WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Two former Boilermakers have made opening-day rosters for their respective teams as the NBA season tips off tonight.
A.J. Hammons and E'Twaun Moore have made opening-day rosters for the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, respectively. The Mavericks' opener will be tomorrow in Indianapolis against the Pacers while the Pelicans open Wednesday at home against the Nuggets.
Hammons, the 46th pick of the Mavericks in the NBA Draft, averaged 4.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game in seven preseason games. He shot 17-of-34 (.500) from the field with his best performances coming against Charlotte on Oct. 3 (6 pts, 9 rebs) and Oklahoma City on Oct. 11 (8 pts, 5 rebs).
Hammons was a 2016 honorable mention All-American at Purdue after averaging 15.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game for the Boilermakers. He was the 2016 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten honoree.
Moore, the 55th pick of the Boston Celtics in the 2011 NBA Draft, signed a 4-year, 34-million dollar deal with the New Orleans Pelicans in the offseason and was a starter in the majority of their preseason games. Moore averaged 12.4 points per game while shooting 26-of-49 (.531) from the field and 9-of-17 (.529) from long distance in five preseason games. Moore's best outing in the preseason came against Houston on Oct. 9, when he scored 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-4 from long distance.
For his career, Moore is averaging 5.8 points and 1.6 assists per game in 307 contests. He is coming off his best season in the league, averaging 7.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 59 games for the Bulls a year ago. He is expected to play a larger role this year in the Pelicans' backcourt.
Moore is Purdue's third all-time leading scorer (2,136 points) and was a two-time All-American, garnering third-team accolades in 2011.
Thirty-three former Boilermakers (not including Hammons) have appeared in NBA games and the Purdue program has had 47 players drafted in NBA history. Purdue has had at least two players appear in an NBA game in a season for 36 consecutive years.
