National Basketball Association

The Kentucky Effect

Updated Sep. 26, 2020 5:32 p.m. ET

The 2020 NBA playoffs have served as a proving ground for a few established superstars, as well as a number of new, young stars.

And they've also served as a walking endorsement for the University of Kentucky.

Currently, there are six Kentucky Wildcats across the four teams remaining in the Conference Finals: Rajon Rondo and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets, Enes Kanter of the Boston Celtics, and Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat.

Of those six players, all of them except Rondo have been coached by current Kentucky head coach John Calipari.

On Wednesday, Calipari stopped by TNT's Inside The NBA to discuss the impact of his players in the postseason and how the UK men's basketball program has helped mold these six stars into the players they are today.

"They've gotta be built different coming in. It starts on the way in. You're not going to be promised the world. You come here because you're built for this. You leave here built different."

Based on their productivity in the playoffs, Cal has a strong argument that his players are indeed molded to be successful at the highest level.

Davis, Murray, Adebayo and Herro have all taken turns being the star on any given night for their respective teams.

In Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, Davis scored 31 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, and hit the game-winning three to give the Lakers a 2-0 series lead over Murray's Nuggets.

"You feel bad for Jamal because of the way they played to get back in the game ... but then [Davis] makes the last 10 points and the three to win the game," Calipari said. "I was happy for Anthony, but I hit Jamal after and said, 'You guys did everything right. A Kentucky guy makes a big shot. You lose.'"

Davis spent one season at Kentucky during the 2011-12 season, leading the Wildcats to their first NCAA title under Calipari.

Murray has been the breakout star of the postseason, averaging 26.9 points through 18 games, including two 50-point performances in the first round.

In Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against LA, he scored 28 points, dished out 12 assists, and grabbed 8 rebounds to help secure a 114-106 win for Denver. On Thursday night, despite a Nuggets loss, he posted 32 points and 8 assists on 60% shooting from the field.

Murray was one-and-done out of UK, leaving for the NBA after the 2015-16 season.

"I've had one 20-point scorer at Kentucky: Jamal Murray ... He's the one that broke 20 because he could do it in so many ways," said Calipari.

Murray averaged exactly 20.0 points at UK.

On the Eastern side of the bracket, the Miami Heat have a stranglehold on their Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Boston Celtics, due in large part to the play of Herro and Adebayo.

Herro has displayed poise rarely seen from a rookie in the playoffs, averaging 16.5 points in the postseason, highlighted by an incredible 37-point explosion in Game 4 of the ECF against Boston.

Herro spent a single season at Kentucky in 2018-19, making a run to the Elite 8 during the 2018-19 season, where a squad featuring him, Charlotte Hornets forward P.J. Washington and San Antonio Spurs guard Keldon Johnson fell to Auburn in overtime.

"How does he play the most minutes in the fourth quarter for the Miami Heat? Because he rebounds. How about this – they said he couldn't guard. But if you're playing at Kentucky, if you don't guard, you don't play. He guards."

As for Adebayo, he has scored at least 20 points in three straight games against the Celtics while averaging 12.6 rebounds in that span as well.

Bam, of course, spent one year at UK, back in 2016-17. The Wildcats featured him, Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Hamidou Diallo, Charlotte Hornets guard Malik Monk and Portland Trail Blazers forward Wenyen Gabriel, but fell in the Elite 8 to North Carolina.

The NBA's latest champion is still a few weeks away from being decided, but one thing is for certain: Big Blue Nation will be celebrating an NBA title for one of its beloved sons.

And Coach Cal will have yet another bargaining chip in his massive recruiting toolbelt.