The Purdue Boilermakers in NBA Draft History

As the NBA Draft rapidly approaches, BTPowerhouse continues to look at the draft histories of Big Ten programs. Today we take a look at the Purdue Boilermakers. While the Boilers might not be featured in this years draft, that could change in the near future with A.J. Hammons and Caleb Swanigan.

Boilermakers Currently in the NBA

The Boilermakers currently have three active players in the NBA, all of which were drafted in the second round of the draft between 2007 and 2012. The most notable of the bunch has been Carl Landry, an effective rotational player that had been productive off the bench early in his career with Houston and Sacramento. The former Boilermaker also became a key bench player with Golden State in 2012-13, using his year with the Warriors to get him a sizable contract with the Kings. Of course injury issues and struggling to gel with a coaching change has led to Landry struggling for minutes in Sacramento, but at least he's getting paid.

The other two active players were two-thirds of the Baby Boilers, Robbie Hummel and E'Twaun Moore. Hummel's draft stock cratered due to his knee injuries, but he eventually made the Timberwolves roster after a year overseas and has made the most of his time when he gets it. As for Smooge, it took him awhile to take off as his original stint with Boston was a bit underwhelming, but he was a key rotational player with the Magic off the bench for two seasons. His minutes in Chicago tapered off quite a bit, with Moore struggling to consistently earn playing time, but he did do this:

While not at the main level, Purdue does have several players involved at some level of the NBA. Former first round pick JaJuan Johnson hasn't played a game in the NBA since 2012 for Boston, but he just finished another season overseas and will participate in the Summer League with the Jazz in the near future. Recently in the D-League, Lewis Jackson has seen some time with three different D-League teams, though his production in 2014-15 slid from his rookie season in the D-League when he averaged just under nine assists and 12 points per game. Also in the D-League is Kelsey Barlow, who averaged 7.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game for the Grand Rapids Drive in his first season.

Boilermakers in the NBA Draft

According to Purdue's official site, the Boilermakers have had 46 players drafted in the NBA, four of which have came since the beginning of the Matt Painter era. Of the 46 players drafted,  Purdue has produced eight first round picks and 12 second round picks.

First Round Picks

The Boilermakers are one of fourteen schools that have produced more than one top pick, with the Boilermakers producing Glenn Robinson in 1994 and Joe Barry Carroll back in 1980. Joe Barry Carroll was a former all-star and dominating center for Golden State back in the 80s, while Robinson was a two-time all-star that had a successfull career throughout the 90s with the Bucks and ended his career with a championship with the Spurs in 2005. Unfortunately the Boilermakers haven't had much success here since Robinson, with JaJuan Johnson being the only first rounder over the last two decades and fizzling out in Boston after his first season.

Second Round Picks

Purdue's second round picks have plenty of familiar faces, with two of the Baby Boilers and Carl Landy all being selected here since 2007. Also included is Brian Cardinal, the former Purdue big that spent 12 years in the league and turned one good season as a role player into a sizable contract during the middle of his career. Cardinal, nicknamed the Janitor, would eventually get a ring with the Mavericks towards the end of his career.

A few other notable names include Cuonzo Martin and Everette Stephens. Martin, who eventually became a college coach after spending time as an assistant under Gene Keady, is now out west at California and seemingly building a team that should compete in the Pac-12 in the near future thanks to an increase in recruiting. Stephens hasn't played at Purdue since the late 80s, but his son Kendall is now a key three-point specialist for the Boilermakers.

This Year?

Nope. The Boilermakers are graduating walk-on (occasionally on scholarship) forward Neal Beshears and had combo guard Bryson Scott transfer out of the program. A.J. Hammons could have been a draft pick this season in all likelihood, but the center decided to return to West Lafayette for the 2015-16 season.