John Calipari: 76ers should select Jamal Murray with No. 1 draft pick

Kentucky coach John Calipari thinks the Philadelphia 76ers should select Jamal Murray with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

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Kentucky coach John Calipari thinks the Philadelphia 76ers should select Jamal Murray with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, he said on ESPNU’s College Basketball podcast.

“If you’re going to take the No. 1 pick, you probably should do it from our program,” Calipari said.

Calipari has coached former No. 1 picks Derrick Rose, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Davis and John Wall.

Though LSU’s Ben Simmons and Duke’s Brandon Ingram are favored to be picked above Murray, Calipari thinks Murray could ultimately be the best player to come out of this year’s draft.

• SHARP: NBA Mock Draft 5.0: Ellenson tumbles in latest projections

SI.com has projected Murray to be selected as high as with the No. 3 pick, but SI’s Andrew Sharp most recently predicted Murray will be drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 6 pick.

Murray averaged 20.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in his first season at Kentucky.