Will Any Penn State Basketball Players Be Selected in the 2023 NBA Draft?

Tonight the 2023 NBA Draft will take place on ABC and ESPN at 8:00 PM EST at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Many young basketball stars will hear their names be called and their dreams will come true of playing in the NBA. But will any Penn State basketball players hear their name called tonight?

Experts believe that both Seth Lundy and Jalen Pickett will be drafted in the 2nd round of tonight’s draft. In the Final 2023 NBA Mock draft and full two round predictions article posted by Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, he predicts that both Lundy and Pickett will go later in the draft.

Regardless of which team selects either player, just to be a men’s basketball player drafted into the NBA coming from Penn State is an accomplishment in itself. Since the year 2000, the only Penn State basketball player to be drafted into the NBA was Tony Carr in the 2018 NBA Draft. He was selected in round 2 pick 51 by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Of course, you don’t need to be drafted to make it in the NBA, take a look at the careers undrafted free agents Lamar Stevens and Tim Frazier have created for themselves. But there is something special about any Penn State basketball player having their name called in the NBA Draft.

In Wasserman’s Mock Draft, he has Seth Lundy being selected in round 2 pick 41 overall by the Charlotte Hornets. He wrote, “Teams looking for shooting will have Seth Lundy highlighted on their boards after he hit 92 3-pointers and lit up NBA combine scrimmages with his balanced mechanics and quick, confident release.”

Moving to Jalen Pickett, Wasserman believes that the former Penn State point guard will be selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2nd round pick 45 overall. Wasserman wrote, “Jalen Pickett’s production and effectiveness with his shot-making and passing could sway a second-round team to look past his old man’s game and age (23).”

Both players had incredible careers at Penn State, even if they don’t hear their names called during the 2023 NBA Draft, they have a great opportunity in front of them by playing in the NBA Summer League and making their presence known.