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Will 2018 NBA Draft Give Miami Hurricanes it’s First Lottery Pick?

By Alan Rubenstein

Mar 26, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All-American forward Lonnie Walker IV (14) poses for a photo during the 2017 McDonalds All American Game Portrait Day at Chicago Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All-American forward Lonnie Walker IV (14) poses for a photo during the 2017 McDonalds All American Game Portrait Day at Chicago Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Earlier this spring, Miami Head Coach Jim Larranaga said he expects star incoming freshman Lonnie Walker and rising Sophomore Bruce Brown to declare for the NBA draft following next season.

The Hurricanes were a few months away from bringing their basketball program back after a 14 season hiatus following the 1985 NBA Draft lottery. That lottery brought out cries of it being fixed when the New York Knicks landed Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing over the Phoenix Suns.

It took the Hurricanes 14 seasons before they would even have a first round pick during the lottery era. Senior Forward Tim James was the 25th pick of the first round in the 1999 NBA Draft by the hometown Miami Heat.

Only two other Hurricanes have been selected in the first round since James. Senior guard John Salmons was selected 26th by the San Antonio Spurs three seasons later in 2002. Shane Larkin left Miami after his Sophomore year and went 18th to the Atlanta Hawks following the 2013 season.

Larkin never played for the Hawks as he was dealt to Dallas in a draft night deal for three other players. He played his rookie season with the Mavericks, spent the following season with the Knicks and the 2015-16 season with Nets.

Following the 2016 season, Larkin signed with Saski Baskonia of the Spanish League. Baskonia will play on Saturday in the Spanish league quarterfinals.

The Hurricanes did have a high draft pick proceed the lottery by 20 years. Hall of Famer Rick Barry was the second overall pick by the once and future San Francisco Warriors in the 1965 NBA Draft.

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    • Barry went on the win the 1966 NBA Rookie of the Year. He averaged 25.7 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game in his inaugural NBA season. Barry improved that to 35.6 PPG in his second season.

    He sat out his third season as a professional after encountering legal trouble after signing with the ABA. Barry then played four seasons in the ABA with three different teams. His first year with the red white and blue ball was spent across the San Francisco Bay with the Oakland Oaks.

    Barry eventually rejoined the Warriors where they won the 1975 NBA Championship. That was the franchise’s only title in the Bay Area until they won a second in Northern California in 2015.

    NBA Draft.Net is projecting Walker to be selected eighth in their 2018 NBA Mock Draft by Sacramento. They do not have Brown drafted despite what Larranaga said.

    Walker is the highest player projected to be drafted from the ACC in 2018. NBADraft.Net has fellow incoming Freshman Gary Trent Jr. of Duke going one slot behind Walker to Dallas.

    Next: Bruce Brown and Lonnie Walker will enter 2018 Draft per Jim Larranaga

    Four Blue Devils are expected to be first-round picks in the 2018 draft. The four Duke players are Walker and the only ACC players projected to go in the first round in 2018.

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