Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle revealed on Monday that the team had a first-round grade on former Kansas guard Johnny Furphy in the 2024 NBA draft.
Furphy established himself as a draft pick after a strong freshman campaign with the Jayhawks. He was projected by some to be a first-round pick, which made it rather surprising that the Australian fell to the Pacers at No. 35 in the second round.
The Pacers apparently agreed with that assessment, too.
Carlisle, speaking on “The Wake Up Call” on 107.5 The Fan in Indianapolis, said they were pleasantly surprised Furphy was available when they were on the clock.
He is a guy that our scouts had as the No. 14 player in the entire draft, and we got him at 35, so we feel pretty fortunate there.
Furphy was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team after averaging nine points, 4.9 rebounds and one assist on 46.6% shooting from the field at Kansas. He scored in double figures 14 times, including a season-high 23 points and 11 rebounds on Jan. 22.
The 6-foot-9 guard played a larger role for the Jayhawks over the second half of the season, starting in 18 out of the last 19 games. He averaged 11.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals on 34.9% shooting from 3-point range over that span.
The team reportedly signed Furphy to a four-year, $8.59 million contract, which is guaranteed for the first three seasons. The contract will pay Furphy just above $1.85 million in the first year and has a team option in the fourth year.
Furphy dropping to the Pacers was one of the biggest surprises of the draft. The team is certainly high on his potential on the court and may have gotten a steal with the pick.
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