TRENDING Williams, Bears hang on LeBron's biggest comeback Lendeborg shades Luka Canes' murky ACC future World Series preview Story by Story by Mountain West in the NBA: Only 5 alums suiting up ahead of 2026-27 season INGLEWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 21: Kobe Sanders #4 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on October 21, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images Matt Hanifan Fri, October 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement INGLEWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 21: Kobe Sanders #4 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on October 21, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images While we are 10 days away from the start of the 2026-27 college basketball season, the new NBA season also tipped off this week.
In past iterations of Mountain West in the NBA, we have detailed several different alums representing current Mountain West programs. However, as we continue to be reminded, the cupboard is fairly empty this year with conference realignment, with only a handful of representatives.
So, who will be those faces in the NBA from current MW programs? Let's examine!
Skinny: Entering his age-31 season, Martin appears to be entering the tail-end of his NBA career. He appeared in just 58 games (12 starts) with the Dallas Mavericks last year, averaging 3.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists on 45.0 percent shooting and 35.1 percent from 3-point range. The Mavericks don't have aspirations of competing, but Martin, who has battled several lower-body injuries over the last three seasons, is a far cry from where he was during the Miami Heat's miraculous NBA Finals run in 2022-23.
Skinny: Sanders, who was the Clippers' No. 50 overall draft pick in 2025, carved out a role in the Clippers' rotation upon signing a two-way contract as a rookie. Sanders eventually parlayed that two-way contract — which paid him roughly $636K into a two-year minimum salary, essentially doubling his average annual value. Though the Clippers re-upped Sanders once again this summer to a four-year, $11.2 million contract.
After how he played for an up-and-down Clippers squad, he deserved it. Sanders, 24, averaged 7.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 46.6 percent shooting from the floor and 40.8 percent from 3-point range on 2.9 triple tries. He also has way more juice defensively than he showed at Nevada, in part because his role on-ball is minimized compared to what it was in college.
Skinny: Jones has long been one of the more respected wing defenders across the NBA. Last year, the 6-foot-6 forward averaged 0.9 steals and one block, in addition tying a career high in points (10.1) on 49.9 percent shooting and a career-best 35.9 percent from 3-point range. Jones, in his age-29 season, is already off to a good start to begin 2026-27, scoring eight points with six rebounds and five assists in the Clippers' blowout win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
Skinny: After spending his first two years with the Utah Jazz, Harkless, 26, signed a two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons this offseason. In 36 career games (9 starts), Harkless has averaged 5.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals on 33.2/24.8/74.3 shooting splits. He has torn up the nylon in the G-League, however, scoring 18.5 points across 26 minutes on 46.1 percent shooting and 38.6 percent from deep.
Skinny: Nance has bounced around the NBA, now playing for his sixth organization in 12 seasons. Last year with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Nnance averaged just 3.7 points and 2.7 rebounds on 41.9 percent shooting. Nance, 33, has carved out a very strong career, but his days of making a legitimate impact in an NBA realm are pretty much over, unfortunately. He is a very good vet to have in the locker room, though.
Source: Sports
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