University of Georgia Athletics
Pro Dogs Update: Edwards Helps Timberwolves to Second Conference Finals Appearance
May 21, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Former Bulldogs earns All-NBA honors during Playoffs
ATHENS, Ga. – Several former Bulldogs have concluded their seasons or are closing in on opportunity to clinch league championships at home and abroad. Further, a pair of Georgia basketball alumni playing internationally are impressing in new threads.
Most notably, Anthony Edwards, the 2020 SEC Freshman of the Year while playing at Georgia, led the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals for just the second time in franchise history before falling to the Dallas Mavericks. Edwards, who was named second-team All-NBA during the series, averaged 27.6 points over 16 postseason games this season. His total of 441 Playoff points in 2024 represented the most ever by a Georgia Bulldog. He topped the previous high of 374 points by Dominique Wilkins in 1987-88 with the Atlanta Hawks.
Prior to the conference finals, an electrifying seven-games semifinal series featured two Bulldog-bolstered squads. The Timberwolves and Edwards, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, toppled Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the 2013 SEC Player of the Year, and the Denver Nuggets, 98-90 in the final game of the series to advance.
Caldwell-Pope finished postseason the season with 97 points (8.1 ppg), 35 rebounds (2.9 rpg), 31 assists (2.6 apg), five blocks (0.4 bpg) and 17 steals (1.4 spg) across 420 minutes played (35.0 mpg) in 12 playoff contests. The Nuggets took its first round series against the Los Angeles Lakers in five games, and Caldwell-Pope recorded 42 points (8.4 ppg) across the duration of the series. After the helping reach the efficient decision over the Lakers, Caldwell-Pope added on 55 points (7.6 ppg) in the series defeat to the Timberwolves. However, in game five of the series, the shooting guard's 16 points – tied for third best on the team during the matchup – helped the Nuggets to flip the series after falling to an early 0-2 deficit to the Timberwolves squad. In the final game of the series, Caldwell-Pope recorded a postseason high in minutes played after logging 40 minutes on the hardwood.
NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards has shone through the first two rounds of the playoffs this postseason. In a first-round sweep of the Phoenix Suns, Edwards dominated offensively with 124 points (31.0 ppg) and led his team in scoring in three of the four consecutive wins. Edwards shot the ball at a 48.0 percent clip during the first round series, eclipsing his regular season field goal percentage in route to the first playoff series sweep in franchise history. In the second round series against the Nuggets, twice Edwards set a new career-high in postseason scoring after recording 43 points in the game one win in Denver before posting 44 points in the game four loss at home. During the series, Edwards had 194 points (27.7 ppg), 36 rebounds (5.1 rpg), 40 assists (5.7 apg), four blocks and 11 steals (1.6 spg). In game four, the Bulldog standout finished the game with a 64.7 field goal percentage, his second-best showing during the entire 2023-24 season. Looking ahead to the Western Conference finals, Edwards will look to add on to his stellar resume against the Dallas Mavericks from this season as the guard has averaged 24.5 points per game and 5.8 assists per game, along with a 45.5 three-point percentage against the Texas outfit.
Seven former Bulldogs are still competing or have finished their seasons overseas. A review of each player's season-to-date is compiled below.
Braelen Bridges is enjoying his start to life in his new home in Australia with the Ringwood Hawks in the Australian NBL One. The side is 6-7 this year and sits in 11th place in the NBL One South Division. Through 11 games played, Bridges has recorded 203 points (18.5 ppg), 107 rebounds (9.7 rpg), 29 assists (2.6 apg), six blocked shots (0.5 bpg) and five steals (0.5 spg). The center has posted double-digits in scoring in every game so far this season, and his season high in points (25) came recently against Diamond V.E. on May 11.
In Venezuela, Tyree Crump is enjoying a new start with SPB side Trotamundos. Through nine games played this season, Crump has 116 points (12.9 ppg), 32 rebounds (3.6 rpg), 16 assists (1.8 apg) and nine steals (1.0 spg). Interestingly, Crump is perfect from the free throw line, knocking down all 10 of his attempts so far this season. Crump recorded his season high in points with his 23-point effort on May 4 against Pioneros. This season, Trotamundos owns a 7-2 record and occupies second place in Group 1 of the SPG league standings.
Nemanja Djurisic's season came to a close in the quarterfinals of the Polish OBL playoffs as his side, Stal, fell 3-2 in its series against Slask. Djurisic, during the series, amassed 88 points (17.6 ppg), 28 rebounds (5.6 rpg), nine assists (1.8 apg), two blocks and eight steals (1.6 spg), including a season and career high 44 points in game three of the series. In his career night in game three, the forward went 12-15 from the field, including 4-5 from behind the arc, while also shooting 80 percent from the free throw line.
