Former Kansas wing Johnny Furphy suffered an unwanted draft-day surprise on Wednesday night as he went unselected in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
That defied the expectations of the vast majority of experts who had produced mock drafts in the lead-up to the event, as well as those of Furphy’s own KU coach Bill Self, who had said back in May that he expected Furphy to go in the first round.
Furphy spent much of the second half of the 30-pick first round listed as ESPN’s best remaining player available on the broadcast, but passed by several frequently cited landing spots, including the Orlando Magic at No. 18 and the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 20, before falling out of the round altogether.
The ultimate result of the slide is that the Australian, who spent one breakout year in Lawrence that featured a meteoric rise from unknown recruit to everyday starter and impact player, will have to wait another day to learn his NBA destiny. With the new two-round draft format in place for the first time, the second round begins at 3 p.m. Central Time on Thursday and will be televised on ESPN.
Furphy’s veteran teammate, Kevin McCullar Jr., an All-American honorable mention who struggled with a knee bruise for much of the conference season, is also expected to get selected at some point during the second round.
Furphy declared for the draft on April 16, participated in the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago in early May and then confirmed that he was staying in the draft on May 29.
He had averaged 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds after starting 19 games in his lone year with the Jayhawks.
