Former Baylor Bear Looks to Win NBA Championship, Others Excelled in 2026-2027

The NBA season is nearing its climax with two teams (Oklahoma City Thunder & New York Knicks) clinching spots in their respective conference finals and four other teams battling to fill out those remaining slots. As the last few series wind down and a champion is crowned, it’s time for a final look at how all the former Baylor Bears in the NBA fared this season.

VJ Edgecombe (Shooting Guard, Philadelphia 76ers)

Edgecombe started his season on a high note on opening night versus the Celtics and continued to improve down the stretch of the regular season by flirting with a triple-double multiple times. The rookie continued his ascension in the postseason, including a historic playoff performance against Boston, where he became the first rookie since Tim Duncan in 1998 to put a 30-point, 10-rebound performance in the postseason.

Despite the 76ers' quiet playoff exit via the Knicks in the conference quarterfinals, Edgecombe proved he is a foundational piece to the team’s future with his versatile, fast-paced style of play. Edgecombe finished the regular season averaging 16 points (third amongst rookies), 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists (fourth amongst rookies) and 1.4 steals (best amongst award-eligible rookies) across 35 minutes per game (also highest amongst rookies). Edgecombe finished third, behind Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, in the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting.

Keyonte George (Point Guard, Utah Jazz)

George clearly took a monumental step forward in his development in year three by becoming the face of the Utah Jazz. Until injuries became an issue, George was in the mix for the NBA’s Most Improved Award. George missed the final 15 games of the season with an ankle injury but is expected to be 100% healthy and carries high expectations for the team heading into the 2026-2027 season. During the regular season, George averaged 23.6 points, 6.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals across 33 minutes per game.

Royce O’ Neale (Small Forward, Phoenix Suns)

With the Suns trading Kevin Durant and bringing in younger talent, O Neale’s role was not safe heading into the season, but the 32-year-old delivered as the veteran presence for the Suns. The eighth-year vet produced a career high 40.8% three-point shooting percentage and made a career-high 2.7 threes per game.

After getting swept in the first round of the playoffs, the Suns will look to add more pieces to keep up with the big dogs in the Western Conference next season but expect O’ Neale to be part of the effort as he is under team control for the next two seasons. O’ Neale finished the regular season averaging 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals across 28 minutes per game.

Ja’Kobe Walter (Shooting Guard, Toronto Raptors)

Walter started the season as just a bench depth piece but slowly worked his way into a larger role off the bench before entering the starting lineup due to injuries in the stretch run. Walter pushed to another level in the final three games of the Raptors first round series versus the Cavaliers and averaged 19 points, 3.3 steals and 4.3 three-pointers across 38 minutes per game. Walter is expected to hold an important role as a young Raptors’ core looks to build off their first playoff appearance. For the regular season, Walter averaged 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and one steal across 20 minutes per game.

Yves Missi (Center, New Orleans Pelicans)

The third-year center experienced a turbulent season that began with him being a starter before missing time with injury. Following his return from injury, Missi became a low-post enforcer off the bench. Trade rumors swirled around the deadline, but Missi ended up staying in New Orleans. Depending on what happens in the draft and free agency, Missi could be suiting up for a new team in 2026-2027. For the season, Missi averaged 5.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 assists across 19 minutes per game.

Davion Mitchell (Point Guard, Miami Heat)

Mitchell broke out in South Beach this season and earned the reputation of being one of the top defending guards in the league. The fifth-year guard was consistently in the top 10 of the entire league in assists per game and carved out a role as a key piece of the Heat’s future. Mitchell finished his season on a high note with 28 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals against the Hornets in the Play-In tournament. In the regular season, Mitchell averaged 9.3 points, 6.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and one steal across 28 minutes per game.

Taurean Prince (Small Forward, Milwaukee Bucks)

Prince’s season appeared to be over in the first few weeks after he suffered a ruptured disk in his neck that required surgery. After more than four months out, Prince returned to the court in the stretch run for a struggling Bucks squad. The first handful of games back were a warmup for a strong finish for the ninth-year veteran.

He would score 14 or more points over the last six games, including two double doubles. Prince finished the season averaging 9.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 23 minutes per game. He carries a player option into the offseason, so there is a chance he finds a new home in free agency.

Jeremy Sochan (Power Forward, New York Knicks)

The last Baylor alumni remaining in the NBA playoffs, Sochan has experienced a lot of difficulties in the 2025-2026 season but could end up with a championship ring on a loaded Knicks squad. Despite the fresh start in the Big Apple and the team’s success, it hasn’t translated to much success or playing time for the former first round pick. Sochan played sparingly for the Knicks during the last couple months of the regular season and has played only 23 minutes across ten playoff games. The future is very murky for Sochan as he will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but will any team want to take on the workload of trying to improve his offensive game?

Sochan finished the regular season averaging 3.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and .9 assists across 10 minutes per game.

RayJ Dennis (Point Guard, Atlanta Hawks)

Dennis racked up a ton of sky miles this past season, playing for the Pacers, Clippers and Hawks. The second-year guard put up monster numbers for the Hawks G-League club (College Park Skyhawks) with averages of 24.2 points, 10.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals but never cemented a role in the ATL. The Plainfield, Illinois native put up 10 points, three rebounds and three assists (27 minutes) in the regular season finale. Due to signing a two-way contract, Dennis will be a restricted free agent this offseason. Dennis averaged 4.4 points, 1.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds across 12 minutes per game.

Norchad Omier (Power Forward, LA Clippers)

The rookie big man signed a two-way contract with the Clippers in late February but only saw limited action in six games over the final two months of the season. Before signing the two-way deal, Omier was averaging 17.3 points, 13.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in seven games with the G-League San Diego Clippers, so the potential is there. He enters the offseason as a restricted free agent.

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