Former Vol Kennedy Chandler had a career breakout performance in one of the NBA’s highest scoring games of the season
The VFL got a second opportunity in the NBA after years in the G League. He made the most of it on Tuesday night in New Orleans.
It was a wild night at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Tuesday night. And a game between two teams near the bottom of the NBA standings in the league’s final regular season week surely didn’t get much attention.
But boy, did a fireworks display of points break out between the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans break out, and former Tennessee Vol Kennedy Chandler was in the forefront of it all.
Chandler posted a career high 31 points in defeat for the Jazz.
Former Tennessee standout Kennedy Chandler posts 31 points in Utah’s loss to New Orleans
Chandler saw action in 43 minutes while coming off the bench. He posted 31 points on 11-18 shooting and 2-3 from beyond the arc. He added seven rebounds, eight assists, and two steals for the Jazz.
Chandler was drafted with the 38th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs after playing one season for Tennessee, but it was certainly a memorable one. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2022 SEC Tournament as the Vols claimed their first tourney championship since 1979.
After his rookie season in 2022-23, he was sent to the NBA G League, where he remained until he was called up by the Jazz this season. After getting called up last month, Chandler posted double-figure point totals in each of his first seven games.
We’ll see how things shake out for Chandler over the summer and into next season, but it’s been an outstanding audition for the rest of the league over the last few weeks, to be certain.
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