Tristen Newton

Tristen Newton built his reputation as the steady hand on UConn's back-to-back national championship teams, a big point guard who reads the game a beat ahead rather than overpowering it. Indiana took him 49th in 2024, but the fit never settled, and Houston scooped him up on a two-way in January 2026. The real story of his season played out in the G League, where he was a First-Team All-League force and earned a Rising Stars nod — his 26-plus points and 7-plus assists a night showed the shot-creation the college version rationed. His lone NBA run so far, a garbage-time 12-point cameo against Memphis, is a small sample, but the pattern is clear: he controls tempo and rarely turns the ball over. The question isn't feel or vision — it's whether the outside shot travels against NBA size.