Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Caldwell-Pope with the Washington Wizards in 2022
No. 3 – Orlando Magic
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1993-02-18) February 18, 1993 (age 31)
Thomaston, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight204 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolGreenville (Greenville, Georgia)
CollegeGeorgia (2011–2013)
NBA draft2013: 1st round, 8th overall pick
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career2013–present
Career history
20132017Detroit Pistons
20172021Los Angeles Lakers
2021–2022Washington Wizards
20222024Denver Nuggets
2024–presentOrlando Magic
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Kentavious Tannell Caldwell-Pope (/kɛnˈtviəs/ ken-TAY-vee-əs;[1] born February 18, 1993), also known by his initials KCP, is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named a McDonald's All-American as one of the top high school basketball players in the class of 2011. He played college basketball for two years with the Georgia Bulldogs in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and was voted the SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2013.

Caldwell-Pope was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. He played four seasons with the Pistons before joining the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent in 2017–18. He won his first NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020. He spent a season with the Washington Wizards after having been traded there from the Lakers in August 2021, and was subsequently traded to the Denver Nuggets in July 2022, winning his second NBA championship in 2023.

High school career

[edit]

Caldwell-Pope was a highly heralded player in high school. As a senior, he averaged 31 points and 8.2 rebounds per game at Greenville High School in Greenville, Georgia. He led the Patriots to the State Class A Final Four in 2011 and to consecutive Sweet 16 berths in 2009–10.

He was named to several prominent high school All-America teams as a senior, including being selected to play in the 2011 McDonald's All-American Game[2] and the Jordan Brand Classic.[3]

As a senior, he was rated the nation's No. 3 shooting guard prospect, the No. 12 prospect overall, by recruiting analysts for Rivals.com.

Caldwell-Pope chose Georgia to play for Mark Fox and Cody Anderson over scholarship offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Tennessee, among others.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
G
Greenville, Georgia Greenville 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jul 17, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 97
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

College career

[edit]

As a freshman at Georgia, Caldwell-Pope was named to the Coaches' Freshman All-SEC Team, which also included NBA lottery picks Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. His highest output as a freshman was 25 points against Ole Miss, which was the most by a UGA freshman in almost 13 years.[4]

Caldwell-Pope playing for Georgia in 2012

As a sophomore, Caldwell-Pope was named SEC Player of the Year after averaging 18.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.[5] In his final collegiate game, he scored a career-high 32 points and 13 rebounds in a loss against LSU at the SEC tournament in Nashville.[6] He declared for the NBA draft after the season.[7]

Professional career

[edit]

Detroit Pistons (2013–2017)

[edit]

On June 27, 2013, Caldwell-Pope was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. He later joined the Pistons for the 2013 NBA Summer League and signed his rookie scale contract with the team on July 19.[8] On April 16, 2014, he scored a then-career-high 30 points in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[9]

In July 2014, Caldwell-Pope rejoined the Pistons for the 2014 NBA Summer League, where he averaged 24 points and 7.4 rebounds in five games. Head coach Stan Van Gundy quickly assessed Caldwell-Pope as his best perimeter defender and he wound up leading the Pistons in minutes played with 2,587. Caldwell-Pope got better after the All-Star break, largely thanks to the acquisition of point guard Reggie Jackson; post All-Star Break, Caldwell-Pope averaged 14.3 points per game. He finished the season with 153 three-point shots made, 70 more than the closest Pistons player. He tied Kevin Love for 16th in the NBA.[10]

Caldwell-Pope with the Pistons in December 2016, shooting over Marcin Gortat of the Washington Wizards

On December 16, 2015, Caldwell-Pope scored a then career-high 31 points in a 119–116 win over the Boston Celtics.[11] He helped the Pistons finish the 2015–16 regular season with a 44–38 record, which was good for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons thus qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2009. In the first round of the playoffs, the Pistons faced the first-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, and in a Game 1 loss on April 17, Caldwell-Pope scored a team-high 21 points.[12] The Pistons went on to lose the series 4–0.

