"I was disappointed"- Arkansas HC John Calipari drops his two cents on Justin Edwards going undrafted before being signed by 76ers

Justin Edwards surprisingly went undrafted at the 2024 NBA draft, but the former Kentucky star eventually landed a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. Arkansas coach John Calipari was disappointed that the player's name was not called out across the two rounds of the draft.

On Friday, Calipari tweeted his opinion on Edwards going undrafted but insisted that the 76ers did a good job in luring the player to Philly.

"Justin Edwards signed with 76ers. I was disappointed he wasn’t drafted because his upside is ridiculous!!! Philly is a great landing spot for him. Coach Nurse really likes him. Tyrese and I talked. He’s going to take him under his wing. Don’t be surprised as he busts through."

Calipari and Edwards worked together at Kentucky for one season. While the latter declared for the NBA draft in 2024, the coach parted ways with the program in April, after 15 seasons, and took up the coaching job at Arkansas.

Notably, Calipari also worked as an assistant coach for the 76ers from 1999 to 2000. Hence, the franchise is more inclined to believe his opinion of the player.

During Calipari's reign at Kentucky, a total of 50 Wildcats players made it to the NBA via the draft. Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham, and Antonio Reeves were the three Kentucky stars to get drafted this year.

Calipari also left the Wildcats as a six-time SEC tournament champion, six-time regular-season champion and a national champion in 2012.

A glimpse into Justin Edwards' college basketball career

Former Kentucky star Justin Edwards

Although Justin Edwards played just one season with Kentucky, he became a fan-favorite among the Wildcats faithful. The forward averaged 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game across 32 appearances in his only season at Kentucky.

Now, it will be interesting to see how Edwards builds on his game with 76ers coach Nick Nurse. Playing alongside veterans like Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Kyle Lowry will also do wonders for his confidence.

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