Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy, two of the leaders on Penn State basketball’s run to the NCAA Tournament this past season, have been invited to participate in the 2023 NBA Draft Combine, according to the list of players released by the NBA Tuesday evening.
Happy Valley → #NBA Combine@JalenPickett7 & @llseth23 have officially been invited to next week's NBA Draft Combine in Chicago: https://t.co/BfWIcf90CC#WeAre pic.twitter.com/5PwlkdWUQ1
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) May 10, 2023
Lundy and Pickett are two of the 78 total players who will attempt to garner attention from NBA scouts from May 15-21 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The 2023 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The pair are looking to become Penn State’s first NBA draft picks since Tony Carr was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2018. Lundy and Pickett are also just the fourth and fifth Nittany Lions to ever be invited to the Combine, joining Jarrett Stephens (2001), Carr (2018) and Lamar Stevens (2020).
Pickett and Lundy’s performances this season helped Penn State finish with a 23-14 overall record while claiming its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2011 and first tournament victory since 2001.
Pickett capped off his five-year collegiate career with a Consensus All-American selection after averaging 17.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game with a 50.8 field goal percentage, becoming the first Division I men’s college basketball player in more than 30 years to reach those marks. The point guard ranked fifth in the nation in assists per game (6.6) while setting the Penn State single-season assists record with 243.
Lundy put together a career-best season as a senior, finishing the 2022-23 campaign averaging 14.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He proved to be one of the most efficiently productive players in the country, being one of only five Division I players to tally more than 10 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting at least 50% from two-point range (53.3%), 40% from three-point range (40.0%) and 80% from the free throw line (80.7%). Lundy became the 39th member of Penn State’s 1,000-point club on Jan. 11.
Pickett and Lundy will both have interviews with NBA teams and participate in five-on-five games along with shooting and strength and agility drills at the Combine. Coverage will begin Wednesday, May 17 on ESPN2 from 2-6 p.m. ET, and continues Thursday, May 18 from 4-8 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The NBA Draft Combine will also be available on the ESPN App.
The Strength and agility drills and shooting drills will be broadcast live on the NBA App on Monday, May 15 from 3-5 p.m. ET.
