> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Recapping Seasons of Seven Former Gonzaga Bulldogs That Made NBA Playoffs - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/recapping-seasons-seven-former-gonzaga-bulldogs-nba-playoffs-2026/ - Published: 2026-06-15T04:16:44.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T05:55:45.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Analysis, Gonzaga Men's Basketball, Chet Holmgren, Rui Hachimura, Jalen Suggs, Corey Kispert, Julian Strawther, Drew Timme ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/2026-05-27t030258z_1335513165_mt1usatoday29063129_rtrmadp_3_nba-playoffs-san-antonio-spurs-at-oklahoma-city-thunder-jpeg-format-original.jpg) With the NBA season now officially at its end after the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games and the NBA Draft being just over a week away, it’s time to check in on Gonzaga alums who got a taste of the 2025-26 NBA postseason. From All-NBA honorees to two-way players, the Zags were once again one of the association’s more well-represented collegiate programs. 13 former Bulldogs logged NBA minutes this past season, and nearly all of them took noteworthy steps in their careers – for better or for worse. Seven of them played on teams that made the playoffs, each featuring in varying roles for their respective squads. **Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder** **Regular Season Stats: 17.1 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.9 BPG, 55.7 FG%, 36.2 3PT%, 65.3 TS%** **Accolades: DPOY-2, All-Star, All-NBA Third Team, All-Defensive First Team** For the first 29 weeks of the NBA calendar, things were smooth sailing for Holmgren. After a year in which he hoisted his first NBA championship with the Thunder, Holmgren set career highs in points, rebounds, and efficiency as he played more at power forward alongside Isaiah Hartenstein in Oklahoma City’s frontcourt. The 7-1 big man was selected to the All-Star squad, made All-NBA Third Team, and was the best defensive player in the league not named Victor Wembanyama. As an anchor on OKC's defense, he fueled their 64-win season, during which they captured the No. 1 seed in the West. His production coasted into the first two rounds of the playoffs as well, as the Thunder swept both Phoenix and Los Angeles with Holmgren thriving specifically against the Lakers’ centers. But things changed for Holmgren when OKC met San Antonio and the aforementioned Wembanyama in the Western Conference Finals. He averaged 10.7 points and 7.9 rebounds over the seven-game series, but his offensive aggressiveness was particularly alarming when matched up with the 7-5 Frenchman. Logging just seven shots a contest, it seemed Holmgren shied away from getting up shots down low when Wembanyama was lurking. In Game 7, he only got two shots off, finishing with four points after splitting a couple of trips to the charity stripe. Plus, with secondary shot creator Jalen Williams hampered due to a hamstring injury and sparkplug Ajay Williams missing time as well, Holmgren’s lack of assertiveness did no favors for back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. San Antonio and Oklahoma City will likely be the cream of the crop in the West for the foreseeable future, so the matchup between Holmgren and Wembanyama will undoubtedly continue to have a giant red circle drawn around it. Still only 24 years old, there should be belief in Holmgren’s ability to adjust and improve his game in a sense where he can be more of a factor on the offensive end against Wembanyama, which is why the Thunder inked him to a five-year, $239.25 million deal after they won it all last year. The former third-team All-American with the Zags will deal with his fair share of scrutiny and trade rumors over the offseason, but he still has development and fine-tuning to do before he’s a finished product. **Rui Hachimura, Los Angeles Lakers** **Regular Season Stats: 11.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 51.4 FG%, 44.3 3PT%, 62 TS%** Role players continue to show the ability to be difference makers, and there aren’t many better examples of Hachimura from this past season. Perfectly filling his role with the Lakers as a catch-and-shooter that gives effort defensively, Hachimura continued to play within himself with his shot selection. Firing off his patented pull-up mid-range jumper and shooting unwavered with a hand in his face, Hachimura’s production hit another level in the playoffs. His numbers ticked up to 17.5 points a game on 54.9% shooting from the field and 56.9% from three-point range in 10 postseason games. It couldn’t have been a better final showcase for the seven-year NBA player who is set to become an unrestricted free agent when the new league calendar commences. After three seasons with the lowly Washington Wizards, the 6-8 forward showed he can be a valuable piece for a contender once he was traded to Tinseltown. Strapped on cash to spend, the Lakers likely won’t be able to bring the 2019 WCC Player of the Year back, making Hachimura a hot commodity on the open market this summer. **Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic** **Regular Season Stats: 13.