It’s been quite the week for former Penn State guard Jalen Pickett. A day after making his first-career NBA start, Pickett returned to the Denver Nuggets’ starting lineup on Wednesday, and registered his first-career triple double in a 113-106 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Pickett, who was selected by Denver in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft, scored a career-high 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 10 assists against San Antonio.
Pickett’s multifaceted statline shouldn’t be anything new to those who watched him on the Nittany Lions, with whom he became the first Division I men’s college basketball player in 30 years to average 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game or better while shooting at least 50% from the field over his senior year.
In his second season with the Nuggets, Pickett is averaging 3.9 points, 2.2 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game across 44 games. Denver currently possesses a 47-30 record, and sit at No. 4 in the Western Conference standings.
Pickett is just two years removed from helping lead Penn State to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011 and in claiming the program’s first tournament win, a 76-59 victory over Texas A&M, in over two decades.
Pickett is one of three former Nittany Lions currently in the NBA. His college teammate Seth Lundy is on a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Clippers while Lamer Stevens, who ranks second on Penn State’s all-time scoring list, is under contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.
