NBA Draft updates: Kentucky finishes with two first-round picks, four undrafted

(Below is a running recap of the 2020 NBA Draft with breaking news, observations and commentary.)

12:28 a.m.: Thanks for following along, y’all. This is one of my favorite nights of “work” every year, and while it was different in 2020, it was still a joy. Stay safe and sane out there, folks!

12:24 a.m.: A total of 12 Southeastern Conference players were taken in this year’s draft, the most by any college conference this year. Kentucky led the way with three selections — Tyrese Maxey (No. 21 to Philadelphia), Immanuel Quickley (No. 25 to New York) and Nick Richards (No. 42 to Charlotte) — while Mississippi State and Vanderbilt each had two selections. The Commodores saw Aaron Nesmith (No. 14 to Boston) and Saben Lee (No. 38 to Detroit) get picked while the Bulldogs had Robert Woodard II (No. 40 to Memphis) and Reggie Perry (No. 57 to the L.A. Clippers) drafted.

With one selection each were: Georgia (Anthony Edwards, No. 1 to Minnesota), Auburn (Issac Okoro, No. 5 to Cleveland), Alabama (Kira Lewis, No. 13 to New Orleans), Arkansas (Isaiah Joe, No. 49 to Philadelphia) and LSU (Skylar Mays, No. 50 to Atlanta).

12:21: ESPN’s Jonathan Givony named Kahlil Whitney to his list of top undrafted players.

12:19 a.m.: Sestina in September signed a pro deal with Nizhny Novgorod, a Russian basketball club.

12:15 a.m.: Four former Kentucky players went undrafted: Ashton Hagans, E.J. Montgomery, Nate Sestina and Kahlil Whitney,

12:13 a.m.: Utah State’s Sam Merrill is this year’s “Mr. Irrelevant” of the NBA Draft. He was drafted No. 60 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.

12:11 a.m.: Mississippi State’s Reggie Perry was picked 57th overall by the L.A. Clippers, who will trade his rights to the Brooklyn Nets.

12:05 a.m.: Per Jay Bilas on the ESPN broadcast, the Pacers’ selection of Cassius Stanley made him the 100th player from Duke drafted during Mike Krzyzewski’s tenure, which began in 1980.

As of Nick Richards’ selection, John Calipari has had 41 players drafted after 10 seasons at Ketnucky.

12:03 a.m.: Would-be Louisville player Jay Scrubb, who spurned the Cardinals for the draft, was selected 55th overall by the Brooklyn Nets. Scrubb, the national junior college player of the year, was a prep standout for Trinity High School in Louisville.

11:49 p.m.: SEC players Isaiah Joe (Arkansas) and Skylar Mays (LSU) goes back-to-back at picks No. 49 and 50.

11:37 p.m.: Louisville’s Jordan Nwora goes No. 45 overall to the Milwaukee Bucks.

11:36 p.m.: P.J. Washington on Twitter: “YESSIR BIG FELLA PROUD OF YOU MY GUY”

11:35 p.m.: “He was expected to be one of these one-and-done guys but it took him a little bit longer ... But he kept plugging. I’m really happy for him,” Jay Bilas on Nick Richards.

11:32 p.m.: Richards is already on the move! The Pelicans traded the rights to pick No. 42 to Charlotte, so Richards will join former teammate P.J. Washington and another Wildcat, Malik Monk, with the Hornets.

11:29 p.m.: The New Orleans Pelicans make Nick Richards the third Kentucky player off the board with the No. 42 overall pick.

11:28 p.m.: Panini has shared an “Instant” rookie card of Tyrese Maxey.

11:22 p.m.: Xavier Tillman’s stay in Sacramento was short-lived; he’s headed to Memphis as part of a trade for the No. 40 pick, Robert Woodard II (Mississippi State).

11:18 p.m.: Multiple reports are out there that Seth Curry has been traded from Dallas to Philadelphia. Curry is the son-in-law of 76ers Coach Doc Rivers.