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 43.5 FG%, 33.9 3PT%** Part of an Orlando squad that continued to struggle offensively, Suggs had an up-and-down season as the team’s main facilitator. Dishing out dimes while taking a lot of primary assignments defensively, he notched career highs in steals and assists but his jumpshot remained a point of inconsistency. He thrived in transition, which coincidentally was one of the Magic’s best forms of scoring. But even though Orlando’s intended identity is defense – and Suggs fuels that unit – it has gradually declined defensively over the last several years, not able to compensate for stagnant offense on the other end. With an increased usage rate as the Magic’s point guard, Suggs saw his turnovers increase, averaging 2.7 of them a game. But when the playoffs started, his play at the position became more exposed, turning it over three times a contest while shooting 29.9% from the floor and 24.1% from beyond the arc during Orlando’s seven-game loss to Detroit in the first round. He also dealt with several injuries throughout the season, which has been a common theme for him since entering the league. Suggs suited up for just 57 games during the regular season and is averaging fewer than 60 appearances a season over his five-year career to this point. With reported tension for most of the season between the locker room and Jamahl Mosley, the Magic indeed fired its head coach shortly after the team’s season came to an end. Importing a new system with Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney taking over at the helm and the franchise needing a change of tune on offense, it will be interesting to see what pieces on the roster get moved around. Sweeney called the defense in San Antonio, potentially making Suggs an integral part of the team moving forward, but Orlando would probably like to see more from a shooting standpoint from the 2021 WCC Newcomer of the Year, who is in the midst of a five-year, $150.5 million contract. **Corey Kispert, Washington Wizards/Atlanta Hawks** **Regular Season Stats: 9.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.6 APG, 46.7 FG%, 36.7 3PT%** Like Hachimura several years ago, Kispert was freed from the shackles of the dysfunctional franchise in D.C. at this year’s NBA Trade Deadline to bolster the playoff-bound Hawks’ three-point shooting. But his numbers took a dip in the postseason, as Kispert made just four of his 22 attempts in the six-game first-round series against the Knicks, and knocked down only one of his 12 tries from deep. Shooting variance in postseason basketball is the definition of non-sticky, but those are the moments when corner shooters truly prove their worth. The 27-year-old still has two more years of control in Atlanta before a club option pops up for the 2028-29 campaign, which carried over from an extension he signed with Washington two seasons ago. Getting more seasoning in the Hawks’ system could do wonders for Kispert’s production, as the 2021 WCC Player of the Year has showed throughout his career how dangerous a shooter he can be. **Julian Strawther, Denver Nuggets** **Regular Season Stats: 7.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.1 APG, 46.7 FG%, 38.7 3PT%, 59.0 TS%** Now completing his third year with the Nuggets, Strawther still does not have a solidified role in the rotation. Under head coach David Adelman, who finished his first full season at the helm after taking over right before the playoffs last year, Strawther played six fewer minutes per game this season. His efficiency marks, both overall and from distance, benefited, but it didn’t earn him any extra playoff time. During Denver’s upset loss to Minnesota in the first round, Strawther appeared in just two of the six games, averaging nine minutes a contest without the ability to get much rhythm. The 6-6 combo guard profiles as someone who could provide a spark for the Nuggets’ offense when stars Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray come off the floor, but he hasn’t gotten much of a chance to showcase it in the Mile High City. Last October, Denver picked up his option for next season, so it remains to be seen when, or if at all, his role changes over time. His restricted free agency is scheduled for next summer, and Strawther stepping up as a key sixth man and secondary ball-handler could do wonders for a franchise attempting to make the most of Jokić’s prime. **Drew Timme, Los Angeles Lakers** **Regular Season Stats: 3.4 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 0.9 APG, 57.6 FG%, 65.8 TS%** One of the players with the most seasons under his belt as a Zag on this list, Timme seems to be dipping his toe further and further into the NBA waters. After getting good run in the final month of last season with the Brooklyn Nets, he signed a two-way deal with the Lakers and earned solid minutes at different points this past year when the team was strapped for bigs. Although his season totals don’t look impressive and he split time with Los Angeles’ G-League affiliate South Bay, Timme had several key performances for the Lakers when the calendar flipped to 2026, including a 21-point game against the Portland Trail Blazers and a 14-point night versus the Spurs. The 6-9 Timme could be a viable option for the Lakers going forward, as the franchise’s options down low definitely aren’t the best or deepest for a team with championship aspirations. As he showed for four seasons in Spokane, the two-time WCC Player of the Year can impact winning with his pristine footwork and high basketball IQ. **Kelly Olynyk, San Antonio Spurs** **Regular Season Stats: 3.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 49.0 FG%** Playing in just 42 regular-season games and only checking in during garbage time for the Spurs during the playoffs, it takes no wise man to see that the end is possibly nearing for the 35-year-old Olynyk. On his eighth different team in 13 NBA seasons, Olynyk saw career lows across the board in per-game marks, including shooting under 30% from three for the first time in his career, finishing at 25.5% from downtown. It takes a lot to be the backup center for Wembanyama, and the Canadian fell in the same boat as Bismack Biyombo behind Luke Kornet for the job throughout the year. He nearly captured that elusive championship this season, falling just short as a veteran on a young Spurs squad. If that’s all for him in the NBA, Olynyk logging more than a decade in the most competitive league in the world and getting his No. 13 jersey retired in the rafters in Spokane in 2022 will certainly suffice as career accolades.