Baylor Bears in the NBA as Playoff Time Approaches

As the NBA season winds down and playoff spots are locked up every day, it’s time to take a look at how former Baylor men’s basketball players are faring in the 2025-2026 season. As of 3/30, there are eight Baylor alumni on an active NBA roster.

VJ Edgecombe (Shooting Guard, Philadelphia 76ers)

The 3rd overall pick from last summer’s draft has continued to ascend as the 76ers find themselves locked in the play-in tournament at a minimum. The 20-year-old has appeared to avoid the dreaded ‘rookie wall’ and gets better as time goes on, he scored 35 points against the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder last Monday. According to FanDuel sportsbook, he has comfortably slid into the third position for Rookie of the Year. For the season, Edgecombe averages 16.1 points (third amongst rookies), 5.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists (third amongst rookies) and 1.4 steals (leads all eligible rookies) across 34.9 minutes per game, which also leads all eligible rookies.

Keyonte George (Point Guard, Utah Jazz)

A hamstring strain has unfortunately kept out the third-year guard for the past 10 games and most likely the remaining seven games for the Jazz as they limp to the finish line of a miserable season. George was in the thick of the Most Improved Player Award and was considered a “snub” from the All-Star game before multiple injuries have forced him to sit close to 20 games in February/March. With how well he developed this season, George should be considered the face of the Jazz moving forward and the team may build around his skill set. For the season, George was averaging 23.6 points, 6.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals across 33 minutes per game.

Davion Mitchell (Point Guard, Miami Heat)

The fifth-year guard has earned his role as a scrappy defender with excellent passing vision. After struggling to find consistency in Sacramento and Toronto, Mitchell has found a long-term home in South Beach and head Erik Spoelstra has shown how much he values Mitchell by continuing to place him in the starting lineup. Mitchell and the Heat are headed towards a play-in berth and he will be a key component for how far the team goes in the playoffs. For the season, Mitchell is averaging nine points, 6.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and one steal across 28 minutes per game.

Royce O’Neale (Small Forward, Phoenix Suns)

The ninth-year vet continues to be a steady force for a youthful Suns squad headed towards the play-in tournament in a loaded Western Conference. O’Neal recently missed three games with knee soreness but has played the past three games, including 17 points (five three-pointers) in his first game back last Tuesday. O’Neale is averaging a career-high 10 points per game and 40.5% from the three-point line, his career-high is 40.6%. Along with the points and threes, the Killeen, Texas native also nabs 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals across 28.9 minutes per game.

Ja’Kobe Walter (Shooting Guard, Toronto Raptors)

Walter has become an integral piece to the Raptors as they sit comfortably as the #5 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. The combination of defensive effort and being a scoring microwave off the bench has garnered Walter a ton of praise. The second-year guard has even broken into the starting lineup occasionally as the team rests starters in preparation for the postseason. For the season, Walter averages 7.3 points (13.8 over the past seven days), 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists across 19.5 minutes per game (26.3 over the past seven days).

Yves Missi (Center, New Orleans Pelicans)

It cannot be denied that Missi is a force in the paint as he has nabbed double-digit rebounds four times in March and collected four blocks on Sunday night versus the Rockets. Missi will have to work on his offensive game in the offseason if he wants to earn more playing time with the Pelicans next season. For the season, Missi is averaging 5.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 assists across 19 minutes per game.

Taurean Prince (Small Forward, Milwaukee Bucks)

After suffering a herniated disk in his neck in November, it seemed the season was lost for the 10th-year veteran. Following surgery and rehab, Prince made his return to the court on March 10th and has continued to see his minutes increase over the past three weeks. He finished with a season-high 18 points on Sunday versus the Clippers, he also had eight assists and six rebounds. Prince has a player option for next season but the next couple of weeks could be an audition for free agency, where Prince could play his way into more than the $3.8 million he would be owed, if he took the option. For the season, Prince is averaging seven points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 21 minutes per game.

Jeremy Sochan (Power Forward, New York Knicks)

The Knicks appear to like the former first-round pick but playing time offers a different side of the story as the fourth-year forward has played sparingly in the Big Apple. Sochan played for eight minutes on 3/22 but hasn’t seen any action since. The 22-year-old will be a free agent this summer and with where things stand, signing Sochan seems to be a lottery ticket at this point. For the season, Sochan is averaging 3.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and .9 assists across 10 minutes per game.