SAN FRANCISCO – Pac-12 Men’s Basketball nailed its expectations with 10 selections in the 2020 NBA Draft on Wednesday night, reaching double-digit picks for the second time in the past four years and just the fourth time in league history. Included among the Pac-12’s 10 selections were a national-best six First Round picks.
The Pac-12’s six First Round selections tied for the most of any league (SEC – 6) and are tied for the second-most of the modern Draft era (since 1989) for the Conference (7 – 2008; 6 – 2009, 2014, 2017, 2020).
The league’s 10 overall selections marked just the fourth time the Conference reached double-figure picks in a single Draft (14 – 2017; 12 – 2008; 11 – 2001).
Over the course of the last four years (2017-20), the Pac-12 has amassed 37 Draft selections, the second-most of any league in the country trailing only the 15-team ACC (45).
PAC-12 2020 NBA DRAFT SELECTIONS
First Round
6. Onyeka Okongwu, USC – Atlanta Hawks
16. Isaiah Stewart, WASH – Portland Trail Blazers (traded to Detroit Pistons)
18. Josh Green, ARIZ – Dallas Mavericks
22. Zeke Nnaji, ARIZ – Denver Nuggets
26. Payton Pritchard, ORE – Boston Celtics
28. Jaden McDaniels, WASH – Los Angeles Lakers
Second Round
31. Tyrell Terry, STAN – Dallas Mavericks
36. Tyler Bey, COLO – Philadelphia 76ers
46. CJ Elleby, WSU – Portland Trail Blazers
48. Nico Mannion, ARIZ – Golden State Warriors
2020 NBA DRAFT SELECTIONS BY CONFERENCE
SEC – 12 (6 First Round)
Pac-12 – 10 (6 First Round)
ACC – 8 (3 First Round)
Big 12 – 4 (3 First Round)
Big Ten – 4 (1 First Round)
Mountain West – 4 (1 First Round)
AAC – 2 (2 First Round)
Big East – 2 (1 First Round)
A-10 – 1 (1 First Round)
CAA – 1 (0 First Round)
USC freshman Onyeka Okongwu was selected sixth overall by the Atlanta Hawks. The 2019-20 Pac-12 First Team All-Conference selection is the second-highest Draft pick in program history (O.J. Mayo – No. 3 in 2008), the first Trojan taken in the lottery since DeMar DeRozan (No. 9 in 2009), and is the fourth USC player taken in the past three seasons under head coach Andy Enfield joining De’Anthony Melton and Chimezie Metu in 2018 and Kevin Porter Jr. in 2019. It marks only the second time in the modern Draft era (1989) that USC has had three consecutive years of selections (2007-09).
WASHINGTON freshman Isaiah Stewart was selected 16th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, though the pick will likely be traded to the Detroit Pistons. Rookie teammate Jaden McDaniels joined 12 picks later at No. 28 to the Los Angeles Lakers with a pending trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves. That gives the Huskies multiple First-Round picks during the modern Draft era for the third time in program history (2012, 2016).
ARIZONA’s trio of star freshmen all heard their names called on Wednesday as Josh Green went 18th overall to the Dallas Mavericks, 2019-20 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Zeke Nnaji was chosen 22nd overall by the Denver Nuggets, and Nico Mannion went 48th to the Golden State Warriors. It marked the fourth time in the modern Draft era the Wildcats had three-or-more selections (1996, 1998, 2001) and gives head coach Sean Miller 13 draftees including nine First Rounders during his tenure in Tucson.
2019-20 Pac-12 Player of the Year Payton Pritchard of OREGON went 26th overall to the Boston Celtics. The consensus First Team All-American and Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year became the eighth Duck drafted under head coach Dana Altman, the second in the First Round (Troy Brown – 2018). His selection also secured a unique benchmark for Oregon Athletics as it is the only school in the country to have first-round selections in the 2020 NFL, NBA and WNBA Drafts.
STANFORD’s Tyrell Terry kicked off the Second Round as the sixth Pac-12 freshman to come off the board with the 31st overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks. He is the first Cardinal freshman to be taken in the NBA Draft, and gives Stanford head coach Jerod Haase a pick for the second straight year (KZ Okpala – 2019).
2019-20 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Tyler Bey became the sixth COLORADO player selected under head coach Tad Boyle including the third in the past four years when he came off the board at No. 36 to the Philadelphia 76ers, current home of 2018-19 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Matisse Thybulle (WASH).
CJ Elleby, a First Team All-Pac-12 performer in 2019-20, went to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 46 to become WASHINGTON STATE’s first NBA Draft pick since Klay Thompson in 2011.
Press Release courtesy of the PAC-12 Conference
