Aussie teen Johnny Furphy set for basketball superstardom at NBA Draft

An Australian teenager has taken America by storm with his stunning rise set to see him taken with a top pick in the NBA Draft.

James McKern

@jLmcKern

2 min read

June 26, 2024 - 1:34PM

Australian teenager Johnny Furphy is set for basketball superstardom.

Melbourne teenager Johnny Furphy is set to be the next big thing in Australian basketball.

The 19-year-old burst onto the American scene after one stellar season with the Kansas Jayhawks and looks set to be taken with a top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Watch Live Coverage of The 2024 NBA Draft with ESPN on Kayo Sports. Thu 9:30am / Fri 6am AEST. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >

A little more than a year ago the prospect of playing in America and going high in the draft hadn’t even entered Furphy’s mind … now he’s set for basketball superstardom.

The youngster had initially planned to spend another year developing his game at the Centre of Excellence before a standout showing at the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta in July last year.

His performance led to him joining the Jayhawks where he established himself as a regular player down the stretch for the college powerhouse.

Furphy finished his freshman season having started 19 out of 33 games while averaging nine points per game, 4.9 rebounds and one assist.

The Aussie teen is expected to be a first round pick. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The 206cm guard who didn’t make a Victorian team until he was 17 is now being widely tipped to be selected in the first round when the NBA Draft gets underway on Thursday (AEST).

If he’s taken in the opening round, he’ll join fellow Aussies Andrew Bogut (1st), Ben Simmons (1st), Dante Exum (5th), Josh Giddey (6th), Luc Longley (7th), Dyson Daniels (8th), Thon Maker (10th), Josh Green (18th), Chris Anstey (18th) and Matisse Thybulle (20th).

Furphy was invited by the NBA to the “green room” for Thursday’s draft which takes place from the Barclays Centre in New York.

He could go as high as pick 9. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP

The invitation is yet another promising sign the Aussie will be selected in the opening round with ESPN’s latest mock draft putting him at pick 18 to the Orlando Magic but reported interest in the guard is coming as high as pick 9 from the Memphis Grizzlies.

“He is drawing strong interest, starting with Memphis at No. 9, extending throughout the teens and ending with Cleveland at No. 20,” ESPN wrote.

“Furphy’s size at 6-9 and multipositional versatility operating in different line-up configurations makes him an attractive target for the many teams in that range that are looking for shooting.”

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic also has mocked Furphy to Orlando, while The Ringer has him at No.24 to the Knicks, CBS Sports has him at No.20 to Cleveland and it is No.27 to Minnesota for Bleacher Report.

Australian teenager Johnny Furphy is set for basketball superstardom.

Despite still being considered relatively raw with his game, the tools he possess have NBA teams salivating over what the teenager could become.

“Yeah it’s kind of crazy, it’s getting real now,” Furphy said to Channel 7 about his draft prospects.

WHEN IS THE NBA DRAFT?

The first round of the Draft will take place on Thursday June 27 with the second round taking place on Friday June 28.

WHAT TIME IS THE NBA DRAFT?

Coverage of the 2024 NBA Draft kicks off at 9:30am AEST, with the first round to commence at 10am on Thursday.

The second round takes place at 6am AEST on Friday.

NBA DRAFT FIRST ROUND ORDER

1. Atlanta, 2. Washington

3. Houston (from Brooklyn), 4. San Antonio

5. Detroit, 6. Charlotte