The Milwaukee Bucks selected former LSU forward Johnny O’Bryant III in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft last Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
O’Bryant, who was the No. 36 overall pick in the draft, became the ninth basketball LSU player to get drafted since 2000 and the first since the Philadelphia 76ers acquired and traded Justin Hamilton in 2012. He participated in 16 workouts leading up to the draft.
The Cleveland, Miss., native started 79 games and averaged 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest during his three years in Baton Rouge. O’Bryant came to LSU as a McDonald’s All- American from East Side High School.
He earned First Team All-Southeastern Conference honors in his sophomore and junior seasons and helped lead the Tigers to an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament in 2014.
The 6-foot-9, 256 pound forward blossomed offensively during his junior campaign, scoring 15.4 points per game and shooting 49.6 percent. He was fifth in the SEC in rebounding with 7.7 boards per contest.
O’Bryant fueled LSU past eventual national runner-up Kentucky in January with an explosive 29-point performance. The forward averaged 19 points per game in the Tigers’ two subsequent losses against the Wildcats.
He finished his LSU career with 1,157 points and 702 boards to become one of 14 Tigers with at least 1,000 points and 700 rebounds. O’Bryant recorded 25 double-doubles during his stint in Baton Rouge.