11:16 p.m.: Magic Johnson has endorsed Xavier Tillman, a center out of Michigan State who will join De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento after the Kings picked him No. 35 overall.

11:09 p.m.: Daniel Otoru will go to the New York Knicks with the No. 33 pick. He’s the Knicks’ third selection tonight, joining Dayton’s Obi Toppin and Kentucky’s Immanuel Quickley.

11:05 p.m.: Wildcats still available as the second round gets started: Ashton Hagans, Nick Richards, EJ Montgomery, Nate Sestina and Kahlil Whitney.

11:01 p.m.: Kentucky fans disappointed about the Cats’ streak of lottery picks coming to an end can take solace in this: Duke saw its streak of nine straight drafts with a first-round pick come to an end on Wednesday. The Blue Devils’ streak was the second longest in the country behind Kentucky, which extended its own streak to 11 straight drafts.

10:55 p.m.: John Calipari shared his thoughts about Tyrese Maxey going to the 76ers on Twitter.

10:53 p.m.: Boston makes the final selection of the first round, Desmond Bane, at No. 30 but will trade him to Memphis.

10:49 p.m.: Malachi Flynn is the penultimate pick of the first round. He goes No. 29 to the Toronto Raptors.

10:48 p.m.: Immanuel Quickley seems happy. “GOD IS SOOOOO GOOOODD.”

10:45 p.m.: Jaden McDaniels goes No. 28 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers, but he’ll actually join Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota because of a trade.

10:37 p.m.: Here’s a funny tweet from The Ringer comparing John Calipari and Bruce Pearl’s appearances during the NBA Draft.

10:35 p.m.: Payton Pritchard was taken No. 26 overall by the Boston Celtics.

10:31 p.m.: John Calipari joined the ESPN broadcast for a moment after Quickley was selected.

“They’re getting a worker, a great kid, a terrific basketball player, helps build culture,” Calipari said of Quickley. “ ... It’s been a good night. There’s some guys that passed on Tyrese that are gonna regret it.”

10:30 p.m.: “It’s a little bit of a surprise that he’s going this high, but he’s going this high because he can shoot it,” Jay Bilas says of Immanuel Quickley at No. 25.

10:28 p.m.: Kenny Payne will be coaching a rookie Wildcat in New York; the Oklahoma City Thunder, picking No. 25 overall for the Knicks, drafted Kentucky’s Immanuel Quickley. Former Wildcats Kevin Knox and Julius Randle are currently on New York’s roster.

10:25 p.m.: Yahoo’s Chris Haynes reports that Klay Thompson’s injury is feared to be “a significant Achilles injury.” Just awful.

10:23 p.m.: Lots of trades happening, now. New Orleans is taking RJ Hampton at No. 24, but he’ll go to Denver, per Shams Charania. Hampton was a one-time UK recruit but ultimately didn’t play in college; he spent a season with the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian Basketball League.

10:19 p.m.: Argentinian Leandro Bolmaro goes No. 23 overall to the New York Knicks, who reportedly are trading the pick to Minnesota for the 25th and 33rd picks in this year’s draft.

10:16 p.m.: Back to the non-Kentucky portion of this draft; Denver takes Zeke Nnaji with the No. 22 pick.

10:15 p.m.: LeBron James tweeted a congratulatory message to Maxey, a Klutch Sports client.

10:12 p.m.: Maxey has something in common with Rondo: both were taken No. 21 overall (Rondo by the Suns in 2006).

10:11 p.m.: Tyrese Maxey fought through tears as he was interviewed during the ESPN broadcast.

“I just want to show ‘em that I can compete and do what I can do. I trust myself, I put the work in. I’m just so excited, I’m so thankful.”

Maxey worked in the offseason with former UK guard Rajon Rondo.

“I’ve learned so much from Rondo,” Maxey said. “He taught me the tricks of the trade. I thank Philadelphia for this opportunity. I promise you, it won’t lead to regret.

Doc Rivers, hired recently as the 76ers’ head coach, was asked for his assesment of Maxey later.

