Former Penn State point guard Jalen Pickett has been selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 32nd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Pickett is the 15th Penn State player to be drafted, and it comes as no surprise.
Pickett only played at Penn State for two of his five college basketball seasons, spending the first three seasons at Sienna.
In that relatively short period, Pickett made his mark on Penn State’s program. His last season was particularly great. Pickett let Penn State to its first NCAA Tournament and Big Ten Championship Game appearance and helped the team to its first Tournament win since 2001.
The Sienna transfer was one of the best players in college basketball in 2022-23, ending the season as Penn State’s leader in points (17.7 PPG), rebounds (7.4 RPG) and assists (6.6 APG). His 6.6 assists per game were good for fifth in the nation, and he ended the season as Penn State’s first All-American since the Eisenhower Administration.
Pickett joined the 2,000-point club in the first half of the team’s game against Illinois at the Bryce Jordan Center in February.
In November, Jalen Pickett became the second player in Penn State history to post a triple-double, doing so in a win over Butler. He joined Penn State great and current Denver Nuggets’ GM Calvin Booth, who accomplished that feat against Dayton in 1998.
Pickett’s teammate, Seth Lundy, is expected to be drafted later tonight. If Lundy does indeed end up getting drafted, this will be the first time in Penn State history that the basketball program’s had two players selected in an NBA Draft. This would be a bow on what was a fantastic 2022-23 season for Penn State hoops.
