NBA GMs say former Kansas Jayhawks basketball star Johnny Furphy was a draft steal

For the last 23 years, the league has conducted an annual NBA GM Survey, asking various questions about teams, players, and coaches to get their feedback entering the upcoming season. In the 2024-2025 iteration of this survey, two former Kansas basketball stars were mentioned by NBA GMs: Joel Embiid and Johnny Furphy.

Embiid was mentioned by GMs numerous times for different categories such as: “Who will win the 2024-2025 Kia MVP” (ranked tied for third), “Who is the best center in the NBA?” (ranked second), and “Which player forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments” (ranked tied for fourth).

Furphy, meanwhile, was mentioned just once, but for a very intriguing category of the NBA GM Survey: “Which rookie was the biggest steal at where he was selected in the Draft?”. The 6-9 Aussie guard received three votes from various GMs (per rules this did not include the Pacers GM) which tied him for the most votes in this category.

The other five rookies who also received 3 GM votes for “steal of the NBA Draft” were: Nikola Topic (12th pick), Devin Carter (13th pick), Bub Carrington (14th pick), Dalton Knecht (17th pick), and Terrence Shannon Jr. (27th pick). Furphy was the only second-round pick in the draft that received multiple votes, making the former Jayhawk a potential diamond in the rough.

What have GMs noticed about Johnny Furphy that give him intriguing upside?

Earlier on in the NBA draft scouting process, Furphy was being projected as a top-20 pick and some sites even had him creeping towards or into the lottery. His stock did eventually fall after a rough shooting patch to end his college season, but when Furphy fell to the second round, many were surprised.

While the KU hooper is unpolished and lacked the consistency that many other teenage NBA prospects also lack, his frame, versatility, and shooting were all notable upsides. The now 19-year-old feels very similar to fellow former Jayhawk Gradey Dick in terms of his overall NBA outlook. The difference is that Dick was a 5-star recruit and was drafted 13th overall, so his opportunity may be greater than Furphy’s.

Furphy did have an incredibly promising NBA Summer League however, impacting the game in various ways, through blocks, steals, clutch threes, and putting pressure on the rim. His defense in the Summer League setting also held up better than expected for Indiana.

Last week, the rookie tweaked his ankle, which will keep him out of the Pacers’ first preseason game. However the team seems optimistic about him returning for their second game on Thursday night. If he continues to show flashes during the preseason, he will be well on his way to proving a trio of NBA GMs right in him being a steal for where he was drafted.