John Florveus has helped his side advanced to the Bulgarian NBL playoffs final after recording a two-game sweep in the quarterfinals against Shumen and a 3-2 series win over Spartak Pleven in the semifinals. The center posted 15 points (7.5 ppg), seven rebounds (3.5 rpg), two assists (1.0 apg), three blocks (1.5 bpg) and a steal in the quarterfinal sweep, and in the five game semifinal series, Florveus had 31 points (6.2 ppg), 16 rebounds (3.2 rpg) and four blocks (0.8 bpg). Across the postseason, the Florida native has 46 points (6.6 ppg), 23 rebounds (3.3 rpg), two assists, seven blocks (1.0 bpg) and a steal in total. His side, No. 2 seed Rilski, will face the No. 4 seed Balkan in the championship.
In Belgium, Brussels Basketball's season neared close after failing to secure a seed in the Belgian half of the bracket in the BNXT League playoffs. Jordan Harris and the Belgian outfit were matched up against Yoast United on April 21 in a winner-take-seventh-seed contest. Since, Harris has played in three more Elite Silver division games for the team recording 30 points (10.0 ppg), 24 rebounds (8.0 rpg), 10 assists (3.3 apg), one block and five steals (1.7) to close out the campaign.
In Japan, Yante Maten scored 25 points (12.5 ppg) with 21 rebounds (10.5 rpg), four assists (2.0 apg) and two blocks in San-en NP's two-game series loss to the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the quarterfinals of the Japanese B1 League – who eventually recorded a three-game series win in the semifinals to advance to the league finals. In the Japanese B2 League, Terrance Woodbury's Kumamoto Volters also fell in the quarterfinals of the league playoffs in a 3-0 series decision to the Koshigaya Alphas. During the quarterfinal series, Woodbury accounted for 19 points (9.5 ppg), four rebounds (2.0 rpg), five assists (2.5 apg) and one block.
Derek Ogbeide and Pistoia fell in the quarterfinals of the Italian Serie A playoffs in a 3-0 sweep to Brescia. During the three-game result, Ogbeide contributed 16 points (5.3 ppg), 12 rebounds (4.0 rpg), five blocked shots (1.7 bpg) and one steal. The stretch forward saw limited minutes as his season came to a close due to a lingering injury from the regular season.
Most notably, Anthony Edwards, the 2020 SEC Freshman of the Year while playing at Georgia, led the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals for just the second time in franchise history before falling to the Dallas Mavericks. Edwards, who was named second-team All-NBA during the series, averaged 27.6 points over 16 postseason games this season. His total of 441 Playoff points in 2024 represented the most ever by a Georgia Bulldog. He topped the previous high of 374 points by Dominique Wilkins in 1987-88 with the Atlanta Hawks.
Prior to the conference finals, an electrifying seven-games semifinal series featured two Bulldog-bolstered squads. The Timberwolves and Edwards, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, toppled Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the 2013 SEC Player of the Year, and the Denver Nuggets, 98-90 in the final game of the series to advance.
Caldwell-Pope finished postseason the season with 97 points (8.1 ppg), 35 rebounds (2.9 rpg), 31 assists (2.6 apg), five blocks (0.4 bpg) and 17 steals (1.4 spg) across 420 minutes played (35.0 mpg) in 12 playoff contests. The Nuggets took its first round series against the Los Angeles Lakers in five games, and Caldwell-Pope recorded 42 points (8.4 ppg) across the duration of the series. After the helping reach the efficient decision over the Lakers, Caldwell-Pope added on 55 points (7.6 ppg) in the series defeat to the Timberwolves. However, in game five of the series, the shooting guard's 16 points – tied for third best on the team during the matchup – helped the Nuggets to flip the series after falling to an early 0-2 deficit to the Timberwolves squad. In the final game of the series, Caldwell-Pope recorded a postseason high in minutes played after logging 40 minutes on the hardwood.
NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards has shone through the first two rounds of the playoffs this postseason. In a first-round sweep of the Phoenix Suns, Edwards dominated offensively with 124 points (31.0 ppg) and led his team in scoring in three of the four consecutive wins. Edwards shot the ball at a 48.0 percent clip during the first round series, eclipsing his regular season field goal percentage in route to the first playoff series sweep in franchise history. In the second round series against the Nuggets, twice Edwards set a new career-high in postseason scoring after recording 43 points in the game one win in Denver before posting 44 points in the game four loss at home. During the series, Edwards had 194 points (27.7 ppg), 36 rebounds (5.1 rpg), 40 assists (5.7 apg), four blocks and 11 steals (1.6 spg). In game four, the Bulldog standout finished the game with a 64.7 field goal percentage, his second-best showing during the entire 2023-24 season. Looking ahead to the Western Conference finals, Edwards will look to add on to his stellar resume against the Dallas Mavericks from this season as the guard has averaged 24.5 points per game and 5.8 assists per game, along with a 45.5 three-point percentage against the Texas outfit.
Seven former Bulldogs are still competing or have finished their seasons overseas. A review of each player's season-to-date is compiled below.
Braelen Bridges is enjoying his start to life in his new home in Australia with the Ringwood Hawks in the Australian NBL One. The side is 6-7 this year and sits in 11th place in the NBL One South Division. Through 11 games played, Bridges has recorded 203 points (18.5 ppg), 107 rebounds (9.7 rpg), 29 assists (2.6 apg), six blocked shots (0.5 bpg) and five steals (0.5 spg). The center has posted double-digits in scoring in every game so far this season, and his season high in points (25) came recently against Diamond V.E. on May 11.
In Venezuela, Tyree Crump is enjoying a new start with SPB side Trotamundos. Through nine games played this season, Crump has 116 points (12.9 ppg), 32 rebounds (3.6 rpg), 16 assists (1.8 apg) and nine steals (1.0 spg). Interestingly, Crump is perfect from the free throw line, knocking down all 10 of his attempts so far this season. Crump recorded his season high in points with his 23-point effort on May 4 against Pioneros. This season, Trotamundos owns a 7-2 record and occupies second place in Group 1 of the SPG league standings.
Nemanja Djurisic's season came to a close in the quarterfinals of the Polish OBL playoffs as his side, Stal, fell 3-2 in its series against Slask. Djurisic, during the series, amassed 88 points (17.6 ppg), 28 rebounds (5.6 rpg), nine assists (1.8 apg), two blocks and eight steals (1.6 spg), including a season and career high 44 points in game three of the series. In his career night in game three, the forward went 12-15 from the field, including 4-5 from behind the arc, while also shooting 80 percent from the free throw line.
John Florveus has helped his side advanced to the Bulgarian NBL playoffs final after recording a two-game sweep in the quarterfinals against Shumen and a 3-2 series win over Spartak Pleven in the semifinals. The center posted 15 points (7.5 ppg), seven rebounds (3.5 rpg), two assists (1.0 apg), three blocks (1.5 bpg) and a steal in the quarterfinal sweep, and in the five game semifinal series, Florveus had 31 points (6.2 ppg), 16 rebounds (3.2 rpg) and four blocks (0.8 bpg). Across the postseason, the Florida native has 46 points (6.6 ppg), 23 rebounds (3.3 rpg), two assists, seven blocks (1.0 bpg) and a steal in total. His side, No. 2 seed Rilski, will face the No. 4 seed Balkan in the championship.
In Belgium, Brussels Basketball's season neared close after failing to secure a seed in the Belgian half of the bracket in the BNXT League playoffs. Jordan Harris and the Belgian outfit were matched up against Yoast United on April 21 in a winner-take-seventh-seed contest. Since, Harris has played in three more Elite Silver division games for the team recording 30 points (10.0 ppg), 24 rebounds (8.0 rpg), 10 assists (3.3 apg), one block and five steals (1.7) to close out the campaign.
In Japan, Yante Maten scored 25 points (12.5 ppg) with 21 rebounds (10.5 rpg), four assists (2.0 apg) and two blocks in San-en NP's two-game series loss to the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the quarterfinals of the Japanese B1 League – who eventually recorded a three-game series win in the semifinals to advance to the league finals. In the Japanese B2 League, Terrance Woodbury's Kumamoto Volters also fell in the quarterfinals of the league playoffs in a 3-0 series decision to the Koshigaya Alphas. During the quarterfinal series, Woodbury accounted for 19 points (9.5 ppg), four rebounds (2.0 rpg), five assists (2.5 apg) and one block.
Derek Ogbeide and Pistoia fell in the quarterfinals of the Italian Serie A playoffs in a 3-0 sweep to Brescia. During the three-game result, Ogbeide contributed 16 points (5.3 ppg), 12 rebounds (4.0 rpg), five blocked shots (1.7 bpg) and one steal. The stretch forward saw limited minutes as his season came to a close due to a lingering injury from the regular season.
Players Mentioned
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