Bryan Murphy
Junior guard Anthony 'Cat' Barber cuts and drives along the baseline in the Wolfpack's 80-88 loss to Duke on February 6, 2016. Barber racked up 26 points, 6 assists, and grabbed 4 rebounds in the loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
With the 2017 NBA Playoffs a little under a month away, let’s take a look at how former Wolfpack basketball players are faring in the NBA & NBA D-League.
T.J. Warren
The 2014 ACC Player of the Year and 14th-overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft is having his best season yet in his third NBA season with the Phoenix Suns. Warren is averaging a career high in minutes per game with 30.4 and has started in 50 of the Suns’ 54 games this season. The former Wolfpack standout has shown improvement every season in the pros thus far and is now averaging a career high 13.8 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game. The Suns are one of the worst teams in the NBA, sitting at 14th in the Western Conference. However with a young nucleus of guards Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker and Warren along with a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the future looks bright in Phoenix.
Anthony “Cat” Barber
The former Wolfpack star and 2015-16 All-ACC First-Team point guard opted to forgo his final year of eligibility after last season to enter the 2016 NBA Draft. After going undrafted, Barber played for the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2016 summer league. A head injury along with other factors led to the former All-ACC talent not making the Pelicans’ regular-season roster. At the end of August 2016, the Philadelphia 76ers signed Barber, but waived him at the end of October after he appeared in just two preseason games. Shortly after, he was picked up by the 76ers’ NBA D-League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers. After averaging 14.2 points, 3.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game in 21 games, Barber was once again forced to relocate. This time he made somewhat of a “homecoming,” being traded to the Greensboro Swarm, the D-League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, in February 2017. So far, Barber has been averaging 18 points, 5.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game for the Swarm.
Ralston Turner
After finishing a successful collegiate career at NC State, where the sharpshooter ranked second in the ACC in 3-pointers made his senior year, Turner went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft. The Raleigh fan-favorite played for the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA D-League last season, averaging 4.1 points and 1.5 rebounds per contest in 21 games played. Turner now is paired again with former teammate Barber, on the Swarm. The former NC State marksman is averaging 4.5 points and 1.7 boards per game for the Swarm this year.
Lorenzo Brown
The former Pack point guard decided to skip his senior season at NC State after helping lead the Wolfpack to a Sweet 16 appearance during his sophomore season in 2012 and another NCAA tournament berth in 2013. Brown was drafted 52nd overall in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Since then, Brown has bounced around from the T-Wolves, to the 76ers, Suns and the Drive. The former All-ACC guard is currently with the Drive, averaging 23.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game this season.