Former Hokies Go Head-To-Head in NBA Playoffs
Tonight is Game 3 of the first-round playoff matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz. The stakes have been high with the series tied at 1-1 going into tonight’s meeting in Utah.
Fans of Virginia Tech basketball have conflicting interests.
Only two Hokie alums currently play in the NBA: Dorian Finney-Smith and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Here’s the kicker: Dorian plays for Dallas and Nickeil plays for Utah.
Dorian’s time at Cassell Coliseum was brief but exciting. He played in 33 games where he made 30 starts, averaging 6.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He also earned an ACC All-Freshman Team nod.
He transferred after that season to Florida, where he led his team in either rebounds and/or points in various seasons. He was able to use his skill on the perimeter while also powering as a forward during his time as a Gator.
He went undrafted in 2016, but found himself on the Dallas Mavericks summer team a few weeks later. He impressed during his time in camp and earned a roster spot. He’s been impressing Dallas personnel ever since, continuing to work his way up to a regular starting spot by his fourth season and a four-year, $52 million veteran extension this past February.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker first got to Virginia Tech in 2017. In his two seasons under Coach Buzz Williams, Nickeil started every game, earned third-team All-ACC honors, and appeared in every March Madness game the Hokies played.
That success didn’t go unnoticed, as he was drafted by Brooklyn Nets with the 17th overall pick in 2019. He was then traded to Atlanta who flipped him to New Orleans, where he spent the first two and half years of his career working his way up to a starting role for the Pelicans.
This past February he was flipped a few more times, landing on a Jazz team already making a run for the playoffs. He has since come off the bench for Utah.
Although their paths did not align at Tech (Dorian was playing in the NBA before Nickeil even became a Hokie), it’s still a fun coincidence that the only two Hokies playing in the NBA are going head-to-head in the first playoff round. Both teams are going heavy with starters, with no team playing more than nine guys in a game so far in the series.
That means that Finney-Smith has averaged 43 minutes per playoff game for Dallas, while Alexander-Walker hasn’t played yet.
Regardless, it’s still nice to root for former Hokie success and see the talent in the world’s biggest basketball stage represented in some part by Virginia Tech.