four starts and has only one game with 30 or more minutes on the court.
This season, he’s averaging 6.4 points on splits of .441/.361/.796 with 2.8 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 0.6 turnovers in 14.8 minutes per game.
He has a team-high 45 blocks for the Bulls which also fifth among all rookies. Buzelis has 14 games with two or more blocks, making one of four rookies this season with as many games joining Alex Sar, Yves Missi and Donovan Clingan.
Right before the break, he started to receive more playing time and even made four starts. He scored in double figures in eight straight games leading up to the break. During that span, he’s averaging 14.1 points on 59.7 percent shooing with 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game. He’s also shot 42.4 percent on 4.1 attempts from beyond the arc.
His coming out game was in a comeback win over the Miami Heat on February 4. Buzelis had a career-high 24 points (10-10 FG, 4-4 3PT) with two rebounds, two blocks, and a turnover in the win.
Buzelis’ first start was in a road loss to Minnesota on the following evening. He had 14 points (4-10 FG, 0-4 3PT, 6-9 FT0 with five rebounds (one offensive), an assist, two steals, and three blocks in just under 30 minutes on the court.
As a starter, he’s averaging 13.3 points on 51.3 percent shooting with 2.8 rebounds, two assists, 0.75 steals, and a block in 25.9 minutes per game.
Over the break, he appeared in the Rising Star Games and the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend in San Francisco.
He’s set to make a second-half push for NBA Rookie of the Year.
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