Australian teenager Johnny Furphy will have to wait another day for an opportunity to be drafted into the NBA, after the Melbourne teenager was overlooked for the first round.
The 19-year-old was viewed as a highly probable first round pick after one impressive season with the Kansas Jayhawks, where he regularly played down the stretch, averaging nine points a game.
Furphy, a 206cm shooting guard, was even invited by the NBA to the “green room” for Thursday’s draft from the Barclays Centre in New York, but was made to wait nervously all night without hearing his name called.
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Furphy was expected to be snapped up anywhere between pick No.10 and pick No.23.
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ESPN had the Victorian teen projected as a possible No.9 pick, The Athletic had him going at 18 while CBS Sports predicted Cleveland would take him with the 20th pick. The Bleacher Report, meanwhile, tipped the Melburnian to be heading to Minnesota with the 27th selection.
“He is drawing strong interest, starting with Memphis at No.9, extending throughout the teens and ending with Cleveland at No.20,” a report from ESPN stated.
“Furphy’s size at 6-9 and multi-positional versatility operating in different line-up configurations makes him an attractive target for the many teams in that range that are looking for shooting.”
Fans and reporters in the US also seemed blindsided by the snub, with several taking to social media to express their surprise.
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First round draft picks receive guaranteed contracts for two years minimum, with an option for a further two, while second round picks can be offered guaranteed deals or non-guaranteed two-way contracts, which often leads to them splitting time in the G-League and NBA.
Furphy will hope to be one of the early selections in the second round, which will take place on Friday at 6am AEST.
While Furphy’s omission was a tough one for the Aussie young gun, there was a win for the NBL, who had two Next Star players selected in the first round.
Frenchman and Next Star signing Alex Sarr, 19, was selected by the Washington Wizards with the second pick and US born AJ Johnson was picked with the 23rd pick by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Sarr played the past season with the Perth Wildcats, while Johnson played with the Illawarra Hawks.
Meantime, the Atlanta Hawks selected French teen Zaccharie Risacher as the No.1 overall pick.
Risacher — at 206cm and 97kg — will be expected to join guards Trae Young and Dejounte Murray and forward Jalen Johnson as foundation players for a team which has not won a playoff series since advancing to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals.
“I’m real excited about what’s going to happen,” Risacher said in a interview with Hawks media. “I just want to do my best to help the team.
“I just feel like I can help a lot. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to be able to get on the court with those great players.”
In a year when there was no consensus choice as the top player in the draft, the Hawks could have traded down for more selections. The No.1 pick was their only selection in the draft. Instead, general manager Landry Fields didn’t pass up the rare opportunity to take advantage of the top pick.
“It’s a blessing, you know,” Risacher said. “So exciting. There’s a lot of feelings and emotions right now. I don’t know what to say but it’s definitely special. I’m so blessed.”
When asked to compare his game to a current NBA player, Risacher suggested Golden State shooting guard Klay Thompson.
“I like the way he plays,” Risacher said. “I think we’ve got the same game. He’s obviously a veteran. … I can improve this style of my game.”
The Hawks drew a big crowd to State Farm Arena to watch the draft, and the announcement of Risacher drew an enthusiastic response.
The Hawks passed on Sarr, who had been projected by many to be the top selection, following France’s Victor Wembanyama, who was last year’s No.1 pick by San Antonio. Among other options for Atlanta at No.1 were UConn’s Donovan Clingan, who could have been the team’s centre of the future, and Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard.
– with AP