Oct. 16, 2017 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - With the NBA season set to tip off Tuesday, three former Boilermakers will be on active NBA rosters to begin the season.
A.J. Hammons, E'Twaun Moore and Caleb Swanigan will all start the season on the opening-day rosters for their respective squads.
Hammons will be in his first year with the Miami Heat after being traded during the offseason from Dallas. As a rookie with the Mavericks, he averaged 2.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game in 7.4 minutes per outing while playing in 22 games.
Hammons saw no action for the Heat in the preseason as he battled a sickness, but he figures to provide depth and a defensive presence to the Heat frontline.
Hammons was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year in 2016.
The Heat open the season in Orlando on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
Moore is in his seventh season in the NBA and his second with the New Orleans Pelicans. A year ago, Moore recorded career bests in points per game (9.6) and minutes per game (24.9) while also averaging 2.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. He also connected on a career-best 208 3-pointers while shooting 37.0 percent from long range.
For his career, he is averaging 6.6 points in 380 contests. He has spent time previously with Boston, Orlando and Chicago. Last summer, he signed a 4-year, 34-million dollar deal with the Pelicans.
Moore averaged 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in four preseason games. He was 5-of-13 (.385) from long range.
Moore was a third-team All-American at Purdue and is one of five Purdue players in school history to score 2,000 points.
New Orleans opens the season Wednesday, Oct. 18, at Memphis.
Swanigan, a rookie who was the 26th overall pick of the Portland Trailblazers, will begin in NBA career Wednesday in Phoenix.
Swanigan had a strong preseason, averaging 7.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in five preseason outings. His 7.2 rebound per game average was tops among all NBA rookies during the preseason.
He is coming off an NBA Summer League season where he became the fourth rookie in NBA history to average a double-double while being named an All-Summer League performer.
Swanigan was a consensus All-American a year ago at Purdue, being named the Big Ten Player of the Year and winning the NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year Award, the second time in seven years that a Purdue player won the award.
Swanigan and his Portland teammates will be in Indianapolis on Friday as the Trailblazers will face the Pacers for a 7 p.m. ET, tipoff.
Entering this season, 34 former Boilermakers have played games in the NBA.
Head coach Matt Painter has had five players drafted in the last seven seasons.
A.J. Hammons, E'Twaun Moore and Caleb Swanigan will all start the season on the opening-day rosters for their respective squads.
Hammons will be in his first year with the Miami Heat after being traded during the offseason from Dallas. As a rookie with the Mavericks, he averaged 2.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game in 7.4 minutes per outing while playing in 22 games.
Hammons saw no action for the Heat in the preseason as he battled a sickness, but he figures to provide depth and a defensive presence to the Heat frontline.
Hammons was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year in 2016.
The Heat open the season in Orlando on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
Moore is in his seventh season in the NBA and his second with the New Orleans Pelicans. A year ago, Moore recorded career bests in points per game (9.6) and minutes per game (24.9) while also averaging 2.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. He also connected on a career-best 208 3-pointers while shooting 37.0 percent from long range.
For his career, he is averaging 6.6 points in 380 contests. He has spent time previously with Boston, Orlando and Chicago. Last summer, he signed a 4-year, 34-million dollar deal with the Pelicans.
Moore averaged 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in four preseason games. He was 5-of-13 (.385) from long range.
Moore was a third-team All-American at Purdue and is one of five Purdue players in school history to score 2,000 points.
New Orleans opens the season Wednesday, Oct. 18, at Memphis.
Swanigan, a rookie who was the 26th overall pick of the Portland Trailblazers, will begin in NBA career Wednesday in Phoenix.
Swanigan had a strong preseason, averaging 7.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in five preseason outings. His 7.2 rebound per game average was tops among all NBA rookies during the preseason.
He is coming off an NBA Summer League season where he became the fourth rookie in NBA history to average a double-double while being named an All-Summer League performer.
Swanigan was a consensus All-American a year ago at Purdue, being named the Big Ten Player of the Year and winning the NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year Award, the second time in seven years that a Purdue player won the award.
Swanigan and his Portland teammates will be in Indianapolis on Friday as the Trailblazers will face the Pacers for a 7 p.m. ET, tipoff.
Entering this season, 34 former Boilermakers have played games in the NBA.
Head coach Matt Painter has had five players drafted in the last seven seasons.