NBA draft 2024: Pitt star Bub Carrington selected 14th overall by Trail Blazers, traded to Wizards
PITTSBURGH — Bub Carrington achieved his dream.
The freshman phenom for Pitt basketball was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers, with the pick being traded to the Washington Wizards, Wednesday night with the 14th selection in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Carrington was a four-star prospect out of Baltimore, Md., who signed to Pitt in 2023 and instantly became a star for the Panthers when he recorded a triple-double in the team’s season opener against North Carolina A&T — the first by any Pitt player since 1998.
He represents the first player to come out of Pitt into the NBA draft and be selected in the first round since Steven Adams was selected 12th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2013.
In his only collegiate season, Carrington earned ACC all-rookie honors as he was the Panthers’ second-leading scorer with an average of 13.8 points, while also averaging 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He earned the most ACC rookie of the week awards (five) in the conference.
After Pitt’s final game of the season, Carrington did say he planned to return to the team. However, his prospects in the NBA draft proved to be too strong of an opportunity to pass up, and he declared in a press conference in April that he would stay in the pool of prospects.
Pitt coach Jeff Capel was on hand during that announcement and expressed that he quickly saw a future professional in his backcourt.
“The best part of his game is his mind,” Capel said then. “I think he’s really smart. It’s the competitiveness and the work ethic. When we started the season, we realized it could be quicker than anyone thought. After the fourth game, I remember sitting with his parents and talking with them, knowing that [his time before entering the NBA draft] could go very fast.”
While the Panthers didn’t reach the NCAA Tournament in Carrington’s only season, they did finish with a 22-11 record and reach the ACC tournament semifinals for the first time in program history. Carrington played a big role in that along with senior Blake Hinson, who is also looking to extend his playing career in the NBA.
In an exclusive interview with the Post-Gazette this week, Carrington credited his rise up NBA draft boards to his approach to the NBA draft combine in May, where Carrington had the best shooting marks of all prospects who attended the event.
