GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
There was not one regular starter in the NBA from LSU last season.
That as much as anything may explain the downfall of the Tigers’ program since former coach Will Wade’s asterisk success with consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2019, ’21 and ’22. That ended with his very deserving firing amid a myriad of NCAA recruiting violations.
No LSU player has been drafted since forward Tari Eason with the 17th pick of the first round by Houston in 2022.
Only six former LSU players were on NBA rosters to open the 2025-26 season on this week.
Guard Ben Simmons – one of the least successful first players picked in a first round (2016) in NBA history – was still not generating many tugs on the line in the free agent market as the season started without the 29-year-old talent gone bust.
Simmons, who is a career 13 percent shooter from 3-point range yet plays guard, made $1 million last year for the Los Angeles Clippers in 17 games off the bench. He averaged 2.9 points and 3.1 assists over that span after Brooklyn let him go. In 33 games and 24 starts last season for Brooklyn, he averaged 6.2 points, 6.9 assists and 5.2 rebounds.
He has not averaged double-figure points since the 2020-21 season. And to think, he was compared to LeBron James when he arrived at LSU before the 2015-16 season.
Here was LSU’s half dozen NBA players entering the season:
FORWARD NAZ REID, Minnesota Timberwolves, LSU, 2018-19 – Probably LSU’s best product in the NBA, though he started only 17 times of 80 games last season. But his specialty is coming off the bench as he won the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year. In the 2024-25 season, he averaged 27.5 minutes a game as a non-starter and scored 14.2 points a game with 6.0 rebounds.
He had played 406 games entering the season with a scoring average of 11.6 points per contest.
Reid, a native of Asbury Park, New Jersey, recently is living with a tragedy as his older sister Toraya was murdered outside of her apartment in Jackson Township, New Jersey, in September at the age of 28.
GUARD CAM THOMAS, Brooklyn Nets, LSU, 2020-21 – The 27th pick of the first round in 2021, Thomas enters his fifth season with the Nets after signing a one-year, $6 million contract. He averaged a career-high 24 points with 3.8 assists a game and more than 30 minutes a game last season, but in only 25 games and 23 starts. He was lost for the season on March 25 because of a recurring hamstring injury.
FORWARD TARI EASON, Houston Rockets, LSU, 2021-22 – Eason averaged 12.1 points and 6.2 rebounds a game through 16 starts and 56 games last year for Houston in his best season. Eason did not sign a contract extension this week by the deadline, and may be traded soon.
FORWARD TRENDON WATFORD, Philadelphia 76ers, LSU, 2019-21 – In 44 games and six starts last season at Brooklyn, Watford averaged a career-best 10.2 points and 2.6 assists in 44 games. He recently signed a two-year, $5.3 million contract with Philadelphia, but has been slowed lately by a hamstring injury.
CENTER DUOP REATH, Portland Trailblazers, LSU, 2016-18 – Reath has done well to make it to the NBA after playing overseas from 2018-23 before catching on in Portland. He averaged 4.2 points and 10.2 minutes in 46 games last season.
GUARD GARRETT TEMPLE, Toronto Raptors, LSU, 2005-09 – The last remnant of LSU’s last team to get past the Sweet 16, Temple was key as a freshman in getting LSU to the 2006 Final Four. At 39, he just signed for his 16th season of professional basketball. The Raptors are his 12th NBA team. He averaged 1.9 points and 8.1 minutes in 28 games for Toronto last season.
Temple had played in 771 NBA games entering the season and needed just 21 more to pass LSU and NBA great Bob Pettit for second on NBA games played by an LSU player. He went into the season with 4,582 points.
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