The 2024 NBA Draft Looks Completely Different Than Everyone Thought

The 2024 NBA Draft Looks Completely Different Than Everyone Thought

right now the number one pick in Thursday’s draft belongs to the Atlanta Hawks a team facing significant uncertainty about their future heading into the offseason that was evident before they jumped up nine spots in the lottery since their surprising run to the Conference Finals in 2021 pretty much nothing’s gone quite as planned no matter what significant change was going to be coming to Atlanta this summer securing this number one pick has only increased the likelihood of major roster shakeup now the exact direction of that change remains uncertain while Landing this top pick after a couple of disappointing Seasons makes a fullon rebuild an intriguing possibility especially with some of the players they have on contract there’s a pretty big issue standing in the way of that potential direction for them they don’t have their picks their first rounder next season is going to San Antonio fully unprotected San Antonio also has the right to swap their first in 2026 and once again they’ll have their pick outright in 2027 unless we see a trade that manages to give them back control of at least a couple of those selections which I should add isn’t impossible a full-on reset really wouldn’t make much sense right now so that begs the question what are they going to do at number one as the draft approaches two main options seem to be on the table according to various reports the first option is that the Hawks make a selection at number one for most of the draft process it seemed that would either be Zachary r or Alex SAR but now we’re getting reports that Atlanta’s been completely unable to bring in alexar for a workout so in all likelihood it would be a J at one the second option is for them to trade this selection due to the nature of this draft where many Scouts see little difference in value across much of the Trap board opportunities to trade this pck for a transformative veteran appear limited or even non-existent because of this most reports suggest that if the Hawks actually do make a trade it would be trading down for a package of pics in this draft potentially future draft capital or some combination of both now currently most of those reports really focus on one team and that’s the San Antonio Spurs ESPN’s Jonathan gavone stated some teams view the Spurs as a potential trade-up option for Zachary rizaj whom they scouted extensively last season Kevin oconor also reported the Hawks may just be exploring their options and haven’t yet worked out all of the prospects they’re considering selecting with the top draft choice but one possible trade down Target could be Yukon Center Donovan kingan who impressed Atlanta’s front office during a recent private workout now Landry Fields the General Manager for Atlanta recently tried to quiet down all these trade rumors saying I think we’re really excited about the draft and the more that we uncover I’m glad we have the number one pick I keep joking around like I’m not going to give it back with where we are right now we’ll pick at one we’re planning on picking one a response that must be mentioned but we should also know it’s rare we should be trusting an NBA GM’s media statement especially around this time of year so between the Spurs reportedly having heavy interest in RZA J the Firepower they have in this draft alone that being the fourth and eighth overall picks the leverage they have specifically with Atlanta because of their control of most of their upcoming first round draft capital and these reports that Atlanta is potentially very interested in Donovan kingan someone who could very well still be on the board at four a big trade between the Spurs and Hawks actually seems quite realistic now there is likely some hurdles in the way of a deal while the Hawks are probably very interested in that fourth overall pick from San Antonio most reports have the other piece of a potential deal being that selection at 8 something the Hawks are going to have a lot less interest in compared to getting back some of their future draft capital in addition assuming that Zachary Rez is still on the board the Spurs would probably prefer to make a similar trade with Washington at two instead of Atlanta as the Spurs and the Hawks are very likely to be in trade talks involving some piece of the Hawks current back court throughout the off season making a deal with them on draft night could potentially close the door on those future opportunities however while those hurdles are definitely very real the according to Draft Express because Atlanta’s been unable to bring in alexar for a workout Donovan kingan appears to be RZA J’s main rival at number one once I saw that I decided to officially include a blockbuster trade in my final mock alexar was the most consistently mocked player at one for months now as we’re inching closer and closer that is completely changed it seems him and his management have no interest in going to Atlanta and Atlanta is now possibly honing in on Donovan kingan someone I ultimately think they end up with just not with the first overall pick they do make a selection there they start the night taking French Wing Zachary RZA clinging emerged as a legit option there but instead they decide to take a gamble they reach an agreement with San Antonio they’ll send them the draft rights to the top pick RZA J in exchange for San Antonio’s fourth and eighth overall picks in this draft but there is a contingency Donovan kingan still needs to be on the board at four so now it’s a waiting game for the two teams the Wizards are on the clock at two luckily this selection really isn’t much of a sweat with were Washington is in their rebuild it would be shocking to see them Drift from consensus in all likelihood they’re going to select who’s ever available between alexar and Reza J in this case it’s the seven-footer SAR truly an ideal outcome for them they need defense upside and especially value they’re able to get all of that here at two it’s really Houston’s selection at three that’ll have the Spurs and Hawks holding their breath despite the presence of shenon and Houston it appears Kling in is a legitimate option here at three not so much for Houston specifically but rumors surrounding teams