“Competitive, tough,” Rivers said. “When you have a guy like Ben Simmons who has the ball, you don’t need a pure point guard. You need guards, you need players, and I think Tyrese fits that mold.”

10:07 p.m.: Maxey is the 30th UK player under John Calipari to be selected in the first round and the 52nd UK player in history selected in the first round.

He also is the first draft selection by Daryl Morey in Philadelphia (Morey was Houston’s general manager from 2007-2019).

10:05 p.m.: At last! Tyrese Maxey is the No. 21 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The first Kentucky player off the board is headed to the Philadelphia 76ers.

10:03 p.m.: You should your best friend a beer that they can’t name the only college program in the country with NBA lottery picks in back-to-back drafts as of this year. It’s Vanderbilt (Darius Garland and Aaron Nesmith).

9:59 p.m.: Well, so much for that. Miami takes Memphis’ Precious Achiuwa with the No. 20 pick.

9:56 p.m.: It’s really weird going this deep into the draft without a UK player coming off the board. Maybe Pat Riley will end the wait?

9:49 p.m.: Turns out the No. 19 pick is headed to Detroit (the Clippers are receiving Luke Kennard and sending Landry Shamet to Brooklyn). The Nets for Detroit will select Saddiq Bey, the second “Wildcat” taken this year (he played for Villanova).

9:47 p.m.: Josh Green, out of Arizona, is the first “Wildcat” taken in the 2020 NBA Draft. He went No. 18 to Dallas.

9:45 p.m.: Woj reports that the L.A. Clippers have traded Landry Shamet for the No. 19 pick.

9:42 p.m.: This was the first draft since 2000 that at least one of Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina didn’t have a player picked in the lottery. Crazy!

9:41 p.m.: Minnesota traded its rights to the No. 17 pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It selected Aleksej Pokusevski, the youngest player in the draft, for the Thunder.

9:39 p.m.: This Vice story explains why director Spike Lee was hanging out with Cole Anthony during his draft party.

9:38 p.m.: The Detroit Pistons pick Washington’s Isaiah Stewart No. 16 overall.

9:35 p.m.: North Carolina’s Cole Anthony picked No. 15 overall by the Orlando Magic. That ties UNC with UK for the most first-round selections in NBA Draft history (52).

9:27 p.m.: The selection of Vanderbilt’s Aaron Nesmith gives the SEC four picks in the NBA Draft lottery section, and ensures an end to Kentucky’s streak of 10 straight years of having a player picked in the lottery.

9:23 p.m.: Alabama’s Kira Lewis will be drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans, for whom Darius Miller plays, with the No. 13 pick. Only one pick left for a UK player to be picked in the lottery.

9:14 p.m.: Tyrese Haliburton, projected by some as a top-five pick, will join De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento. The Kings picked him 12th overall.

9:12 p.m.: The San Antonio Spurs have picked Devin Vassell at No. 11. He’s the second Florida State player taken in the lottery.

9:07 p.m.: Jalen Smith of Maryland will join Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns, who earlier this week acquired NBA veteran Chris Paul.

8:56 p.m.: UK player Jacob Toppin was streaming into brother Obi’s celebration via an iPad during an ESPN interview.

8:54 p.m.: John Wall’s newest teammate in Washington is Deni Avdija, selected No. 9 overall by the Wizards. Avdija played for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel last year. He is the first Israeli player drafted in the lottery.

8:49 p.m.: Dayton star Obi Toppin, considered by some to be the best player in college basketball last season and the 2019-20 Associated Press Player of the Year, was drafted No. 8 overall by the New York Knicks, for whom former UK assistant coach Kenny Payne is now an assistant. Jacob Toppin, Obi’s brother, is currently on UK’s roster.

8:45 p.m.: Per Jerry Tipton: This is the first draft since 2007 that John Calipari or Mike Krzyzewski didn’t have a played selected among the top six picks.

8:42 p.m.: Picks No. 6 and No. 7 per Adrian Wojnarowski are Oneyka Okongwu (Atlanta) and Killian Hayes (Detroit).

