27 former Kentucky players listed on 2023-24 Opening Night NBA rosters

The 2023-24 NBA season begins tonight! Two games will get the season rolling, starting with the Lakers-Nuggets at 7:30 p.m. EST followed by the Suns-Warriors at 10:00 p.m. EST. Both games will be available on TNT.

After the Denver Nuggets won the franchise’s first-ever championship to close out the 2022-23 season, they’ll be projected as one of the top few expected to contend for an NBA Finals berth come June. Led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and former Kentucky guard Jamal Murray, plenty of eyes will be on Denver as they look to repeat.

But there are plenty of other major storylines to follow across the Association this season. How will Damian Lillard do with the Milwaukee Bucks? What about Jrue Holiday and the Boston Celtics? Will James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers finally break up? Can San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama live up to the hype? NBA fans are in for a treat this season. This league is never short on drama.

Kentucky fans have plenty to pay attention to as well. After 30 former Wildcats participated in preseason games, 27 of them wound up making the final rosters, which were due to the NBA by Monday. The three that ultimately didn’t make a team but played in the preseason were Wenyen Gabriel, Mychal Mulder, and Kevin Knox, although all three are free to sign with any team at any point.

Below are all 27 one-time ‘Cats listed on NBA rosters ahead of Opening Night. 20 of them are American-born players and four are from Canada. Jamaica, France, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo all have one representative. Five players are on two-way contracts (two of them rookies), meaning they can play in both the NBA and the G League throughout the season. Three different teams have at least three former UK players: Sacramento Kings (Fox, Monk, Lyles), Oklahoma City Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace, Sarr), and New York Knicks (Quickley, Randle, Toppin). Additionally, ESPN ranked 11 Kentucky players among this year’s top 100 NBA players.

As always, the daily BBNBA posts will return once the season tips off. The season is officially here, folks.

Kentucky players on ’23-24 NBA Opening Night rosters

• Bam Adebayo (MIA)
• Devin Booker (PHX)
• Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)
• Anthony Davis (LAL)
• De’Aaron Fox (SAC)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)
• Tyler Herro (MIA)
• Isaiah Jackson (IND)
• Keldon Johnson (SAS)
• Johnny Juzang (UTA) Two-Way
• Chris Livingston (MIL)
• Trey Lyles (SAC)
• Tyrese Maxey (PHI)
• Malik Monk (SAC)
• Jamal Murray (DEN)
• Immanuel Quickley (NYK)
• Julius Randle (NYK)
• Nick Richards (CHA)
• Olivier Sarr (OKC) Two-Way
• Shaedon Sharpe (POR)
• Jacob Toppin (NYK) Two-Way
• Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)
• Oscar Tshiebwe (IND) Two-Way
• Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)
• Cason Wallace (OKC)
• PJ Washington (CHA)
• TyTy Washington (MIL) Two-Way

BBNBA storylines to watch

• Can Bam Adebayo finally win Defensive Player of the Year? He’s been among the top five finalists in each of the last four seasons but has never finished higher than fourth. He made an All-Defensive Team in all four seasons during that span. Many pundits will tell you he’s still being underrated on defense though. He’ll have to do the bulk of the defending for the Miami Heat this year, both in the paint and on the perimeter. If Miami can solidify itself as a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, Adebayo will have a serious chance to finally capture that first DPOY.
• Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lead OKC to glory? After a monster breakout season that carried over into the World Cup, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now primed for a potential MVP run. He was in the conversation last season, but the Oklahoma City Thunder finished with just 40 wins and missed the playoffs. That being said, OKC should be better this season, especially with 7-foot-2 center Chet Holmgren making his debut. But on the other end of the conversation, OKC will not surprise anyone this year like they did in ’22-23. Is a 45-win season in store this season? If so, SGA will be in MVP talks.
• Can Tyrese Maxey win Most Improved Player? He’s certainly going to be in the conversation. As long as his teammate James Harden continues to beef with the Philadelphia 76ers front office, Maxey could be in for a massive role alongside reigning MVP Joel Embiid. A lot of Philly’s season depends on how much better Maxey will be in year four. If he’s in the conversation for MIP as many expect, the 76ers should be just fine even with Harden’s situation.
• Can Jamal Murray finally make the All-Star Game? This is the year for it to happen. He was on pace to make the All-Star Game after his breakout in 2020-21 in the Bubble, but a torn ACL in 2021-22 knocked him off that path. He used last season to recover and looked like one of the NBA’s best guards once the playoffs arrived. Now that he has a title under his belt and Denver will once again contend for a title, Murray should be among the first few Western Conference guards mentioned for an All-Star bid as long as he plays to the same level he did down the stretch of 2022-23.
• Can the Sacramento Kings repeat last year’s magic? Headlined by three former Wildcats in De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, and Trey Lyles, the Kings were the surprise of the 2022-23 season, winning 48 games, finishing third in the West, and making the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. The front office essentially brought back the entire team, too. Can that continuity lead to another 45-plus win season in ’23-24? The target will be on their backs this time around. But Fox is a legit All-Star, Monk a Sixth Man of the Year contender, and Lyles a steady contributor off the bench. They’ll be fun to watch from a Kentucky fan perspective and should be in line for another postseason appearance.