On November 9, 2016, Caldwell-Pope scored a then season-high 27 points in a 107–100 loss to the Phoenix Suns.[13] On November 25, 2016, he recorded 16 points and a career-high 10 assists in a 108–97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.[14] On January 8, 2017, he hit a three-pointer with 9.4 seconds left in double overtime to lead the Pistons to a 125–124 win over the Portland Trail Blazers; he finished with 26 points.[15] On February 1, 2017, he scored a career-high 38 points in a 118–98 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He also made a career-high eight three-pointers on 11 attempts.[16] On February 23, 2017, Caldwell-Pope scored 33 points, including three three-pointers late in the fourth quarter during a Detroit rally, as the Pistons defeated the Charlotte Hornets 114–108 in overtime. Caldwell-Pope's three-pointer with 18.2 seconds to play tied the game at 100.[17]

On June 23, 2017, Caldwell-Pope was suspended for two games without pay by the NBA for pleading guilty to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.[18]

On July 7, 2017, the Pistons renounced the rights to Caldwell-Pope, making him an unrestricted free agent.[19]

Los Angeles Lakers (2017–2021)

[edit]

On July 13, 2017, Caldwell-Pope signed a one-year, $18 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.[20][21] He made his debut for the Lakers on October 22, 2017, scoring 20 points as a starter in a 119–112 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.[22] On November 27, 2017, he scored a season-high 29 points against the Los Angeles Clippers.[23] On December 13, 2017, Caldwell-Pope pleaded guilty to a probation violation he committed during the summer. He was handed a 25-day jail sentence, but under a work-release program, was allowed to leave the facility for home games and practices. He was not allowed to leave California, limiting him to only home games within the state during that period.[24] On February 24, 2018, he scored a season-high 34 points and hit a career-high-tying eight 3-pointers in a 113–108 win over the Sacramento Kings.[25] On March 22, 2018, he hit eight 3-pointers and had 28 points in a 128–125 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.[26]

On July 6, 2018, Caldwell-Pope re-signed with the Lakers,[27] on a reported one-year, $12 million contract.[28] On December 16, 2018, he scored a season-high 25 points in a 128–110 loss to the Washington Wizards.[29] On December 30, he set a new season high with 26 points in a 121–114 win over the Kings.[30] On March 19, he had a season-high 35 points in a 115–101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.[31]

In 2019, Caldwell-Pope re-signed with the Lakers once again, this time on a two-year contract worth roughly $16 million.[32] In 2019–20, he made a career-high 38.5% of his 3-pointers and was third on the team with 92 made 3-pointers.[33] Caldwell-Pope won his first NBA championship when the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in six games in the 2020 NBA Finals. He was instrumental in the victory, especially in game 4 when his five straight points late in the fourth quarter helped the Lakers pull away from the Heat and sealed the win in that game.[34] He started all 21 games in the playoffs, averaging 10.7 points in 29 minutes per game and making 37.8% of his 3-pointers.[33][35]

Caldwell-Pope declined his player option on the second year of his contract and became a free agent.[33] On November 23, 2020, he re-signed with the Lakers on a three-year, $40 million deal.[33][35]

Washington Wizards (2021–2022)

[edit]

On August 6, 2021, Caldwell-Pope was traded to the Washington Wizards as part of a package for Russell Westbrook.[36] In 77 games with the team, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.

