Denver Nuggets select Jalen Pickett in 2023 NBA Draft

Penn State point guard Jalen Pickett is off the board and officially as a new NBA home following his five-year college career. He was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the No. 32 overall pick (second round) after being traded from the Indiana Pacers.

Pickett’s entrance to the professional ranks comes after a long and illustrious career at the collegiate level. He began as an unranked recruit who committed to Sienna but was immediately their best player, averaging 15.8 points and 6.7 assists as a true freshman, posting similar numbers over the next couple years before getting injured in the back half of his junior year.

Following the injury and the opening of the transfer portal, Picket utilized it to land at nearby Penn State, where he was a perfect match with Micah Shrewsberry. He was solid and the team overall struggled in their first year together, but in 2022-23, the Nittany Lions became one of the more fun teams to watch in school history. They played small, shot the heck out of the ball and gave fans 40 minutes of entertainment no matter the result — and it all started with their do-everything lead man Jalen Pickett.

In ’23, Pickett averaged a team-high 17.7 points, a team-high 7.4 rebounds, a team-high 6.6 assists and a team-high 0.9 steals while playing a team-high 36.6 minutes per game. He’s an all-timer in the navy and white. Jalen Pickett lead this group in pretty much every important stat while taking Penn State to its first NCAA Tournament in 11 years and its first tourney win in 22 years while also becoming the only Nittany Lion All-American in the last 60 years.

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Jalen Pickett

With as versatile and explosive a skillset as Pickett has, despite his smaller stature, he could very well find a spot somewhere in the league, according to RotoWire, who provided the following analysis of the Penn State star on NBA.com:

“Pickett plays with a rare back-to-the-basket, penetrate and kick, triple-threat style. Although he stands at just 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, his physicality is advantageous on both ends of the court. Capable of switching into a variety of matchups and capitalizing against slower or weaker defenders, Pickett pairs diverse skills with toughness and poise. In addition to his facilitating and active rebounding, he shot 63.9% at the rim, 45.4% in the midrange and 37.2% from beyond the arc — all well above average.”

It’s hard to imagine a player as gifted and skilled as Pickett won’t find a niche somewhere in the NBA. Best of luck in the pros, JP!