8:38 p.m.: “If he can add a jump shot to his game, he is a stud,” Jay Bilas says of future NBA Hall of Fame and Cavs lifer Isaac Okoro, Auburn’s highest draft selection since 1988 (Chris Morris, No. 4 overall).

8:36 p.m.: This is the first NBA Draft since John Calipari became UK’s head coach that multiple SEC players were selected before the first Kentucky player was drafted.

8:32 p.m.: The 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers have selected Auburn’s Isaac Okoro with the No. 5 overall pick. Okoro is the best player in this draft and you won’t convince this irrational Cavs fan otherwise for at least a week.

8:28 p.m.: Fun fact: LaMelo Ball’s father, Lavar, was on the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad in 1995.

8:27 p.m.: Florida State’s Patrick Williams goes No. 4 overall to the Chicago Bulls.

8:24 p.m.: The order of the top three selections wasn’t necessarily certain coming into tonight, but those were the three guys most expected to be off the board first. Now it gets spicy.

8:17 p.m.: LaMelo Ball at one time visited Kentucky but played overseas last season. He joins former Wildcat P.J. Washington in Charlotte.

8:16 p.m.: The next picks reportedly will be James Wiseman (No. 2 to Golden State) and LaMelo Ball (No. 3 to Charlotte).

8:14 p.m.: Want to be an NBA lottery pick? Change your name to Anthony: Four of the last nine No. 1 pick have that as their first name.

8:12 p.m.: Anthony Edwards is the first Georgia player selected in the first round since Dominique Wilkins, picked third overall in 1982.

8:10 p.m.: The Timberwolves select Georgia guard Anthony Edwards with the No. 1 overall pick. He will join former UK star and 2015 No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota.

8:03 p.m.: The draft has begun! The Minnesota Timberwolves are on the clock.

7:56 p.m.: John Calipari tweeted earlier that he has “butterflies” over tonight’s draft. “Normally I would be in green room with our guys getting ready to celebrate but obviously won’t be able to do that tonight with the pandemic. Instead I’m going to be on a Zoom with some friends to celebrate. Talked to all the guys today and wished them all luck. Also sent a #BuiltDifferent swag bag to each of them. Can’t wait for tonight!”

7:51 p.m.: Ex-Cat Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, entering his third NBA season and second with the Oklahoma City Thunder, will have several new teammates this year. The Thunder have been active leading up to the draft, and on Wednesday reportedly traded for Philadelphia 76ers forward Al Horford, who won two NCAA titles at Florida.

7:49 p.m.: Speaking of suits, Tyrese Haliburton went very floral with his ensemble, which had a nod to the Black Lives Matter movement.

7:45 p.m.: Check out Tyrese Maxey’s draft-day suit. Maxey is expected to be the first Wildcat picked tonight.

7:34 p.m.: Former Wildcat Chuck Hayes shared earlier on Twitter that this is his favorite night of the year. Hayes, a scout with the Houston Rockets, spoke with me earlier this summer about his job and what it’s like to be in an NBA war room on draft night. Click here to read that story.

7:31 p.m.: Some somber news ahead of the draft: Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson suffered a right leg injury in practice Thursday and will undergo testing for its severity in the coming days. Thompson missed last season with a torn ACL in his left knee.

7:30 p.m.: Howdy, y’all! Keep this page open for continuous updates throughout the night as the NBA Draft gets revved up. It’s always a fun time.

Draft preview coverage

▪ Hagans’ draft prep: ‘Offensively, slow down. Defensively, keep your motor up’

▪ Might UK’s Jacob Toppin join his celebrated brother in the NBA someday?

▪ NBA ‘bubble’ transported to Kentucky for COVID-altered Pro Day

▪ ‘Reps upon reps.’ First UK player projected to be drafted racing to boost NBA stock

▪ ESPN NBA Draft board has Maxey at 14, four other ex-Cats in top 75

This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 7:32 PM.