The Latest on Thursday night’s NBA draft (all times local) :
NEW YORK (AP) – The Latest on Thursday night’s NBA draft (all times local) : 10: 25 So much for staying in school. More than two dozen picks into Thursday night’s NBA draft and not one senior has been selected. It could last a bit longer. Derrick White (Colorado) , Wesley Iwundu (Kansas State) and Josh Hart (Villanova) are among the seniors who could – emphasis could – go late in the first round. The first seven picks in the draft were freshmen, including Markelle Fultz, who was the No. 1 selection by the Philadelphia 7ers. ___ 9: 25 p.m. Kentucky won the lottery. The 14 lottery picks in Thursday night’s NBA draft have been made, and there were three Wildcats selected. Bam Adebayo was the last lottery pick; he went 14th to Miami, joining De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk in the NBA. Duke had two players in the top 14, and nobody else placed more than one. Twelve of the first 14 picks, including Adebayo, were one-and-doners. That’s a trend that could slow down after this year. The NCAA has never really liked it, and earlier this month, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the system as it’s currently constructed – where players can enter the draft after a year of college – is « not working for anyone. » ___ 8: 40 p.m. Frank Ntilikina saw his dream come true: He’s a top-10 pick in the NBA draft. Now for the bad part: The French native, whose team is still playing in a championship series back home, was selected by the Knicks on Thursday night. Of course, there’s still hope. The Knicks spent the day shopping disgruntled Kristaps Porzingis, and might still work some sort of deal. For now, though, it’s Ntilikina to Knicks. Most of the selections Thursday night seem to have fan approval. There have been more cheers than booing from the crowd in Brooklyn. The record run on freshmen being selected has ended at seven. Though there will be more. ___ 8: 15 p.m. We’re up to five freshmen and counting at the NBA draft. The Sacramento Kings picked Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox with the fifth selection, which officially breaks the record of four straight freshmen to open the 2014 draft. Don’t be surprised if the run on freshman keeps going through the top 10. While there were no surprises among the top five selections, Chicago and Minnesota got the wheeling and dealing started in earnest. The Bulls traded Jimmy Butler and their 16th pick to Minnesota for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the TimberWolves’ seventh pick, two people told The Associated Press. Butler will be reunited with coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached him previously in Chicago. (And don’t be shocked if the T’Wolves still make the seventh pick. The NBA has to officially approve all the deals.) ___ 8: 05 p.m. In the NBA draft’s first unscripted moment, the Boston Celtics took Jayson Tatum of Duke with the third pick. Makelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball went 1-2, as expected in Thursday night. The Celtics, who traded the top pick to the Sixers and moved down to No. 3, went with the Duke guard, whose scoring ability fits what Boston needs. It marks the fourth straight year the Blue Devils have produced a top-three pick. ___ 7: 50 p.m. For Markelle Fultz, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. In keeping with that theme, he showed off the inside of his grey suit jacket after the Philadelphia 76ers picked him first in Thursday night’s NBA draft. There were about a dozen pictures of friends and family along with his slogan F2G, which means « Faithful to the Grind. » Fultz said it’s the pictures of the things that mean the most to him. After the 76ers selected Fultz, the Los Angeles Lakers took Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 pick. ___ 7: 40 p.m. The Philadelphia 76ers have selected guard Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Fultz averaged 23.2 points last season at Washington, tops among freshmen, and added 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, the only Division I player to reach those stats. He walked across the stage Thursday night at Barclays Center wearing red sneakers made of basketballs. The 76ers had the No. 1 pick for the second straight year after trading with the Boston Celtics on Monday. Now they add Fultz to a promising young core that includes Rookie of the Year finalists Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, plus Ben Simmons, the top pick from last year who sat out all season with a foot injury. The Los Angeles Lakers have the second pick again and the Celtics moved down two spots to third after the deal with their Atlantic Division rivals. ___ 6: 55 p.m. To say Markelle Fultz had a bounce to his step isn’t such an understatement. Fultz is the all-but-certain first pick in Thursday night’s NBA draft and wore shoes made of – what else? – basketballs to Barclays Center for the festivities. The former Washington star had promised to make a shoe statement. He did manage to create a buzz. ___ 6: 30 p.m. Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball were front and center when all the expected top picks took their traditional photo before Thursday night’s NBA draft. The 20 players invited to the green room at Barclays Center posed on stage about an hour before the telecast was to begin. Fultz, who is expected to be taken with the No. 1 selection by the Philadelphia 76ers, stood in the middle of the front row holding a basketball and wearing a gray suit. Ball, expected to be selected No. 2 to the Los Angeles Lakers, wore an all-black suit – as did his father, LaVar, who sat with his family at a table near the stage. ___ 6: 15 p.m. The plaza outside Barclays Center is decorated in green and blue – as in Celtics green and 76ers blue. On a big night for both their teams, Boston and Philadelphia fans appear ready to pack the place for Thursday night’s NBA draft. The 76ers have the No. 1 overall pick; the Celtics have the third overall pick. New York is conveniently located between both cities and 76ers fans have made the trip here frequently over the last couple years as their team has had high picks – including the No. 1 choice the last two years. The 76ers are expected to take Markelle Fultz with the first overall pick. This year, there is also plenty of fans of the Celtics, who were slated to select first before dealing the pick to their Atlantic Division rivals on Monday.
