Inside The Panthers

Pitt Star's NBA Draft Stock Growing

A Pitt Panthers guard NBA Draft stock is trending upwards.

Dominic Campbell

Nov 15, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Jaland Lowe (15) dribbles the ball against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Nov 15, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Jaland Lowe (15) dribbles the ball against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers have one guard whose NBA Draft stock is trending upwards, due to his recent play.

Travis Branham of 247Sports picked Panthers sophomore guard Jaland Lowe as one of his players to montior throughout the season, as more good performances will lead NBA teams to take Lowe into consideration for the 2025 NBA Draft.

"Jeff Capel found two gems in the 2023 recruiting class with Bub Carrington and Jaland Lowe," Branham wrote. "Carrington is off to the NBA while is Lowe back for a second season. Capel has given Lowe the keys to the program. Lowe exited high school as a highly skilled, smart, and savvy guard but had a very slight and thin frame. The questions surrounding him were whether he could handle the physicality of high-major basketball but he has been tremendous as a Panther and is on the verge of a big sophomore campaign."

Lowe is averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game, while shooting 37.5% from the field and 95.5% from the foul line in his sophomore campaign.

He had two good performances to start the season, dropping 21 points vs. Radford on Nov. 4 and 20 points against Murray State on Nov. 8, while shooting 46.2% from the field, 4-for-8 from 3-point range and a perfect 13-for-13 from the foul line.

Lowe then had two poor performances, including scoring just eight points each in wins vs. Gardner-Webb on Nov. 11 and rival West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl on Nov. 18. He also shot 5-for-22 from the field, 22.7%, and 0-for-9 from 3-point range combined in those two games.

He would have his best game of his career in the last win for Pitt, a 93-48 blowout of VMI on Nov. 18. He finished with a triple-double, scoring 11 points, shooting 4-for-8 from the field, making a 3-pointer and adding two free throws, while also grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists.

This is the first triple-double of Lowe's career and the first since his former teammate, Bub Carrington, had one in his first collegiate game in last season's opener vs. NC A&T.

It is also just one of six triple-doubles in Pitt history, along with Ricardo Greer vs. Villanova in the 1998 Big East Tournament, Darrelle Porter at Providence in January 1991 and Keith Starr twice in a season, vs. Marquette in December 1974 and Rutgers in January 1975.

Lowe arrived at Pitt as a Class of 2023 four-star guard who played for Fort Bend Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas, just outside of Houston. 

He played in all 33 games in the 2023-24 season, starting 19 of them, while averaging 26.5 minutes, scoring 9.6 points, dishing out 3.3 assists and grabbing 2.8 rebounds per game, respectively. He also shot 38.8% from the field, 35.2% from 3-point range and 85.5% from the free-throw line.

He came off the bench for the entire non-conference, but started the final 19 games of the season, including all but the three first ACC games. 

Lowe scored a season-high 20 points twice, as he shot 8-for-15 from the field, 3-for-4 from the foul line and made a 3-pointer in a loss to Syracuse at home on Jan. 16 and shot 7-for-12, 5-for-5 from the foul line and made a 3-pointer in a victory over NC State on the road on Feb. 7.

He posted one double-double on the season in the win at home against Florida State on March 5. He scored 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field, including a 3-pointer and two foul shots, while also creating 10 assists. 

Two other great games saw him score 12 points and make nine assists in a blowout win at Boston College on March 2 and tally 18 points plus six assists in a win over Virginia Tech at home on Feb. 24. 

His biggest highlight of the season came in an 80-76 win against then ranked No. 7 Duke at Cameron Indoor on Jan. 20. He hit a 3-pointer right in the face of Duke forward Kyle Filipowski with less than 50 seconds left to put Pitt up four points. while shushing the crowd with a finger to his lips.

Lowe has two great guards to work with this season, Preseason All-ACC Team honoree in senior Ish Leggett and graduate student guard Damian Dunn, who transferred from Houston, that will help him and the Panthers excel this seaosn.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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