The NBA Playoffs are in full swing with 16 teams with one goal in sight: the Larry O’Brien trophy. Five of the qualifying teams contained Arkansas alums, and now only two teams carrying Pro Hogs are left.
The teams with former Razorbacks on the roster are the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Milwaukee was home to a pair of fan-favorite Razorbacks, Patrick Beverley and Bobby Portis. Both were important pieces for the Bucks this year.
Portis has been with Milwaukee since the 2020-21 season and has been an important role player in Milwaukee’s championship window and was nominated for the Sixth Man of the Year award in the previous two seasons.
Beverley was acquired at this year’s trade deadline to restore the missing defensive intensity the Bucks lacked. The 35-year-old was vital to Milwuakee’s game-five win over the Pacers, recording thirteen points and twelve assists.
However, their efforts would not be enough, as two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo would miss the entire series with a calf injury. His injury resulted in Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers winning their first playoff series since 2014 in six games.
Another team sent home early that was home to a Pro Hog was the Philadelphia 76ers and Ricky Council IV.
Council signed a two-way contract with Philadelphia after not hearing his name called on draft night. In eleven games with the 76ers G-League affiliate team, the Delaware Blue Coats, Council drew attention to himself by averaging 23.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
The 22-year-old ultimately found himself with Philadelphia after a flurry of injuries to the 76ers. His coming out party would be against the Washington Wizards, where he scored nineteen points and 10 rebounds to snap a seven-game losing skid.
Council’s hard work paid off. Just before the end of the regular season, his two-way contract would be converted to a standard NBA contract that spans four years and is worth 7.4 million dollars.
Council’s season ended after they fell to Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks last week in six games.
The last Pro Hog standing in the Eastern Conference was Anthony Black and the Orlando Magic.
The former sixth-overall pick managed to find his spot in a guard-heavy rotation. He appeared in 69 games and recording averages of 4.6 points and 1.3 assists on 16.9 minutes of playing time.
Black’s career-high would come against the Washington Wizards, where the 20-year-old put up 23 points, nailing nine of his thirteen shot attempts and drilling four three-pointers in a 127-119 win over Washington.
The Magic met the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the Playoffs. Black appeared in just two games for Orlando in the series. He scored four points in a game three victory and recorded two points in a game four win.
There wasn’t enough Magic in the air. Orlando and Cleveland were the only series to go to seven games, and the Magic eventually fell.
The Western Conference is home to two teams where Pro Hogs make their presence felt, and they will be facing one another with a berth to the Western Conference Finals on the line when Daniel Gafford and the Dallas Mavericks tip off against Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
Gafford spent time with the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards before he was traded to the Mavericks this February, with admirations of getting MVP candidate Luka Doncic some desperately needed help at center.
His impact was immediately felt, giving Doncic and Kyrie Irving a true back-to-the-basket, big-bodied big man who has averaged eleven points and seven rebounds a game in his current tenure with the Mavs.
The fifth-year former Hog began to make headlines in March when he almost broke the record for consecutive field goals made, a record held by Wilt Chamberlain, who recorded 35 straight makes in 1967.
Gafford came up just short of Chamberlain’s record with 33 consecutive buckets from March 5th to March 14th.
He averaged 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in eighteen minutes of playtime in their first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. His role would slightly diminish in the postseason to rookie stand-out Dereck Lively II, who is getting marginally more playing time than Gafford at 20.3 minutes.
Joe and Williams played high school together at Northside High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Joe was drafted 49th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020. He appeared in 96 games, averaging 3.7 points, and shot 35 percent from three-point range.
In October 2022, Joe signed a three-year deal worth about six million dollars. Since the acquisition, Joe has become a household name for the Thunder and one of the best three-point shooters in the league, shooting about 41% from deep in both seasons in Oklahoma City.
Williams spent two seasons with the Hogs and is remembered as a crucial part of the back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 2021 and 2022.
He has become a crucial backup center for the Thunder. In his rookie season, he recorded averages of six points and five rebounds but was most notably known for his tendency to draw charges, with a league-best 43 charges drawn in his first year.
In his second season with OKC, Williams has taken a step back to make way for Rookie of the Year candidate Chet Holmgren. Regardless, the sophomore still finds time in the roster at an even thirteen minutes per game.
The winner of the Mavericks-Thunder series will be one step closer to adding to the ranks of Pro Hogs who have won NBA titles. The series begins Tuesday evening at 8:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City.