The NBA draft will be held this week, on Thursday to be precise, and a pair of Penn State basketball standouts could be getting a call from an NBA franchise as a result. CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone updated his 2023 NBA mock draft and included [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] and [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] in his full two-round mock draft leading up to this year’s NBA draft.
The first Nittany Lions projected off the big board by Boone is Lundy, who could be heading to the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets. Boone has Lundy going to the Nuggets with the 40th overall pick in the draft, and what a landing spot that would be for Lundy. The Nuggets are coming off their first NBA championship and do not have too many holes that need to be filled going into the 2023-24 season with the window open for a title defense.
Pickett, coming off a stellar season worthy of All-American accolades, is also projected to be a second-round pick according to Boone. And according to Boone’s mock draft, Pickett could go a few picks after his running mate. The Atlanta Hawks are projected to draft Pickett with the 46th overall pick in the updated mock draft. Pickett’s ability to score is his major selling point without some of the other athletic attributes teams look for in NBA prospects.
Penn State’s NBA draft history is far from rich with just 14 all-time draft picks. Just two of those have come since Penn State joined the Big Ten with Tony Carr in 2018 (New Orleans Pelicans) and Calvin Booth in 1999 (Washington Wizards). Booth has gone on to become the general manager for the NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
Given Penn State’s NBA draft history, it would be remarkable to see two players drafted in the same season. It could happen, but projecting the second round of the NBA draft can be a total guessing game. But it could end up being a big week for Penn State basketball!
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