Three Former Cards Taking Part in 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the NBA's 2021-22 regular season now in the books, the 2022 iteration of the NBA Playoffs are about to begin. But first, we have the NBA Play-In Tournament to determine the final two seeds of each conference, and it will have a sizable Louisville presence.
Three former Cardinals will be participating in this year's Play-In Tournament, all in the Eastern Conference: Charlotte Hornets teammates shooting guard Terry Rozier and power forward Montrezl Harrell, as well as Atlanta Hawks center Gorgui Dieng.
Former Louisville players Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Nwora, Damion Lee and David Johnson already punched tickets to the NBA Playoffs with their respective teams, which begins later this week.
As for the NBA Play-In Tournament, that kicks off on Tuesday, but all three former Cards won't see action until Wednesday, Apr. 11. In fact, the 10th-seeded Hornets and ninth-seeded Hawks are facing each other, with tip-off coming at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN.
The loser of this showdown will see their season come to an end, whereas the winner will go on to face the loser of Tuesday's matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Whoever wins then will officially clinch the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and will open up the NBA Playoffs against the top-seeded Miami Heat.
Harrell was acquired by the Hornets ahead of the trade deadline, and has been as productive role player all season long. Including his games this season spent with the Washington Wizards, he is averaging 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and his field goal percentage of 64.5 ranked third in the NBA.
As for Rozier, he put together another stellar season in Charlotte. His 19.3 points per game is good for third on the team behind Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball, and his 4.5 assists trailed only Ball. He also shot 44.4 percent from the field and 37.4 percent on three pointers, with his 3.0 threes per game leading the team.
Unfortunately for Dieng, he has seen far less playing time than either Harrell or Rozier. After signing a one-year deal with Atlanta this past offseason, Dieng has seen his role diminish as the season has progressed, only playing in four of the Hawks' last 20 games. He is averaging 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game this season.
(Photo of Montrezl Harrell, Terry Rozier: Jim Dedmon - USA TODAY Sports)
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