Canadians Bennedict Mathurin and Shaedon Sharpe were selected two back in the first round of the NBA draft on Thursday.
Mathurin, a 20-year-old from Montreal, was selected sixth by the Indiana Pacers.
Moments later, the Portland Trail Blazers took Sharpe, a 19-year-old from London, Ontario, to No. 7.
It is only the second time in history that two Canadians have entered the top 10 of the NBA draft. In 2014, Andrew Wiggins was first overall in Cleveland, and Sacramento took on Nik Stauskas with No. 8 pick.
Mathurin and Sharpe took very different paths to the project.
Mathurin, a 6-6 guard, became the first Canadian to attend the NBA Academy in Mexico City between 2018-20. He then played two seasons at the University of Arizona, earning the honors as the most outstanding player in the Pac-12 Tournament and averaging 17.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this year.
He scored 30 points in a great game in the second round of March Madness, helping Arizona beat Texas Christian University in overtime.
MIRAR | Mathurin, Sharpe go consecutive elections:
Mathurin, Sharpe of Canada selected two back in the top 10 of the 2022 NBA Draft
Bennedict Mathurin, originally from Montreal, is selected sixth overall by the Indiana Pacers and then Shaedon Sharpe of London, Ont., Is selected seventh overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The stations compared Mathurin’s game to the Toronto Raptors’ OG Anunoby.
Sharpe hasn’t played a significant five-on-five game since last fall.
He joined the Kentucky Wildcats in January, but never played a game, and then raised his eyebrows when he declared himself for this year’s draft.
Two more Canadians clashed in the second round. Gonzaga baseman Andrew Nembhard heads to the Indiana Pacers at No. 31, while Caleb Houstan was selected at No. 32 by Orlando.
Canada has had 37 players selected since the draft went into two rounds in 1989, the second-largest country behind the U.S.
The Raptors write to Koloko
The Toronto Raptors selected Arizona midfielder Christian Koloko with the 33rd overall pick in the NBA draft Thursday night.
“Good shot blocker, very good defensive numbers,” Raptors coach NIck Nurse said of Koloko. “Last year he is very well positioned in all of college basketball in many categories. He is a very decent player and has good feet.”
The 7-foot-tall Koloko played three seasons with the Wildcats, averaging 12.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 37 games as a junior.
“I talked to him and he’s very, very excited to be here,” the nurse said. “How, very, very happy we selected him.”
Koloko, 22, is from Douala, Cameroon, the same hometown as Raptors All-Star striker Pascal Siakam.
“I’m sure it will be interesting to see these guys together,” the nurse said.
Welcome to the family, pic.twitter.com/jRYKzRQaUg
– @ Raptors
Raptors president Masai Ujiri and striker Precious Achiuwa are from neighboring Nigeria.
The 2019 champion, Toronto, returned to the playoffs this season after a year away, but fell behind 3-0 in the first round before losing a six-game series against Philadelphia.
Despite being loaded with long, athletic players, the Raptors had no one on their roster taller than 6 feet 9, which made the already difficult task of defending center 76ers Joel Embiid even more difficult in the run. playoff time.
“It certainly fits, possibly, into a position of necessity and also into the balance of the list,” Nurse said of Koloko. “Pretty exciting choice, I think, for tonight.”
Koloko was the Pac-12 2021-22 defensive player of the year, the most improved player and a first team selection of all conferences. He led the conference and finished 14th in the NCAA with 2.76 blocks per game, tying an Arizona one-season record with 102 blocks.
Koloko was also one of 10 Naismith Award semifinalists for Defensive Player of the Year.
The Toronto team, which originally belonged to Detroit, was acquired in San Antonio along with striker Thaddeus Young in exchange for baseman Goran Dragic and Toronto’s first-round pick, the twentieth overall.
Last year, the Raptors picked Florida State striker Scottie Barnes with the fourth overall pick. Barnes was named Rookie of the Year in the NBA, joining Vince Carter and Damon Stoudamire as Toronto players to win top rookie honors.
The Raptors were 33rd for the first time in team history.
The magic takes Banchero 1st, Holmgren and Smith follow
The Orlando Magic selected Duke freshman Paolo Banchero Thursday night with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
After leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four in the final season of coach Mike Krzyzewski, the 6-foot-10 striker was first called up by NBA commissioner Adam Silver to begin the draft, beating his fellow forwards. freshman Jabari Smith Jr. and Chet Holmgren. .
Banchero, in a bright purple suit, received a standing ovation at the Barclays Center, where Duke lost in the ACC Tournament final.
The Magic were first for the fourth time and have done well with their previous picks. They took Shaquille O’Neal in 1992, changed Chris Webber’s rights to Penny Hardaway the following year, and went with Dwight Howard in 2004.
They all finally made it to the NBA Finals with the Magic.
Holmgren finished second to the Oklahoma City Thunder after the 7-footer led the West Coast Conference in blocked shots, rebounds and percentage shots on Gonzaga. He looked sharp with his black suit, but he may need it to be a bigger size to succeed in the NBA, as he weighs only 195 pounds.
The Houston Rockets took Smith in third place, happy to finish with a player many thought would finish first. Auburn’s 6-10 forward naturally adapts to the current NBA game, able to defend all three forward positions and with a pitching shot that allowed him to hit 42% behind the arc.
Striker Keegan Murray, after a big jump in his second season in Iowa, jumped to the No. 4 pick of the Sacramento Kings. The Detroit Pistons, a year after taking on Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick, occupied Purdue’s fifth athletic goalie Jaden Ivey.
Before the selections began, Silver congratulated the Golden State Warriors on their recent NBA championship and reminded fans that their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green was built through the draft.
All the teams at the top of this draft need help and already have recent high picks on their roster, so hopefully the Warriors ’mode will work for them as well.