Oklahoma State’s History in the NBA Draft

The NBA Draft gets going Wednesday night, where it is widely believed the Dallas Mavericks will select Duke star Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick.

It wasn’t all that long ago when Eskimo Joe’s was filled with orange-clad fans watching Cade Cunningham get taken with the first overall pick. Cunningham and Flagg each played high school ball at Montverde Academy.

Although no Cowboys are expected to be taken Wednesday night, I thought it a fun time to look back at some of OSU’s recent draftees.

Cade Cunningham

Years at OSU: 2020-21
Pick: 1st
Team: Detroit Pistons

Cunningham was as advertised when he signed with the Cowboys as the No. 1 high schooler in the 2020 recruiting class.

He spent just one season in Stillwater, where he led OSU to a 21-9 record and the Pokes’ lone NCAA Tournament appearance across the past eight seasons. He was a consensus All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year while averaging 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game and shooting 40% from 3. The biggest tragedy of Cunningham’s stint in Stillwater was that it was during the pandemic, and Gallagher-Iba Arena wasn’t allowed to be behind him at full capacity.

Cunningham went from No. 1 high school recruit to No. 1 NBA Draft pick when the Pistons took him in 2021. Injuries had dictated some of his early career, but he was an All-NBA selection and All Star for Detroit this past season after averaging 26.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists a game.

Jawun Evans

Years at OSU: 2015-17
Pick: 39th
Team: Philadelphia 76ers (traded to Los Angeles Clippers)

People might forget just how good Jawun Evans was for the Cowboys because his tenure in Stillwater came at an odd time, playing one season under Travis Ford and another under Brad Underwood (if he would’ve stayed for a third year, it would be three coaches in three seasons).

He scored in double figures in both of his years in Stillwater, including an All-American sophomore campaign that saw Evans average 19.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists a game. Evans scored 42 in a game against Oklahoma as a freshman (funnily enough, Cunningham scored 40 on the Sooners, as well).

Evans bounced around the association for two seasons.

He played 48 games (starting four) for the Clippers in 2017-18, where in about 16 minutes a game, he averaged 4.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists a contest. He scored 15 points in two games that season, including a game against Washington where he also had six rebounds, six assists and five steals. He played for the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder the next season, appearing in just eight total games.

Evans is still hooping, having spent time overseas and in the G League since his last NBA game.

Marcus Smart

Years at OSU: 2012-14
Pick: 6th
Team: Boston Celtics

It was national news when Marcus Smart elected to return to Stillwater for his sophomore season instead of entering the NBA Draft after he was named the Big 12 Player of the Year as a freshman.

But he was an All-American again as a sophomore and finished that second season averaging 18 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.9 steals a game. Despite the year delay, the NBA was still waiting for him with open arms.

Smart spent nine years with the Celtics, the team that drafted him, and has played with Memphis and Washington during the past two seasons. He was an All-Rookie selection in 2015 and is a three-time All-Defensive performer. Smart was also named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2021-22 season, becoming the first guard to win the award since “The Glove” Gary Payton took home the hardware in 1996.

Markel Brown

Years at OSU: 2010-14
Pick: 44th
Team: Minnesota Timberwolves (traded to Brooklyn Nets)

Markel Brown 360ed his way into that same 2014 draft that saw Smart go early. Brown was in Stillwater for four seasons and was a two-time All-Big 12 honoree. He averaged 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists a game as a senior.

He played in three NBA seasons from 2014 to 2018. Despite being a second round pick, Brown played in 47 games and made 29 starts as a rookie for the Nets in 2014-15. He played in 62 games (six starts) the next year. That rookie year saw him drop 17 points in a game against the Lakers, and he had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double against the Nuggets. He eclipsed 20 points twice in Year 2, led by a 23-point performance against the Timberwolves.

Brown is still an active pro, most recently playing for Allianz Pallacanestro Trieste in Italy, where he averaged 15.2 points a game this past season while shooting 40% from 3.

James Anderson

Years at OSU: 2008-10
Pick: 20th
Team: San Antonio Spurs

James Anderson spent three seasons in Stillwater before becoming a first round pick in 2010. In that time, he made the All-Big 12 Freshman team, was a two-time All-Big 12 performer, a Big 12 Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American.

That All-American honor was picked up in Anderson’s junior year when he averaged 22.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists a game. That season saw Anderson score 30 or more points in five games, including a 31-point, 12-rebound double-double in a win against Baylor.

He played in five NBA seasons between 2010 and 2016, with his best year coming with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013-14. Anderson averaged 10.1 points a game that season, which included two games where he dropped 30. He scored a career-high 36 in a game against Houston, where Anderson was 12-for-16 from the field and 6-for-8 from 3-point range.

Anderson still plays overseas. He is a two-time EuroLeague champion.

Full List of OSU NBA Draft Picks

*Traded before season