NBA Postseason Begins Tonight As Four Former Indiana Players Take Part

Former Indiana stars Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kel'El Ware, Thomas Bryant and OG Anunoby are all part of the NBA postseason.

Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3) celebrates his made basket in the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Four former Indiana University men’s basketball players will take part in the NBA postseason. Two of those players will be active right from the beginning in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

The Golden State Warriors play the Memphis Grizzlies in a Western Conference play-in game at 10 p.m. on Tuesday. The winner advances into the playoffs proper to play No. 2 seed Houston. The game will be broadcast on TNT.

Former Indiana standout Trayce Jackson-Davis should be part of the proceedings for the Warriors. Jackson-Davis played 62 games for Golden State in his second season in the NBA.

Golden State Warriors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) during the national anthem before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Chase Center. / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Jackson-Davis started 37 games, but his playing time diminished considerably after the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler from Miami. Since the last time Jackson-Davis started on Jan. 28, he’s only played 10 minutes or more in a game once, a 19-minute appearance against Phoenix on April 8.

Jackson-Davis, who played at Indiana from 2019-23, also briefly spent time with the Warriors’ G League affiliate.

Jackson-Davis has averaged 6.6 points and 5 rebounds for the Warriors. An interesting angle for Jackson-Davis is the chance to potentially match wits with Memphis center Zach Edey, whom he battled in Big Ten play in the first part of Edey’s career at Purdue.

By NBA standards, play-in games don’t count as NBA playoff games, so Jackson-Davis has never officially played in the NBA playoffs. The Warriors were beaten in the play-in tournament in Jackson-Davis’ rookie season.

The second Indiana player to be seen in the NBA postseason will be Miami’s Kel’El Ware. The Miami Heat play the Chicago Bulls in an Eastern Conference win-or-go-home play-in game at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. It will be broadcast on ESPN.

If the Heat win, they will play the loser of Tuesday’s Atlanta-Orlando contest on Friday for advancement into the NBA playoff bracket.

Ware, a center, has had a phenomenal rookie season in the NBA. Ware averaged 9.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, but that only partly tells the tale.

Washington Wizards forward Tristan Vukcevic (00) defends Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) during the first half at Kaseya Center. / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Ware, who played a single season at Indiana in the 2023-24 season, entered Miami’s regular rotation starting on Dec. 13 and took off as a prime contributor for the Heat. Since Dec. 13, Ware has averaged 10.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. He’s converted 67.7% of his shots.

Eight days ago, he had a double-double with 19 points and 17 rebounds against Philadelphia, his highest combined total in those categories. Ware has 15 double-doubles overall.

The other two former Hoosiers in the NBA playoffs will not have to endure the play-in tournament. Both players begin their NBA playoff journeys on Saturday.

Thomas Bryant, who played at Indiana from 2015-17, will take part as a member of the Indiana Pacers. The No. 4-seeded Pacers host the Milwaukee Bucks at 1 p.m. on Saturday in an Eastern Conference first round series. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Bryant was acquired by the Pacers from the Miami Heat on Dec. 15. That trade played a large role in Ware gaining more playing time with the Heat, but it also put Bryant on a playoff-contending team.

Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3) shoots the ball while Minnesota Timberwolves center Luka Garza (55) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Bryant has been valuable in what has mostly been a reserve role in the frontcourt with the Pacers. Bryant has played 56 games, starting eight of them, and has averaged 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds.

Bryant got spot starts late in the season. He scored a season-high 22 points against Chicago in January and has one double-double with the Pacers.

Bryant has been on two previous NBA playoff teams, but he has only played three career NBA playoff games. Bryant played one playoff game for the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets and had a brief cameo in the NBA Finals against Miami. Bryant appeared in two playoff games for Miami against the Boston Celtics in 2024.

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby also gets his playoff adventure started on Saturday. The No. 3-seeded Knicks play the Detroit Pistons at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Anunoby, who played at Indiana from 2015-17 and was a teammate of Bryant, had a career-best season in 2025 as he started all 74 games he played.

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) dribbles against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Anunoby averaged a career-high 18 points. He also averaged 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He converted 47.6% of his shots, including 37.2% from 3-point range. Anunoby is also an excellent defender and should be up for NBA defensive honors when postseason awards are announced.

Anunoby is working through a right thumb injury. He missed two games late in the season with the injury, but both missed games came after the Knicks’ playoff seed was locked in.

Anunoby has scored 30 or more points in six games this season, including a 40-point effort against Denver in November.

Of the former Indiana Hoosiers, Anunoby is far and away the most experienced in the playoffs. Anunoby has played 36 career playoff games dating to 2017. He played in five playoff series over three seasons when he was with the Toronto Raptors and two with the Knicks in 2024. Anunoby has averaged 12.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in the playoffs.

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