San Diego State Aztecs Xavier Thames selected in the 2nd Round of the NBA Draft & traded to the Brooklyn Nets
By Joel Burdeos
San Diego, CA- For a moment it looked like there wasn’t going to be an Aztecs selected in the NBA Draft, until the drafts final moment as the Toronto Raptors selected San Diego State Aztecs Point Guard Xavier Thames with the No. 59 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
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Xavier Thames didn’t remain a Raptor for long as almost immediately after selecting Xavier Thames Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Brooklyn Nets have acquired the rights to Xavier Thames and the 60th pick in the NBA Draft.
Xavier Thames now becomes the fourth San Diego State Aztec (Malcolm Thomas, Jamaal Franklin, Kawhi Leonard) in the NBA. Xavier Thames also becomes the third Aztec selected in the NBA draft in the past four years. This is also the second straight year the San Diego State Aztecs have had a player selected in the NBA draft.
Xavier Thames averaged 17.6 points, 3.2 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 41.1 percent his senior season for the San Diego State Aztecs.
Xavier Thames was an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and Mountain West Player of the Year. Xavier Thames was the eighth player in school history to be named conference player of the year, the fifth to be named to the all-defensive team and the first player in the program’s history to win both in the same season.
Thames was the heart and soul of this team and the Aztecs wouldn’t have gone to the Sweet 16 last season or be where they are as a program if it wasn’t for the play of Xavier Thames throughout his three years as an Aztec. The Aztecs had one of its greatest seasons in program history with a record of (31-5), won the Mountain West regular-season championship and reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in school history and the second in the last four seasons. The Aztecs 31 win’s were the second-most in program history, finishing second behind the 2011 (34-3) Sweet 16 San Diego State Aztecs team.
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Thames carried the Aztecs on his back in the NCAA tournament, scoring 30 points against North Dakota State to lead the San Diego State Aztecs to the Sweet 16. Overall Thames averaged 26.0 points in the NCAA Tournament, which lead all players in scoring in the NCAA Tournament.
Xavier Thames will be a GREAT addition to the Brooklyn Nets, bringing them a tough point guard that can run a team and doesn’t mind taking the big shot. Thames will have a great opportunity to play backup point guard behind All-Star Deron Williams.