Mountain West in the NBA: Evaluating how each former MW player performed in 2024-25 season

While the 2024-25 college basketball season ending, the NBA’s regular season ended on Sunday. At the start of the season, there were a dozen former Mountain West alumni on NBA rosters. How did each player do? Let’s examine!

Colorado State:

Isaiah Stevens, G, Miami Heat

After parlaying an Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way contract midway through the season, Stevens spent pretty much the entire 2024-25 season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat’s G-League affiliate. He missed nearly two months due to injury, but still averaged 12.8 points and 9.4 assists in 33 games, including a league-most 10.6 assists in 17 G-League games during the Tip-Off Tournament.

David Roddy, G/F, Houston Rockets

After spending two seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and one with the Phoenix Suns, Roddy bounced around three teams (Hawks, 76ers, Rockets) this season. The former MW Player of the Year played in 33 combined games this season, averaging 4.6 points and 2.5 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game on 45.6 percent shooting, including 31.1 percent from 3-point range, where he took nearly half (48.8 percent) of his shot attempts.

Fresno State:

Orlando Robinson, C, UFA

Robinson began the season with the Sacramento Kings before earning four separate contracts with the Toronto Raptors (two 10-day, one two-way and one ROS standard). He was waived toward the end of the season, but he was still impactful in their frontcourt, averaging 8.1 points and 5.9 rebounds on 44.7 percent shooting in 35 games with Toronto.

Nevada:

Cody Martin, F, Phoenix Suns

Martin was traded from the Charlotte Hornets to Phoenix ahead of the February deadline in the Jusuf Nurkic-Nick Richards swap. He was limited to just 53 games—including only 14 with the Phoenix Suns—due to a sports hernia that forced him to miss nearly two months. The 6-foot-5 wing has had a difficult time staying the court through his six-year career, playing in just 55.7 percent of his team’s available games, including just 35.8 percent over the last three seasons.

Caleb Martin, F, Dallas Mavericks

Martin signed a four-year, $35 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers last summer (after rejecting more to stay with the Heat), he was dealt to the Mavericks ahead of the deadline in exchange for Quentin Grimes, who blossomed in Philadelphia. He played his fewest games (45) since his rookie season due to a hip strain, averaging 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 42.4 percent shooting.

San Diego State:

Kawhi Leonard, F, Los Angeles Clippers

Leonard missed the team’s first 34 games due to an ailing knee injury. It wasn’t a smooth return, but the six-time All-Star continued to look better as the season went on average 25.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals on 52.8/44.6/83.1 shooting splits over his final 17 games. When he’s healthy, Leonard is one of the most deadly two-way players in the sport; his health is the only obstacle he has to continually hurdle at this stage of his career.

Jalen McDaniels, F, Washington Wizards

McDaniels signed a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards in late February after spending most of his time with the Capital City Go-Go, their G-League affiliate. He only played in four gmes with Washington. Though in 26 games with the Go-Go, he averaged 13.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and one steal with three double-doubles.

Jaedon LeDee, F, Utah Jazz

LeDee spent time with two G-League affiliates this season—the Iowa City Wolves (Minnesota) and Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz)—appearing in 16.5 minutes across 40 games. He averaged 6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds, shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 24.4 percent from beyond the arc, albeit on 1.1 triple tries per game.

UNLV:

Christian Wood, F, UFA

Wood did not play this season. He was waived by the Lakers in mid-February after signing with the team ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Derrick Jones Jr., F, Los Angeles Clippers

After cashing into a three-year, $30 million deal (largest of career), Jones had a career year in his first with the Clippers. The lanky wing averaged a career-high 10.1 points on 52.6 percent shooting and 60.9 percent true shooting, appearing in 77 of the Clippers’ 82 games. He was one of the best point-of-attack defenders for a top-5 defense, averaging 2.3 stocks (steals + blocks) per 75 possessions.

Elijah Harkless, G/F, Utah Jazz

The UNLV alum appeared in 10 games with the tanking Utah Jazz this season after playing 35 combined games with the San Diego Clippers and Stars. In those 10 games, he totaled 32 points on 11-of-35 (31.4 percent) shooting, in addition to 21 rebounds, eight assists, 10 steals and one block.

Utah State:

Sam Merrill, G, Cleveland Cavaliers

Merrill broke out with Cleveland in the second half of 2023-24 and continued to do much of the same this year for the East’s top teams. He averaged 7.2 points on 37.2 percent shooting from 3-point range—and shot 41.8 percent from deep on 5.2 3-point attempts since the start of March. He will have a pivotal role off the bench as a floor spacer and movement shooter over the next several weeks in the postseason.

Neemias Queta, C, Boston Celtics

Queta appeared in 62 games with the reigning champion Celtics this season, despite being in a crowded frontcourt with Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet. I think he took a slight step back defensively, but the 7-foot rangy big man averaged 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds on 65.0 percent shooting in 13.9 minutes per game. Queta’s at the back-end of the “stay ready” Celtics group, so it remains to be seen if he will have any role during the postseason in spot minutes.

Wyoming:

Larry Nance Jr., F, Atlanta Hawks

Nance was limited to just 24 games this season due to myriad injuries, including a knee injury that caused him to miss the remainder of the season. He was one of the Hawks’ top backup (small-ball) bigs, averaging 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds on 51.6 percent shooting, including a career-high 44.7 percent from 3-point range on 3.2 attempts, his highest since 2020-21.