Jamal Shead and Marcus Sasser sit side by side. | Anh Le/The Cougar
Following the revitalization of the Houston men’s basketball program under Coach Kelvin Sampson, nine Cougars have appeared in the NBA, including five who were drafted in either the first or second rounds.
Four of those five have been drafted since 2021: guards Quentin Grimes (2021), Marcus Sasser (2023), Jamal Shead (2024) and forward Jarace Walker (2023).
All four have continued to grow into their respective roles in the NBA, from organizations retooling to playoff-bound teams.
Quentin Grimes: 28.6 MPG, 14.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.0 APG
In the case of Grimes, his season numbers do not capture his full impact. His fourth NBA season was a tale of two roles linked by one trade that Dallas Mavericks fans may lament for years to come. Grimes appeared in 47 games as a Maverick, including 12 starts, while averaging 10.2 points and shooting 39.8% from the 3-point line.
On Feb. 4, just two days after the Luka Doncic trade sent shockwaves across the sports world, another staggering deal was made by the Dallas Mavericks front office, trading Grimes to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick and guard Caleb Martin.
Grimes would transition from a playoff-contending team to one destined for the lottery. However, a silver lining emerged in the form of increased opportunity due to injuries to Philadelphia’s big three: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George.
Throughout his career, Grimes had shown glimpses of how he would handle a larger role and a higher volume of shots. His career-high at that point was 36 in 2023 as a New York Knick. The 76ers offered an entirely different situation, enabling him to lead a team regularly for the first time since his junior year with the Houston Cougars in 2020-21.
Grimes’ first breakout performance came nine games into his stint with Philadelphia, where he scored a then-career-high 44 points on an ESPN Saturday Night matchup versus Golden State on March 1.
In the eight games prior, Grimes only had one game of 20 or more points scored. He totaled 20 or more in 14 of the next 19 games to close out the season.
On March 16, Grimes delivered his best performance of the season. Back in his hometown of Houston, just a few miles up the road from the Fertitta Center, he scored a career-high of 46 points, including a personal best of eight 3-pointers made against the Rockets.
It was speculated whether he could sustain his efficiency and consistency as a scorer, but a major reason for his success was his ability to draw fouls and reach the free-throw line. In his final 19 games of the season, he averaged 5.7 free-throw attempts per game, including three games with 10 or more attempts.
Finishing with averages of 21.9 points, 4.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds, Grimes has positioned himself well as he enters restricted free agency this upcoming offseason. Because Grimes is a restricted free agent, the 76ers can match any contract proposal from other teams, but there may be several front offices willing to offer the sharpshooting guard a hefty contract this summer.
Jamal Shead: 19.6 MPG, 7.1 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 4.2 APG
The newest Cougar in the NBA, Shead was selected 45th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the NBA draft this past June. His time with the Kings only lasted a few minutes, as he was traded to the Toronto Raptors as part of a larger package that sent wing Jalen McDaniels to Sacramento.
Despite a tumultuous season for Toronto during which many of their building blocks, including Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick and Brandon Ingram missed time due to injuries, a positive emerged in Shead.
Several of Shead’s strong suits during his time as a Cougar quickly translated to the NBA level, including his defensive instincts and ability to orchestrate the offense.
Shead came off the bench for the first 44 games of his rookie season. He averaged 5.7 points, 3.5 assists and shot 35% from beyond the arc across those outings, including 20 games where he recorded one or more steals.
On Jan. 25, he made his first NBA career start against the Memphis Grizzlies, just 24 hours after he recorded a career-high 16 points against the New York Knicks. He logged 30 minutes, tied a team-high 14 points, and recorded four assists in the 107-138 loss at home.
Over the next 30 games to close out his rookie season, Shead continued to start games as injuries decimated Toronto’s core. Stepping into the team’s primary point guard, he was given the freedom to play more like the Shead that people recognized from his time in Houston.
“Everything starts with his mindset and his mindset is he’s a winner,” coach Darko Rajakovic said of Shead.
