By ADAM ZAGORIA & JOSH NEWMAN
NEW YORK — As the first round began to fade Thursday night at the NBA Draft, Kentucky big man Skal Labissiere remained in the Green Room at Barclays Center.
Time will tell whether or not Labissiere, who struggled in his one season in Lexington, made a mistake by leaving school early, but for now, the Haitian-born forward is a millionaire.
Once projected as the No. 1 overall pick by DraftExpress, Labissiere was selected 28th overall by the Phoenix Suns, who will send him to the Sacramento Kings. He was one of two Kentucky players to be selected in the first round after classmate and Canadian sensation Jamal Murray was chosen seventh overall by the Denver Nuggets.
“It was tough at first, but one thing about the league, one thing about all of us now, everything starts over for all of us,” Labissiere said. “We all start over once we get to that level. I’m excited to get to work. I know I have a bright future ahead of me.”
Wildcats point guard Tyler Ulis made it three John Calipari players selected Thursday after he went to the Suns at No. 34. Calipari had spent much of the last week defending Ulis, whose stock slid in the wake of a reported hip issue. DraftExpress projected Ulis at No. 20 as late as March.
Lasbissiere, whose back story includes surviving the 2010 Haiti earthquake, will make approximately $2.1 million over two years as the 28th pick, plus team options in the third and fourth years of the deal.
As Murray slid somewhat in the Lottery, his high school coach, Larry Blunt of Orangeville Prep in Ontario, Canada, Tweeted that teams were simply “adding fuel to this fire.”
The 6-foot-5 Murray ended up being the third guard chosen in the draft — after Kris Dunn at No. 5 and Buddy Hield at No. 6 — when he went No. 7 to the Denver Nuggets.
After the pick, the latest one-and-done from Kentucky conceded the fire in him was burning.
“There’s no disappointment in getting drafted,” Murray said. “If I go 60th, I’m drafted. I’m in the NBA. I’m about to start my career. I just want to go to the right team, the team that wants me.”
The moment Murray was picked. pic.twitter.com/Yk72ehMbM5
– Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_AJC) June 24, 2016
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Murray, the latest product from the CIA Bounce AAU program that produced No. 1 picks Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins, became the 20th first-rounder and 14th lottery selection under Calipari at Kentucky, as Kyle Tucker reported.
Murray said he has spoken with other former Wildcats for advice.
“They’ve already been through it,” he said. “They always want to give advice, and I’m just wanting to learn.”
Calipari had said Murray was the “safe” pick at No. 1 — ahead of Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram — and the confident yet softspoken Canadian believes he’s the best player in the draft.
“Of course I believe I’m the best player,” he said. “I’m confident in myself that I don’t see anybody else being better than me. I mean, other players will say that, but coming from me, I just know what I’ve sacrificed and what it took to be here.”
Calipari also said he believed Murray, who averaged 20.0 points and 5.2 rebounds in his lone season at Kentucky, would be the leading scorer among NBA rookies in 2016-17.
“[Murray] can stretch the defense, play off the ball and the NBA is going positionless,” Calipari said. “He can flat-out shoot the ball and is physically ready.”
While Murray played primarily off the ball at Kentucky because of Ulis, Tony McIntyre, who coached Murray with the CIA Bounce AAU team, says NBA teams will be surprised by how good a facilitator he is, too.
“I think in the league he’s going to be a 1-2,” McIntyre said on The 4 Quarters Podcast. “I think he’s definitely a capable and confident scorer but at the same time I think it’s relatively unknown based on what he did at Kentucky of how good of a passer, how good of a point guard he is as well.
“So I think he’s going to be a versatile guy that’s going to bring a lot to any team that drafts him.”
Meantime, Kentucky’s Alex Poythress went undrafted as expected, but could still join a team as a free agent.
“It was another nerve-wracking night waiting for draft picks to be made,” Calipari said. “I always wish the guys were drafted in better positions, but we got three in the league and all with good organizations. Although Alex didn’t get drafted, I’m proud of the position he’s put himself in after what he went through a year a half ago. I’m confident he’ll get a contract just like Aaron Harrison last season. At the end of the day, it was still a life-changing draft for several of our players and their families. I’m just so proud of the guys. They’ve all earned this and have chased their dreams. I know they’ll all be ready for more.”
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