Denver Nuggets (2022–2024)

[edit]

On July 6, 2022, Caldwell-Pope was traded, alongside Ish Smith, to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Monté Morris and Will Barton.[37] On July 16, Caldwell-Pope signed a two-year, $30 million contract extension with the Nuggets.[38][39] He made his Nuggets debut on October 19, recording two points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals in a 123–102 loss to the Utah Jazz.[40] In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Caldwell-Pope put up 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, three blocks and grabbed the series-clinching rebound before dribbling out the final seconds on the clock in a 94–89 win over the Miami Heat to help the Nuggets win their first NBA championship in franchise history, awarding Caldwell-Pope his second ring.[41]

Orlando Magic (2024–present)

[edit]

On July 6, 2024, Caldwell-Pope signed with the Orlando Magic.[42]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship  *  Led the league

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013–14 Detroit 80 41 19.8 .396 .319 .770 2.0 .7 .9 .2 5.9
2014–15 Detroit 82 82* 31.5 .401 .345 .696 3.1 1.3 1.1 .2 12.7
2015–16 Detroit 76 76 36.7 .420 .309 .811 3.7 1.8 1.4 .2 14.5
2016–17 Detroit 76 75 33.3 .399 .350 .832 3.3 2.5 1.2 .2 13.8
2017–18 L.A. Lakers 74 74 33.2 .426 .383 .789 5.2 2.2 1.4 .2 13.4
2018–19 L.A. Lakers 82* 23 24.8 .430 .347 .867 2.9 1.3 .9 .2 11.4
2019–20 L.A. Lakers 69 26 25.5 .467 .385 .775 2.1 1.6 .8 .2 9.3
2020–21 L.A. Lakers 67 67 28.4 .431 .410 .866 2.7 1.9 .9 .4 9.7
2021–22 Washington 77 77 30.2 .435 .390 .890 3.4 1.9 1.1 .3 13.2
2022–23 Denver 76 76 31.3 .462 .423 .824 2.7 2.4 1.5 .5 10.8
2023–24 Denver 76 76 31.6 .460 .406 .894 2.4 2.4 1.3 .6 10.1
Career 835 693 29.6 .427 .369 .819 3.0 1.8 1.1 .3 11.4

Play-in

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 L.A. Lakers 1 1 32.5 .600 .500 1.000 3.0 2.0 3.0 1.0 10.0
Career 1 1 32.5 .600 .500 1.000 3.0 2.0 3.0 1.0 10.0

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016 Detroit 4 4 40.3 .440 .444 .714 4.3 2.8 1.8 .3 15.3
2020 L.A. Lakers 21* 21* 29.1 .418 .378 .815 2.1 1.3 1.0 .2 10.7
2021 L.A. Lakers 5 5 29.2 .379 .211 1.000 2.8 1.0 1.0 .0 6.2
2023 Denver 20 20 33.5 .457 .380 .829 3.3 1.6 1.3 .7 10.6
2024 Denver 12 12 35.0 .395 .327 1.000 2.9 2.6 1.4 .4 8.1
Career 62 62 32.4 .426 .365 .847 2.8 1.7 1.2 .4 10.1

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011–12 Georgia 32 32 32.1 .396 .304 .654 5.2 1.2 1.8 .3 13.2
2012–13 Georgia 32 32 33.9 .433 .373 .799 7.1 1.8 2.0 .5 18.5
Career 64 64 33.0 .415 .339 .727 6.2 1.5 1.9 .4 15.9

Personal life

[edit]

