FSU has two more selected in NBA Draft

Following the selection of Scottie Barnes at No. 4, Florida State had two more players selected in the NBA Draft.

Balsa Koprivica was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 57th pick (and later traded to the Detroit Pistons), while RaiQuan Gray was selected by the Brooklyn Nets at 59th overall.

Here’s what our Matt Minnick had to say about how each player projects

For Gray, give me a below-the-rim Zion. Neither guy will ever be svelte, no matter how much Keto they try. Both are quick off the ground (Zion just gets waaaaaayyyy higher after the initial burst) and both guys blow by surprised defenders with their first step. Both can create for others and both gobble up defensive rebounds outside of their area. Zion was a 29% shooter from 3 this past season, while Gray was 27%. Although it’s worth noting that Gray’s free throw stroke over the last 12 months is better than anything Zion has ever shown, and FT shooting is often a sign of potential three-point shooting.

Koprivica...hmmm. How about Jakob Poeltl, of the Spurs? (He went to Utah, if that jogs your memory). Poeltl probably has a few more moves around the basket, but he’s also 25. He’s not a threat from three at all, he’s a pretty good rebounder, and he is very good but not elite as a rim protector (6th in the league last year with a 5.7% block rate).

Here’s the official release from FSU:

Balsa Koprivica and RaiQuan Gray, who helped lead Florida State to the 2020 ACC Championship and the Sweet 16 of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, were selected with the 57th and 59th picks in the 2021 NBA Draft. Koprivica was selected by the Charlotte Hornets and Gray by the Brooklyn Nets. Koprivica’s draft rights were traded to the Detroit Pistons prior to the end of the second round of the draft.

Florida State led the ACC with three selections. A total of seven ACC players were selected with Florida State earning three selections while Duke, Louisville, North Carolina and Virginia earned one each.

With the selections of Koprivica (57th overall in the second round by the Hornets and traded to the Detroit Pistons), Gray (59th overall in the second round by the Nets) and Scottie Barnes (fourth overall in the first round by the Raptors), Seminole Head Coach Leonard Hamilton and the Seminoles have now had multiple players selected in three consecutive NBA Drafts. The 2019 NBA Draft saw Mfiondu Kabengele (first round, New Jersey Nets) and Terance Mann (second round, Los Angeles Clippers) picked; the 2020 NBA Draft saw Patrick Williams (first round, Chicago Bulls) and Devin Vassell (first round, San Antonio Spurs) selected and the 2021 NBA Draft has seen by Barnes, Koprivica and Gray chosen.

The selections of Barnes, Koprivica and Gray marks the first time since the 1981 NBA Draft that three Seminoles have been picked in the same draft. In 1981, Elvis Rolle (second round, Los Angeles Lakers), Mickey Dillard (third round, Cleveland Cavaliers) and Kris Anderson (fourth round, Milwaukee Bucks) were all selected among the top 90 picks in the NBA Draft.

It marks the first time since the 2010, 2011 and 2012 drafts that at least one Seminole has been selected in three consecutive drafts, and the first time in school history that multiple Florida State players have been picked in three consecutive drafts.

Koprivica, who earned his Associate’s Degree in Sport Management in 2021, was an early entry candidate for the 2021 NBA Draft. He played on two of Florida State’s most successful teams in 2020 and 2021 – the Seminoles were a combined 44-12 overall (.786 winning percentage) and were 27-8 in ACC regular season play (.771 winning percentage) during his two-year career.

Koprivica averaged a career-high 9.1 points (fifth on the team), a career-high 5.6 rebounds (second) and led the team with a career-high 33 blocked shots and a 1.4 blocked shots per game average during the 2020-21 season. He also led the team with a .599 field goal shooting percentage. Koprivica was named to the ACC All-Tournament First-Team as he averaged 14.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in two games during the 2021 ACC Tournament. He became just the fifth Seminole in ACC history to earn ACC All-Tournament First-Team honors

Koprivica and Gray helped lead Florida State to an 18-7 overall record and an 11-4 mark in ACC play as teammates during the 2020-21 season. The Seminoles finished in second place in the ACC regular season standings, advanced to play in the ACC Tournament Championship game for the fifth time in school history, and played in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Gray averaged a career-high 11.9 points (second on the team), a career-high 6.4 rebounds (first), a career-high 2.2 assists (third) and a career-high 1.2 steals (third) in helping Florida State to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2021. The Seminoles finished in second place finish in the ACC regular season standings and played in the ACC Tournament Championship game for the fourth time in program history. The team captain earned All-American Honorable Mention Honors as named by the Associated Press in 2021. He was an All-ACC Third team selection in 2021.

Gray, who earned his bachelor’s degree in Social Science from Florida State University on April 23, 2021, earned All-American Honorable Mention Honors as named by the Associated Press in 2021. He was a member of two NCAA Tournament teams and played as a starter on two NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 teams. Gray started 52 of the final 58 games of his career in the final two full seasons of his career as a Seminole. He was a starter in six career NCAA Tournament games (three in 2019 and three in 2021) as he helped lead the Seminoles to the Sweet 16 in both seasons.

Gray helped lead Florida State to a 73-20 (.785 winning percentage) overall record and a 40-13 (.755 winning percentage) mark in ACC play during his three seasons as a Seminole.