With 20 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in the final against Purdue, Tristen Newton stole the show from Zach Edey and took the Most Outstanding Player award. It's the equivalent of the NCAA Finals MVP, except that it doesn't guarantee anything in the NBA…
Thus, the Connecticut point guard was only drafted in 49th position last June, and like his former teammate, Malian Adama Sanogo, also MOP in 2023, he will have to settle for a “two-way contract”.
It was the Pacers, always on the lookout for a find, who decided to give him this chance.
At 23 years old, Tristen Newton was simply the most complete player at UConn, and this year, he averaged 14.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists! Nicknamed “Mr. Triple-Double” by the Huskies, he signed four “triple-doubles”, and it's a record. Better still, he had finished the season in the best five NCAA, winning the “Bob Cousy Award”, awarded to the best point guard of the season.
In Summer League, he confirmed his volume of play with 9.0 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 interceptions in 22 minutes.
