Kansas State University Athletics
Three Former Wildcats Open NBA Play Wednesday
Dec 23, 2020 | Men's Basketball
Wes Iwundu, Rodney McGruder and Dean Wade all open play Wednesday
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Former Kansas State men's basketball players – Wes Iwundu (Dallas Mavericks), Rodney McGruder (Detroit Pistons) and Dean Wade (Cleveland Cavaliers) – will all open play for their respective NBA teams on Wednesday night (December 23).
Wade, who played in 12 games in his first season with the Cavaliers in 2019-20, tips the action off at 6 p.m., CT on Wednesday, as Cleveland hosts the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on FOX Sports Ohio. In his first season with Detroit, McGruder and his Piston teammates open on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 8 p.m., CT on FOX Sports Detroit. Iwundu, who is also in his first season in Dallas, opens on the road with the Mavericks with a contest at the Phoenix Suns at 9:30 p.m., CT on FOX Sports Southwest.
Iwundu signed a reported 2-year deal to return to the Lone Star State after playing 3 seasons (2017-20) with the Orlando Magic, who chose the Houston native in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft. He averaged 4.8 points on 42 percent shooting, including 32 percent from 3-point range, with 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in playing 182 games for the Magic. He had his best season during the shortened 2019-20 campaign, averaging 5.8 points on 42 percent shooting with 2.5 rebounds in 52 games.
McGruder will be playing for his third NBA team since 2016 after being dealt to Detroit on draft night. He played three seasons with the Miami Heat (2016-19) before signing with the Los Angeles Clippers prior to the 2019-20 season. He has averaged 5.9 points on 41.1 percent shooting, including 33.5 percent shooting from 3-point range, with 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in playing 218 games in his 4-year career. His best season came in 2018-19 when he averaged 7.6 points on 40 percent shooting with 3.6 rebounds in playing 66 games for the Heat.
Wade made the Cavaliers' 17-man roster after playing most of the shortened 2019-20 season for the team's G-League affiliate in Canton. He did play in 12 games for the Cavs in 2019-20, scoring 20 points and grabbing 19 rebounds. In playing 30 games for the Canton Charge in 2019-20, he averaged 14.2 points on 46.1 percent shooting, including 39.9 percent from 3-point range, with 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 31.1 minutes per game. He scored 14 points in the Cavs' last preseason game against the Knicks on December 18.
Another former Wildcat -- Xavier Sneed -- nearly made the Charlotte Hornets team, as he was one of the last cuts announced on December 19.
Several other Wildcats are currently playing professionally overseas, including Barry Brown, Jr., (Ludwigsburg) in Germany, Justin Edwards (Cluj Napoea) in Romania, Stephen Hurt (Aomori Watts) in Japan, Jacob Pullen (Mornar Bar) in Montenegro and Kamau Stokes (Norrokopng) in Sweden.
Wade, who played in 12 games in his first season with the Cavaliers in 2019-20, tips the action off at 6 p.m., CT on Wednesday, as Cleveland hosts the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on FOX Sports Ohio. In his first season with Detroit, McGruder and his Piston teammates open on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 8 p.m., CT on FOX Sports Detroit. Iwundu, who is also in his first season in Dallas, opens on the road with the Mavericks with a contest at the Phoenix Suns at 9:30 p.m., CT on FOX Sports Southwest.
Iwundu signed a reported 2-year deal to return to the Lone Star State after playing 3 seasons (2017-20) with the Orlando Magic, who chose the Houston native in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft. He averaged 4.8 points on 42 percent shooting, including 32 percent from 3-point range, with 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in playing 182 games for the Magic. He had his best season during the shortened 2019-20 campaign, averaging 5.8 points on 42 percent shooting with 2.5 rebounds in 52 games.
McGruder will be playing for his third NBA team since 2016 after being dealt to Detroit on draft night. He played three seasons with the Miami Heat (2016-19) before signing with the Los Angeles Clippers prior to the 2019-20 season. He has averaged 5.9 points on 41.1 percent shooting, including 33.5 percent shooting from 3-point range, with 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in playing 218 games in his 4-year career. His best season came in 2018-19 when he averaged 7.6 points on 40 percent shooting with 3.6 rebounds in playing 66 games for the Heat.
Wade made the Cavaliers' 17-man roster after playing most of the shortened 2019-20 season for the team's G-League affiliate in Canton. He did play in 12 games for the Cavs in 2019-20, scoring 20 points and grabbing 19 rebounds. In playing 30 games for the Canton Charge in 2019-20, he averaged 14.2 points on 46.1 percent shooting, including 39.9 percent from 3-point range, with 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 31.1 minutes per game. He scored 14 points in the Cavs' last preseason game against the Knicks on December 18.
Another former Wildcat -- Xavier Sneed -- nearly made the Charlotte Hornets team, as he was one of the last cuts announced on December 19.
Several other Wildcats are currently playing professionally overseas, including Barry Brown, Jr., (Ludwigsburg) in Germany, Justin Edwards (Cluj Napoea) in Romania, Stephen Hurt (Aomori Watts) in Japan, Jacob Pullen (Mornar Bar) in Montenegro and Kamau Stokes (Norrokopng) in Sweden.
Players Mentioned
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