Washington Basketball: Chriss and Murray Slide in NBA Draft

Washington basketball stars Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray had to wait a little longer than expected to hear their names called in the 2016 NBA Draft.

We knew coming in that many NBA teams would take their chances on former Washington basketball stars Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray, however, the way the draft unfolded surprised many Husky fans who were expecting the stars to be drafted earlier. Here’s how the night unfolded for them.

Former Husky freshmen Marquese Chriss had to sit in the NBA draft green room for a few extra minutes than he wanted to, but ultimately, Chriss fell where he expected.

While many projections had Chriss going 4th overall to the Phoenix Suns, the Suns surprised many by drafted international PF Dragan Bender. However, just four picks later, the Sacremento Kings selected Chriss, and it was later announced that the Kings would trade Chriss to the Phoenix Suns.

Washington Huskies

After Chriss was drafted he stated that Phoenix is “a great fit,” as he’ll look to contribute right away for the Suns. Chriss averaged 13.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.6 BPG at Washington last year.

Likewise, Murray was projected to go as high as tenth overall to the Milwaukee Bucks, but as the lottery passed, many were surprised Murray wasn’t selected until the Spurs took him 29th overall, the second to last selection in the first round.

Murray was also the second to last player in the green room to be selected, as only former Michigan State forward Deyonta Davis was the only remaining player in the green room after Murray was selected.

While Murray had to sweat it out a bit and wait to be selected, he should be more than happy with the result. He stated that being drafted is “a dream come true” and seemed to be ready to step up and come into a good situation with the Spurs. Murray averaged 16.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 4.4 APG at the UW last year.

This marks the first time since 2012 that Washington has had two first round draft selections, and only the second time ever that this has occurred in UW history. Now, both these players look forward to meeting their new teams, donning their jerseys, and playing in the summer league this July to showcase their skills against NBA level players.