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Gonzaga’s run of consecutive NBA Draft picks could be in jeopardy when 2024 event kicks off

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Anton Watson (22) is all smiles coming out of the game late during the second half of a first round NCAA basketball tournament game against the McNeese State Cowboys on Thursday, Mar 21, 2024, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Gonzaga won the game 86-65. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

Gonzaga’s active stretch of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, opening-round wins and Sweet 16 runs has, not surprisingly, coincided with another series of milestones in the month of June when the college basketball world annually shifts its attention to the NBA Draft.

Since 2012, a total of 13 former Gonzaga players have heard their names called, representing more than half of the school’s overall draft picks in the modern era, and the Bulldogs have maintained an impressive hit rate in the first round, particularly over the past three years.

With recent selections Jalen Suggs (No. 5 overall in 2021), Corey Kispert (No. 15 in 2021), Chet Holmgren (No. 2 in 2022) and Julian Strawther (No. 29 in 2023), Gonzaga has become one of four college teams to produce a first-round selection each of the last three years, joining two traditional blue bloods – Duke and Kentucky – and Baylor, the program that upended Gonzaga in the 2021 national championship.

The run of consecutive Zags selected in the first round will more than likely come to an end Wednesday, and another streak could also be in jeopardy when the second and final day of the NBA Draft winds down Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

According to various mock drafts and big boards, Gonzaga isn’t in position to have a player selected in the first round, and forward Anton Watson, the hometown product/Gonzaga Prep alum who just wrapped up a decorated five-year run in Spokane, is considered a fringe second-round prospect at best by national outlets and draft analysts.

Under Mark Few, years without a Gonzaga draft pick have become the exception rather than the rule. If Watson isn’t selected, it would mark just the 12th year since Few took over in 1999 – and the first since 2020 – that a Gonzaga player doesn’t hear his name called.

Watson, who earned All-West Coast Conference First Team honors for the first time in his career in 2023-24 after averaging 14.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, hasn’t show up in most two-round mock drafts and isn’t one of the top 60 prospects – a total of 58 players will be selected this week – listed on big boards published by ESPN.com, The Athletic and Bleacher Report.

Watson’s highest placement among those is No. 64 by the Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, who notes the Gonzaga forward “is one of my sneaky favorites in this class, and I have a two-way grade on him.”

Added Vecenie: “I think he can defend within an NBA scheme right away and has potential to add a lot of value on that end of the court if his offense improves enough to keep him on the floor. He’s switchable and long, plus has great strength and good hip flexibility to stay on-balance in space. His help defense is sharp, and he is a good scramble defender. Offensively, I don’t love his skill package, even if he maintains his ability to cut and finish around the rim. Shooting is the key for me.”

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman doesn’t list Watson as one of his top 75 prospects while ESPN’s Jonathan Givony slots him in at No. 75, praising the GU forward for his defensive versatility.

“Watson’s ability to defend guards, wings and big men stands out along with his passing ability, intensity and willingness to do the little things, a big reason he won 130 of 149 games in his decorated college career,” Givony wrote.

Watson suffered an untimely ankle injury during the G-League Elite Camp, held last month in Chicago, and didn’t compete in the second of two scrimmages played in front of NBA scouts, coaches and front office personnel.

The setback didn’t prevent Watson from participating in individual workouts, and the GU standout recently told Forbes.com he’s visited 13 NBA teams for pre-Draft workouts, including the NBA champion Boston Celtics and Western Conference finalist Minnesota Timberwolves.

“These teams, they don’t need a scorer. They don’t need a bucker-getter,” Watson told Forbes.com’s Mat Issa. “They need someone who does all the dirty work – rebounds, deflections, screens, ball movement, etc. I can do all those things for them. I can help them win.”