In June 2016, Caldwell-Pope married partner McKenzie Redmon.[43][44]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide". NBA.com (Press release). October 24, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  2. ^ White, Chris (February 10, 2011). "High school basketball: Greenville's Caldwell-Pope named a McDonald's All-American". Ledger-Enquirer. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  3. ^ 2011 Jordan Brand Classic: West Team, jordanbrandclassic.com. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  4. ^ "Mississippi 66, Georgia 63". ESPN. January 21, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2020.[dead link]
  5. ^ Lockridge & Cole (March 12, 2013). "Georgia's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope named SEC's top player". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  6. ^ "LSU 68, Georgia 63". ESPN. March 14, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  7. ^ "Georgia sophomore star entering NBA draft". USA Today. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  8. ^ "Detroit Pistons Sign Draft Selections Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tony Mitchell". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 19, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  9. ^ "Notebook: Thunder 112, Pistons 111". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 16, 2014. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  10. ^ "2014-15 Player Recap: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 4, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  11. ^ "Caldwell-Pope scores 31 points, Pistons beat Celtics 119-116". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. December 16, 2015. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  12. ^ "Big 3 back together, lead Cavs to 106-101 win over Pistons". NBA.com. April 17, 2016. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  13. ^ "Bledsoe, Dudley lead Suns past Pistons 105-99 [sic]". ESPN.com. November 9, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  14. ^ "Pistons hand Clippers first road loss with 108-97 win". ESPN.com. November 25, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  15. ^ "Pistons outlast Trail Blazers 125-124 in double-overtime". ESPN.com. January 8, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  16. ^ "Caldwell-Pope scores 38 in Pistons' 118-98 win over Pelicans". ESPN.com. February 1, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  17. ^ "Pistons rally from 18 down, beat Hornets 114-108 in OT". ESPN.com. February 23, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  18. ^ "Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope suspended for 2 games". NBA.com. June 23, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  19. ^ Langlois, Keith (July 7, 2017). "Detroit Pistons Renounce Rights to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope". NBA.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  20. ^ "Lakers Sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope". NBA.com. July 13, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  21. ^ Beacham, Greg; Krawczynski, Jon (July 12, 2017). "Reports: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Los Angeles Lakers reach 1-year deal". NBA.com. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  22. ^ "Wiggins' heave banks in, leads Timberwolves past Thunder". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 22, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  23. ^ "Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 2017-18 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  24. ^ Ganguli, Tania (December 21, 2017). "Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is practicing and playing with the Lakers while serving a 25-day jail sentence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  25. ^ "Caldwell-Pope's season-high 34 points help Lakers top Kings". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 24, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  26. ^ "Davis, Rondo, push Pelicans past Lakers, 128-125". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 22, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  27. ^ "Lakers Re-Sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope". NBA.com. July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  28. ^ Barnewall, Chris (July 2, 2018). "2018 NBA free agency: Lakers, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope agree to deal after LeBron's commitment". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  29. ^ "Wall's 40, 14 lead Wiz past Lakers 128-110; LBJ scores 13". ESPN.com. December 16, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  30. ^ "Lakers rally in 4th quarter, defeat Kings 121-112". ESPN.com. December 30, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  31. ^ "Bucks beat Lakers 115-101; Antetokounmpo, James sit out". ESPN.com. March 19, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  32. ^ "Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lakers Agree to Reported 2-Year Contract Worth $16M". BleacherReport.com. July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  33. ^ a b c d McMenamin, Dave (November 22, 2020). "Kentavious Caldwell-Pope nets a three-year, $40 million deal to return to Los Angeles Lakers, agent says". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  34. ^ "Kentavious Caldwell-Pope again proves his worth to the Lakers in Game 4 against the Heat". Los Angeles Times. October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  35. ^ a b "Lakers Re-sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope". NBA.com. November 22, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  36. ^ "Washington acquires six players in five-team trade". NBA.com. August 6, 2021.
  37. ^ "Nuggets Acquire Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith". nba.com. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  38. ^ "Nuggets Sign Caldwell-Pope to Contract Extension". NBA. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  39. ^ "Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signs two-year $30 million extension with Nuggets". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  40. ^ "NEW-LOOK JAZZ BEAT NUGGETS 123-102 IN SEASON OPENER". NBA.com. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  41. ^ Villas, Rexwell (June 12, 2023). "Kentavious Caldwell-Pope picks Jimmy Butler's pocket for greatest defensive play in Nuggets franchise history". ClutchPoints. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  42. ^ "Orlando Magic Sign Free Agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope". NBA.com. July 6, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  43. ^ Caldwell-Pope, McKenzie (March 25, 2019). "How I Met My Husband". YouTube. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  44. ^ Romeyn, Kathryn (July 5, 2017). "A Glam Ballroom Wedding in Atlanta". Brides. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
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