Four Former Cards on 2023-24 NBA Opening Day Rosters

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The National Basketball Association has officially returned. Just four months after the Denver Nuggets were able to clinch the 2023 NBA Finals, the season-opener for the 2023-24 season is finally here.

With play scheduled to begin today, four former Louisville men's basketball players are on final 2022 rosters across the league following training camp: guards Donovan Mitchell, Terry Rozier and Damion Lee; and forward Jordan Nwora.

In the days leading up to the start of the season, three former Cardinals barely missed the cut. The Memphis Grizzlies signed then subsequently waived David Johnson, the Chicago Bulls waived Carlik Jones, and the Philadelphia 76ers waived Montrezl Harrell after he tore his right ACL and meniscus in early August.

In his first season with the Cleveland Cavaliers since being traded from the Utah Jazz, Mitchell put together his best season since coming into the NBA. His 28.3 points per game, 48.4 field goal percentage and 38.6 three-point percentage were all career-highs, and he also put up 4.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. He was named an NBA All-Star for the fourth straight year.

As for Rozier, he also had an impactful campaign for the Charlotte Hornets. The eighth-year veteran averaged 21.1 points and 5.1 assists per games, both of which were career highs, on top of 4.1 rebounds. However, it wasn't his best shooting season, as his 41.5 field goal percentage and 32.7 three-point percentage were the lowest marks in his four seasons with Charlotte.

After spending the first two-and-a-half seasons of his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks, Nwora was traded to the Indiana Pacers ahead of the trade deadline back in February. He averaged 6.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 38 games with the Bucks last season before getting traded, and these marks improved to 13.0/4.7/2.1 in 24 games with the Pacers.

Unfortunately, it's unlikely that we will see Lee on the court much this upcoming season, as he suffered an injury to his right meniscus in early October. Lee joined the Phoenix Suns last offseason after four years with the Golden State Warriors. Playing in 74 games, his 8.2 points and 1.3 assists over 20.4 minutes per game were all the highest for Lee since the 2019-20 season.

(Photo of Donovan Mitchell: Ken Blaze - USA TODAY Sports)

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