Originally published June 29, 2007 at 1:54 a.m., updated July 2, 2007 at 11:26 a.m.
Former Kansas forward Julian Wright said he was excited to be heading south to join the New Orleans Hornets as the 13th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Wright slid to the Hornets at 13 in what some NBA analysts called the deepest draft of the decade. Some mock drafts had Wright being selected as high as No. 6.
“I’m happy the Hornets took me. It’s a great opportunity,” Wright said by phone from New York on Thursday night. “Chris Paul is an outstanding point guard for their team and I’m looking forward to the chance to play with him.”
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Wright said before draft day that he hadn’t had any contact with the Hornets and didn’t know where he was going to land until right before he was chosen. Prior to the draft, Wright injured his ankle, forcing him to cancel workouts for multiple teams. He said that despite watching players get drafted before him, he was never worried that he would fall out of the draft lottery. The lottery is comprised of the 14 NBA teams with the worst records from the previous season.
Wright said he was excited to help restore a city that suffered great devastation from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Wright said he hoped to help the city become a better place once he got there.
Hornets coach Byron Scott called Wright a “poor man’s Magic Johnson.” Wright said it was nice to receive such a comparison, but he couldn’t let the hype keep him from staying grounded.
Wright left Kansas after his sophomore season to become the first Jayhawk picked in the lottery since Kirk Hinrich went 7th to the Chicago Bulls and Nick Collison went 12th to the Seattle Supersonics in the 2003 draft.
Kansas coach Bill Self said he expected Wright to contribute immediately in the Hornets’ rotation. He said Wright made a good decision to stay in the draft.
“I believe Julian made the right choice for his family and to have a career,” Self said. “He made a good business decision. You can’t second guess, he could have gotten hurt. He’s been a good representative for KU.”
Wright averaged 12 points per game during his sophomore season and led the Jayhawks in rebounding with 7.8 boards per contest. Wright was an All-Big 12 first team selection and an honorable mention All-American. He said he was looking forward to his new career.
“I feel fortunate to be chosen,” Wright said. “The NBA is tough, I’m going to play to the best of my ability. I don’t have to be a scorer to help my team.”
— Edited by Joe Caponio
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