Kentucky Wildcats: Another great night at the NBA Draft
By Matt Green
The Kentucky Wildcats had three players drafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, continuing an excellent streak under John Calipari.
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Kentucky had three players selected in this year’s NBA Draft, all of which were first round picks, and even better, all three were lottery picks.
The Wildcats went 32-6 this season before losing to the eventual national champion North Carolina in the elite eight of the NCAA Tournament. It was the sixth time in Calipari’s eight years in Lexington that the Wildcats have made it to at least the elite eight. But as Calipari has said before, draft night is the biggest night of the year for his program.
Since Calipari arrived in 2010, Kentucky has led all other programs with 31 players selected at the NBA Draft, including 24 first-round picks and 17 lottery picks. And this year they added three more to that list.
De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings (5th overall)
Fox was the third point guard selected in the NBA Draft, behind Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball. He was drafted by the Kings, a team that already has Darren Collison at point guard, although he’s likely not part of Sacramento’s long-term plan.
The Kings had one of the best draft nights of any team in the NBA. Along with Fox, they added ACC Player of the Year, Justin Jackson (North Carolina), at 15th overall and Harry Giles (Duke) at 20th overall. And then they added Naismith Award winner Frank Mason III (Kansas) in the second round at 34th overall.
Malik Monk, Charlotte Hornets (11th overall)
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Monk was drafted a few picks later than expected when the Hornets selected him at no. 11 overall. He’s probably the best shooter in the draft and he might also be the best scorer. With Monk and Kemba Walker, Charlotte should have a dynamic backcourt for years to come.
Edrice “Bam” Adebayo, Miami Heat (14th overall)
Adebayo was the third big guy selected in the NBA Draft, but the first traditional post player. Lauri Markkanen (Arizona) and Zach Collins (Gonzaga) were both selected higher, but each has the ability to stretch the defense and hit from the perimeter.
Adebayo has a lot of upside, but is still pretty raw. Miami has one of the best young centers in the game in Hassan Whiteside, so it will be interesting to see how they plan to use these two.
This year marked the eighth straight year that Kentucky has had a player selected in the first round, and the 10th straight year they’ve had someone drafted. And judging by the recruiting class they’re bringing in 2017, next year will be another Big Blue showing at the NBA Draft.