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Former Wisconsin Prep Hoops Standouts Headline NBA Opening Week

10/23/2024, 8:00am CDT
By Colton Wilson

Former Madison Memorial standout and 14-year NBA vet Wesley Matthews

The NBA season started last night which means it's time to check in on which former Wisconsin high school basketball standouts will be lacing them up at the highest level of basketball in the world.

Ten former hoopers from the state are on opening night rosters, with just one change from last year's list.

Wesley Matthews, a former Madison Memorial and Marquette standout, is not on a team to start the year after 14 years in the NBA. Matthews averaged 11.4 points and 2.8 rebounds while serving as a defensive standout over his NBA career.

Undrafted in 2009, Matthews spent one season with the Utah Jazz before five with the Portland Trailblazers where he averaged over 14 points per game. He then spent the next four seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. From 2019-2024 Matthews had stints with the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks twice, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, and most recently with the Atlanta Hawks last season.

Below we chronicle the ten athletes that will suit up in the league to start the 2024-25 season.

Former Sussex Hamilton star and current Washington Wizard Patrick Baldwin Jr.

Patrick Baldwin Jr., Sussex Hamilton

Baldwin Jr. has not seen the floor at a consistent rate in his first two seasons in the NBA. After being drafted out of UW-Milwaukee with the 28th pick by the Golden State Warriors in 2022, Baldwin Jr. was traded to the Washington Wizards with fellow alum Jordan Poole.

In his first year with the Wizards, Baldwin Jr. averaged 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds over 13 minutes per game. He did start seven games over the course of the season.


Former La Crosse Central standout and current Washington Wizard Johnny Davis

Johnny Davis, La Crosse Central

Like teammate Baldwin Jr., Davis hasn't quite found his footing in his first two seasons in the NBA. A lottery pick out of Wisconsin in 2022, Davis spent time in the G-League during both seasons.

Last season Davis played in 50 games for the Washington Wizards with six starts, averaging 12.3 minutes per game. He averaged three points and just over one rebound per game.


Former Oshkosh North great and current Indiana Pacer Tyrese Haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton, Oshkosh North

Haliburton's trajectory continued to skyrocket last season with the Indiana Pacers, making him one of the top point guards in the entire NBA.

After being drafted twelfth overall in the 2020 season by the Sacramento Kings out of Iowa State, he was traded to the Pacers and excelled tremendously, resulting in a 5-year, $245 million extension signed in 2023. 

Haliburton averaged 20.1 points, 10.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game last season, leading the entire NBA in assists. He was voted an All-Star for the second consecutive season and was named a Third Team All-Pro at the conclusion of the season.

Haliburton led the Pacers to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance where they fell to eventual champion Boston Celtics.


Former Stevens Point standout and current Boston Celtic Sam Hauser

Sam Hauser, Stevens Point

Hauser has excelled in the NBA after going undrafted in 2021. Having played at Marquette and then Viriginia in college, Hauser has steadily gained more playing time with his ability to knock down shots and defend.

Last season Hauser averaged 22 minutes per game with 13 starts and tallied nine points and 3.5 rebounds per game. During the Boston Celtics run, he had three games of scoring in double figures, maintaining a spot in the trimmed playoff rotation.

Hauser is now an NBA champion and during the offseason signed a four-year, $45 million extension with the Celtics.


Former Whitnall standout and current Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro

Tyler Herro, Whitnall

Herro has been a playmaker since he came into the league in 2019. Drafted by the Miami Heat with the thirteenth overall pick out of Kentucky, Herro has been one of the best scorers off the bench but has stepped into a starting role over the past two seasons.

Herro was named to the 2019 All-Rookie second team and took home the prestigious Sixth Man of the Year award in 2022. After that season, Herro signed a 4-year, $130 million extension with the Heat.

Last season the former Whitnall great averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 40% from three. That's Herro's third straight season averaging over 20 points per game.


Nicolet alum and current Atlanta Hawk Jalen Johnson

Jalen Johnson, Nicolet

Yesterday, Johnson became the fourth standout from Wisconsin to sign a $100 million+ extension as the wing signed a 5-year, $150 million extension with the Atlanta Hawks.

This comes off a breakout season for the Duke one-and-done. Johnson averaged 16 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game in his third season in the NBA, which was a huge uptick in production from his first two seasons.

Johnson is slated to take on an even bigger role for the Hawks this season and into the future.


Former Milwaukee Washington great and Golden State Warrior Kevon Looney

Kevon Looney, Milwaukee Washington

Looney is the most tenured player in the NBA from the Badger state entering his tenth season in the league, all with the Golden State Warriors.

Drafted out of UCLA in 2015 with the 30th overall pick, Looney has become one of the biggest glue guys in the NBA. He does all the little things and is a three-time NBA champion with most recent NBA dynasty.

Looney has played in 523 games with 256 starts over his ten-year career. He's averaged 5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, all averages he was around last season. He is in the final year of a three-year extension he signed in 2022.

Brandin Podziemski, SJNMA

Podziemski burst onto the league last year in his rookie season with the Golden State Warriors.

Taken with the 19th pick in the 2023 draft out of Santa Clara, the crafty lefty has shown an appetite to get better and forced his way into the Warrior's rotation early on.

Podziemski averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists during his rookie campaign all while learning from some of the best minds in the NBA. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and is expected to take on a large role with the team this season and beyond.

Jordan Poole, Milwaukee King

Poole may not have graduated from a high school in the state, but he did spend time at Milwaukee King.

A polarizing player within the NBA, Poole enters his sixth season in the league, his second with the Washington Wizards. He was drafted 28th overall in the 2019 draft by the Golden State Warriors but was traded before last season to the Wizards.

He is a one-time NBA champ and signed a 4-year, $123 million extension in 2022 before being traded.

Poole averaged 17.4 points, 4.4 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game in his first year as the top scoring option with the Wizards.


Former Milwaukee Riverside grad and Detroit Piston Alondes Williams

Alondes Williams, Milwaukee Riverside

Williams has not yet found his footing in the NBA after going undrafted in 2022.

Williams spent time at Triton College, Oklahaoma, and Wake Forest in college, where he built his draft profile.

Last season, Williams spent most of the season playing in the G-League with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He averaged 20.3 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game and was named tot he All-NBA G League First Team as well as the NBA G League Most Improved Player.

Williams signed a two-way contract this month with the Detroit Pistons.

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