Shead’s closing of the season has put him in contention for an All-Rookie team nomination and solidified his place in Toronto’s young nucleus as they continue their rebuild. He finished fourth in both total assists (316) and steals (58) amongst rookies.
Jarace Walker: 15.8 MPG, 6.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.5 APG
In his rookie season with the Indiana Pacers last year, Walker struggled to crack coach Rick Carlisle’s rotation as the much-improved Pacers team made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Walker appeared in just nine of Indiana’s 17 playoff games last season and only saw a combined 31 minutes of action.
This season, Walker played in 75 regular-season games, a notable increase from just 33 in the 2023-24 season, while also starting five of those contests.
By game 12 of this season, Walker had already scored in double figures three times, matching his total from his entire rookie campaign.
With the increase in minutes and more consistent playing time, he displayed a much-improved touch around the basket, shooting 55% at the rim compared to 41% last year, while also being a more effective midrange shooter.
Tracing back to his days as a Houston Cougar, Walker has been an ambitious passer, and he had more opportunity to showcase his court vision as he became a more established member of the Pacers’ second unit.
An instance of Walker’s increased confidence as a passer in the NBA occurred against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 22 when he executed a self-alley-oop and kicked the ball out to an open teammate for a corner 3-point shot. Throughout the season, he registered three or more assists in 15 games.
Walker’s efficiency as a whole took a jump in year two, and on Nov. 6 against the Orlando Magic, he scored a career-high 17 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting from the floor in just 23 minutes off the bench.
Regardless of the role he’s been asked to play, Walker has remained professional and eager to contribute for Indiana in any capacity. “He’s doing well, he’s continued to work. His maturity is beyond his years right now,” coach Carlisle said. “He’s kept himself ready. He’s been ready all year.”
The Pacers, standing at 52-30 and the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, are poised to make another deep postseason run, with Walker potentially playing a bigger hand this time around.
Marcus Sasser: 14.2 MPG, 6.6 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 2.3 APG
The midseason acquisition of Dennis Schroder, coupled with a deep roster, meant fewer minutes to go around for some of the Detroit Pistons’ rotation players, including Sasser.
Sasser went from appearing in 71 games last season to 57 this year, while only starting one game compared to the 11 he started last season. His decrease in minutes came as the Pistons solidified their rotation during a resurgent season, finishing with a 44-38 record, their best since the 2015-16 season.
Despite seeing less action, Sasser still managed to display the improvements he made in the offseason. His field goal percentage took a leap from 42.8% in year one to 46.3% in year two. His 3-point percentage also saw a small uptick, from 37.5% to 38.2% this season.
Because of his efficiency, Sasser can tally up points quickly without playing extensive minutes, as evidenced when he was called upon in the absence of Cade Cunningham after the Pistons’ All-Star suffered a calf contusion in mid-March.
During the six games Cunningham was sidelined, Sasser averaged 12.8 points in just 19.4 minutes per night, while shooting 51.3% from the floor and 52.4% from beyond the arc.
In the first game of that stretch, Sasser poured in 20 points off the bench, including a 3-pointer in the closing minutes to help seal Detroit’s 136-130 win over the Pelicans at home on March 23.
The following game, Sasser delivered a career-high in points, scoring 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting in a 112-96 win against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Pistons went 4-2 in Cunningham’s absence, allowing them to remain the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and avoid a play-in game.
“His professionalism is second to none,” coach JB Bickerstaff said of Sasser. “There’s been games where I’ve waited until the fourth quarter to put him in, because I trust that no matter when he steps on the floor he’s going to impact the game in the ways that we need.”
Professionalism is a constant for any player who has worn a Houston jersey in the Sampson era, and its importance is only reinforced in the NBA, where star college players begin on equal footing, figuring out their roles among the world’s best.
That very professionalism will only propel Grimes, Shead, Walker and Sasser forward in the NBA, while their alma mater continues to develop the next players to join them.
sports@thedailycougar.com
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“Cougars in the NBA: The latest on former Houston standouts” was originally posted on The Cougar