Two Jackets go in first round
By Michael Skinner/ Student Publications
Javaris Crittenton was the starting point guard for the Jackets during his one season at Tech. The former Jacket was drafted by the Lakers.
Former Tech players Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young were both selected as top-20 picks in last month's NBA draft.
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Young with the No. 12 pick, making him a lottery pick. The L.A. Lakers selected Crittenton with the No. 19 pick. This is the first time in the program's history that two Tech players were chosen in the first round of the NBA draft and the ninth time that Tech has had two players chosen in the same draft. The last time two former Jackets were drafted in the same year came in 1996.
Crittenton declared fairly early that he would remain in the upcoming NBA draft and hire an agent instead of returning to Tech for a second season. The Atlanta native made the decision shortly after announcing his intention to put his name in the draft in the first place.
There had been much speculation leading up to the draft that Crittenton would remain in Atlanta as an Atlanta Hawk. Many speculated that the Hawks were poised to make Crittenton a lottery pick with their No. 11 pick (and their second first round pick). Instead, they passed on the hometown player in favor of Texas A&M's Acie Law.
Crittenton signed a contract with the Lakers shortly after being drafted by the team. The deal guarantees two years with a team option for the third and fourth season. In his first year he will make $1,071,000, while in the second season he'll earn $1,151,000.
This is the second straight year that the Lakers have drafted a point guard in the first round. Last year, they chose Jordan Farmar with the No. 26 overall pick.
Unlike Crittenton, Young decided to remain in the draft just hours before the deadline to withdraw. Despite his acknowledgment of the near certainty that another year in college would help increase his position in next year's draft, he decided to forgo his eligibility in favor of entering this year's draft.
Most projected him as a lottery pick and the NBA invited him to the Draft Green Room, an honor usually given to those that the NBA believe will be drafted as one of the top 20 picks. Young declined the invitation.
The small forward has signed with the 76ers, a two year deal worth more than 3.1 million dollars. In his first year, he will earn $1,525,000 while he will earn $1,640,000 in the 2009 season.
Many analysts and scouts have labeled the two as project players. Project players are players that need at least one or two more years of development before they will make a significant impact on their teams.
Tech has had just seven lottery picks in its history, with Chris Bosh's selection by the Toronto Raptors in 2003 being the most recent.
The other lottery players are Kenny Anderson, Tom Hammonds, Stephon Marbury, John Salley and Dennis Scott.
There could be up to eight former Tech players playing in the NBA with the two joining the league this season.
Bosh (Toronto Raptors), Marbury (New York Knicks), Matt Harping (Utah Jazz) and Jarrett Jack (Portland Trail Blazers) are all starters or role players for their current NBA teams.
Former players Luke Schenscher and Will Bynum are currently attempting to make an NBA team roster.
After their selection, Crittenton and Young both joined the summer league with their respective teams in Las Vegas to prepare for the regular season.
Crittenton has been one of the best rookies during the summer, averaging 17 points through five games. This included a breakout performance on July 14 against Detroit in which he scored 28 points. At the conclusion of the league's season, he was voted as a first-team Summer League Adidas All-Star.
Young has also performed well, averaging 12 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. His play had been getting better and better over the course of the five games, with his best game coming against Phoenix on July 11, where he scored a season high of 20 points against the Suns.
The two former team mates squared off against each other in a matchup played on July 11.
Young finished with nine points on four-of-seven shooting while Crittenton had 13 points on just 5-of-13 shooting.
The 76ers finished with a 3-2 record while the Lakers ended with a 2-3 record.
The two will report to their respective team camps in October shortly before the start of the NBA season and begin the season in late October.
They will meet up twice during the regular season as opponents. The NBA schedule will be announced in early to mid August.
