Thomas Welsh played four years at UCLA from 2014-2018. He got better each year he played with the Bruins. Becoming a double double machine by his senior year. A year in which he had 18 double doubles and averaged 12.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He was an average player on defense but was an offensive guy and parlayed it into being drafted by the Denver Nuggets. Going 58th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.
πππ to #2WayPlayer Thomas Welsh (@tomwelsh40) on his first @NBA bucket...a triple!
Welsh was a member of the 2018 All-@Pac12 Second Team with UCLA during his senior season.@UCLAMBB βοΈ @CapitalCityGoGo βοΈ @WashWizards pic.twitter.com/XhKGgs3oyx
β NBA G League (@nbagleague) November 24, 2018
Welsh was the 33rd ranked recruit in 2014 which was the second class for Steve Alford as the UCLA head coach. He played a big part of the 2016 team that went 31-5 and also included fellow NBA players in TJ Leaf, Aaron Holiday and Lonzo Ball. There have been teams that have gone farther than that one. But that was by far the most talented team UCLA has had in a long time. Welsh played a huge role averaging 10.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
Welsh was the prototypical hard working basketball player. He would make a lot of smart plays and clean up the glass for second chance points. He didnβt always need the ball in his hands to affect the game and helped the team in areas that did not show up on the stat sheet. Those are the type of players that are classified as glue guys and affect winning in positive ways.
Presenting the latest up-to-date UCLA career rebounding list.
Thomas Welsh, you're in very good company. ππ pic.twitter.com/ndHqERKZX7
β UCLA Menβs Basketball (@UCLAMBB) March 9, 2018
Welsh did not have a long NBA career. He only played in 11 career games. Before spending a little bit of time in the G League. Then made the decision to take his talents overseas. He has had a successful career in multiple leagues. Showing that he is still an elite rebounder as he led his league for two straight years in 2024 and 2025. Congrats to another UCLA alum continuing to have success even if it isnβt in the NBA.