by TYLER HATHAWAY
Denver Nuggets guard and Aquinas alumni Jalen Pickett had his best game as a pro on Wednesday night, compiling 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists to earn his first career triple-double and set career-highs in all three categories.
The second-year Siena and Penn State product played for 35 minutes and shot 6/13 from the floor in a game that saw the Nuggets fall to the San Antonio Spurs, 113-106. Pickett started his second straight game for Denver, after getting a spot in the opening lineup for the first time in his career on Tuesday.
Pickett is currently averaging 3.9 points per game alongside 2.2 assists per game and 1.5 rebounds per game on 12.7 minutes per game. His 10th and final assist of the game came on an alley-oop to teammate DeAndre Jordan with less than 30 seconds left in the 4th quarter.
“They made sure they told me when I got close, like last timeout we had, that I was close,” Pickett told reporters after the game. “It was cool, but you know, I was trying to finish off with a win.”
“He’s proven himself to be trustworthy,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters about Pickett. “He’s really steady, really solid, makes open shots, makes the right plays, battles on defense, gets us organized. And guys like playing with him, because he’s going to make the right plays.”
Pickett is one of four former Section V athletes currently competing in the NBA, with the other three being Thomas Bryant (Bishop Kearney), Isaiah Stewart (McQuaid), and Jeenathan “Nate” Williams (UPrep). Bryant is currently averaging 6.7 PPG alongside 4.0 RPG for the Indiana Pacers and has posted double-digit scoring nights in two of his last four games. Stewart contributes 6.0 PPG and 5.5 RPG to the Detroit Pistons and posted 14 points and 4 rebounds in a Pistons win on March 31st. Williams is playing for the Houston Rockets, averaging 2.8 PPG. Williams tallied a season-high 11 points on February 13th, in a game against Golden State.
“Really happy for him,” said Malone of Pickett. “Proud of him. He did a lot of really good things. I wish it would have come in a win, as does Jalen, but he put on a really special performance.”
Denver (47-30) is off on Thursday, then will go on the road to face Golden State on Friday night.
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