Julian Phillips’ NBA Draft dreams come true with second-round selection
Julian Phillips’ NBA dreams came to fruition on Thursday night.
Phillips was taken in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft. The Chicago Bulls chose Phillips with the 35th overall pick after a trade with the Washington Wizards.
Phillips was the Bulls’ lone pick of the draft.
“Our group liked him (Phillips). He’s ex McDonald’s All-American, multi-positional defender.,” Bulls vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas told reporters. “One of best athletes in the draft. He can step in right now and probably defend on our level.”
Phillips attended Thursday’s draft with his family and friends. He was one of four SC natives picked in Thursday’s draft with the others - Noah Clowney (Brooklyn Nets), GG Jackson (Memphis Grizzlies) and Jalen Slawson (Sacramento Kings).
Phillips played in the Columbia area at Blythewood High for the three seasons before transferring to Link Academy in Missouri for his senior year.
Phillips was a top-15 ranked prospect and McDonald’s All-American coming out of Link during the 2022 season, and he picked Tennessee in a ceremony held in Columbia in May 2022.
Phillips spent one year with the Vols before declaring for the NBA Draft. He appeared in 32 games with 25 starts, and averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 41.1% from the field.
Phillips was an all-SEC freshman selection and started to move up draft boards during his performance at the NBA Scouting Combine. He had a 43-inch vertical leap, which was tops among all combine participants.
Phillips told reporters that he worked at the combine on getting stronger and improving his offense and shooting.
“I have been just really trying to grow in all areas,” Phillips said after a workout with the Portland Trail Blazers.
More SC draft connections
▪ Clemson: The Tigers’ Hunter Tyson was drafted 37th overall in the second round by the Oklahoma City Thunder and then traded to the NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
Tyson was the highest Clemson player drafted since K.J. McDaniels (32 in 2014) and the first Tiger selected since Jaron Blossomgame (2017).
From Monroe, North Carolina, Tyson had a career-best season in 2022-23, landing on the All-ACC first team after averaging 15.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
▪ Dorman High: The Brooklyn Nets selected Noah Clowney, a former Dorman standout, No. 21 overall in the first round of the draft. He’s the first-ever Cavalier alum to be selected in the NBA Draft.
Clowney was the first player from the state of South Carolina selected in this year’s draft. He was the No. 2 prospect coming out of South Carolina last year behind GG Jackson and signed to play college basketball with Alabama. He spent one year with the Crimson Tide and was part of Alabama’s SEC Tournament championship team.
Scouts seem to like Clowney’s 6-foot-10 frame and 7-3 wingspan. The 6-foot-10 Clowney played in and started 36 of Alabama’s 37 games this past season and averaged 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a freshman.
▪ Furman: The Paladins’ Jalen Slawson was taken 54th overall, in the second round, by the Sacramento Kings.
The Summerville product was the 2023 Southern Conference Player of the Year and a two-time first team All-SoCon choice. He was the highest draft pick for a Furman player since forward Clyde Mayes was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks No. 22 overall in 1975.
The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocked shots per game last season.
This story was originally published June 22, 2023 at 11:39 PM.
