Julian Strawther

Why he was overlooked Patterns

Nothing in our pre-draft data flagged him as a steal: his age, school, testing and position profile looked like a typical pick in his range. The gap opened after the draft, on the field.

The 2023 class is only 3 seasons in, so this verdict can still change a lot.

• Pre-draft rankings

  ESPN's pre-draft board ranked him #48 (#12 at his position); he went #29, 19 spots earlier. So teams were actually higher on him than the media board was; everyone underrated him.

  Since 2000, picks in this group beat their draft slot 33.8% of the time (272 players, 2000–2021 classes) vs. 50% for a typical pick.

• Age

  21.2 years old on draft night (born 2002-04-18).

  Since 2000, picks in this group beat their draft slot 47.6% of the time (286 players, 2000–2021 classes) vs. 50% for a typical pick.

• Path to the draft

  Played college basketball at Gonzaga.

  Since 2000, picks in this group beat their draft slot 53.2% of the time (1,015 players, 2000–2021 classes) vs. 50% for a typical pick.

• Position

  SF (ESPN draft listing).

  Since 2000, picks in this group beat their draft slot 51.2% of the time (570 players, 2000–2021 classes) vs. 50% for a typical pick.

• Availability

  Played 172 games over 3 NBA seasons (~70% of a full 82-game schedule each year).

Every line comes from data: Basketball-Reference career data; ESPN's draft profile; Wikidata birth dates. No scouting reports or quotes. Green = pointed toward a steal for him.

Career numberslive

Career Win Shares + VORP (Basketball-Reference, through 2025-26) + 2026-27 estimates from ESPN season stats.

How players like him did

Share of 2000–2021 picks with the same trait who beat their draft slot. Line = 50%.

Measurables & pre-draft