PSU’s Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy Selected in NBA Draft

BROOKLYN — Penn State men’s basketball guard Jalen Pickett (2nd round, 32nd pick, Denver Nuggets) and wing Seth Lundy (2nd round, 46th pick, Atlanta Hawks) were selected in the 2023 NBA Draft Thursday night.

Pickett and Lundy’s selections mark the first time in program history that two Nittany Lions were selected in the same NBA Draft. The Nittany Lion pair are the 14th and 15th NBA Draft picks from Penn State. Pickett and Lundy are the first Penn State players to be chosen in the NBA Draft since Tony Carr was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans as the 51st overall pick in the 2018 Draft.

Pickett and Lundy will join Nittany Lion alumnus Lamar Stevens ’20 as active Penn State players in the NBA. Stevens recently wrapped up his third season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Pickett was selected in the second round with the 32nd overall pick by the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets won the 2023 NBA Championship less than two weeks ago and their front office is led by Nittany Lion alumnus and General Manager Calvin Booth.

Pickett becomes the highest-drafted Nittany Lion in the modern era of the two-round NBA Draft, which dates back to 1989. Calvin Booth (2nd round, pick 35, Washington) was the previous highest pick in modern Draft history.

Pickett’s collegiate career culminated in a Consensus All-American season in 2022-23 as he averaged 17.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg and 6.6 apg with a 50.8 FG%, becoming the first Division I men’s college basketball player since at least the 1992-93 season to average 17/7/6 or better while shooting at least 50% from the field. The point guard ranked top 15 in the nation in assists per game (6.6 – fifth) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.89 – 13th) while setting the Penn State single-season assists record with 243 helpers.

Pickett finished his five-year collegiate career with marks of 2,207 points (15.3 ppg), 780 rebounds (5.4 rpg), 841 assists (5.8 apg), 178 steals and 115 blocks. The Rochester, N.Y. native is the only Division I men’s basketball player since at least the 1985-86 season to have accumulated career marks of 2,000+ career points, 700+ career rebounds and 800+ career assists. He tallied 1,068 points, 407 rebounds and 378 assists through just 68 games in a Penn State uniform, reaching his 1,000th point at Penn State in just 65 games. Pickett earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State’s Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications in May 2023.

Lundy was selected in the second round with the 46th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks. He will join former Nittany Lion Tom Hovasse 89′ as the only Penn State products to suit up for the Hawks.

Lundy completed his four-year Penn State career in 2022-23 after putting together a career-best season as a senior, finishing the season with 14.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He proved to be one of the most efficiently productive players in the country, as one of only five Division I players to tally 10+ points per game 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 finished his Penn State career ranking sixth all-time in school history in career 3-pointers (229), ninth in career free throw percentage (81.4 FT%) and 20th in career points (1,283). He became the 39th member of Penn State’s 1,000-career point club on Jan. 11, 2023.

Pickett and Lundy’s outstanding 2022-23 seasons led Penn State to a 23-14 overall record, its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2001 and first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2011.