looking to trade up for klling in are heating up very quickly 24/7 Sports reported that Donovan kingan is going to be one of the more interesting players to watch in this draft there’s a couple teams that are very active trying to trade up for the Yukon big men Memphis and Chicago in particular I’m hearing are making a significant attempt to move up in a position where they could draft him Houston being a potential trade partner there this is certainly something to watch with the clock ticking all the Spurs can really do is just sit back and hope and luckily for them Houston isn’t able to find a trade partner they’re staying at three where they select Kentucky guard Reed as shephard a great addition to a really promising young group he’s coming off one of the most efficient seasons in college basketball history and he did that as only a freshman now his size isn’t ideal his ceiling doesn’t appear to be all that high with the consist y he’s displayed so early on at the very least Houston’s going to get great value within the window of his rookie contract this past year at Kentucky he averaged 13 points five assists four rebounds and nearly three steals while shooting an absurd 54% from the field and 52% from three with that selection in the bugs the woe bomb is dropped the Spurs and Hawks have reached an agreement on a trade involving the draft rides to the number one pck and now Atlanta is back on the clock without hesitation they end up with their guy the anchor of the national champion Yukon Huskies the 7’2 big coming off possibly the most dominant defensive tournament run we’ve ever seen now this selection for Atlanta is likely to start a chain reaction of moves for them this offseason they currently have pretty significant deals on their books dedicated to both Clint capella and Ona akuno but even before this selection the team was widely expected to move on from capella so the presence of those two doesn’t get in the way of Atlanta grabbing someone who could be a GameChanger for them defensively from day one the Detroit Pistons find themselves at the fifth spot the same position they were in last year so far there’s really not many reports or rumors tying them to a specific player however considering their current roster we can narrow down their potential choices with a young and promising back cord featuring guys like Kate Cunningham Jaden Ivy Quin Grimes and last year’s first round pigs assar Thompson and Marcus Sasser it’s unlikely they select a guard like topit or Castle additionally with Jaylen Duren on this team and cers kinging andar already off the board a big seems pretty unlikely that appear are going to Target a forward and amongst their options they decide on Colorado freshman Cody Williams someone offering a fascinating combination of current 3 and D skills and future upside standing at 6’8 with an over 7ft wingspan he averaged 12 points this past season shooting 55% from the field and 42% from three now a lot of security comes with this selection by Detroit but given the fluidity and flashes as a shock Raider we’ve seen from Williams this election again is far from lacking an upside with the sixth overall pick in this draft the Charlotte Hornets go with Yukon freshman guards to Castle despite the reports of Castle’s reluctance to join a team with an established starting point guard he likely won’t have too much leverage in actually dictating his destination and while yes Charlotte is on that list of teams he prefers not to be selected by it really shouldn’t be too hard for Charlotte to convince castle of his fit alongside another oversized point guard in lamelo someone who’s already proven himself very capable off the ball a selection like like this would really have things going in the right direction for Charlotte lamelo and Brandon Miller if they can stay healthy truly have the potential to be one of the top offensive Duos in this league Mark Williams has shown flashes of being their defensive anchor but right now there’s still a lot of holes up and down this roster this selection of Castle was able to bring them much needed versatility on both ends as well as much needed playmaking outside of lamelo now while Castle just played a pivotal role in yukon’s run in the NCAA tournament coming into the NBA in many ways his game is still very raw the glaring concern for Scouts is the inconsistency we’ve seen from his jump shot it’s a notable concern especially going to a team with a primary facilitator like lamelo but Charlotte decides to take the chance with how impactful his skill set has the chance to be between ball and Miller in the lineup the Portland Trailblazers are at seven which reports suggest is the absolute floor for Yukon Huskies big man Donovan kingan they reportedly value him very highly entering this draft this is his absolute floor if he’s there at seven Portland is taking him unfortunately though in this scenario kingan’s already off the board but that report tying them so heavily to kingan still gives us a lot of insight into their General approach going into this draft kingan doesn’t address a specific need for them at all in fact he only causes more roster headaches with guys like DeAndre Aon and Robert Williams already on this team now this really isn’t shocking at all it’s fairly safe to say that Portland is going to be involved in one if not multiple significant moves this offseason in these super early stages of the the rebuild it’s highly unlikely they factor in their current roster much at all into their selection in this range of the draft but while no position is probably off limits luckily at seven they unintentionally avoid any of those new roster issues created by the selection and end up selecting g-league ignite 6’8 forward Ron Holland Holland’s a super impressive athlete with the potential to dominate defensively at the next level that just wrapped up a season with the g-league and Knight where he averaged 19 points seven rebounds and three assists now his jump shots got a long way to go but he’s got a fascinating combination of shot creation on one end and defensive upside on the other what really will be interesting to see when it comes to Holland is how well his game adjusts assuming there won’t be a lot of those opportunities available as a shot creater out the gate the Atlanta Hawks are back on the clock at 8 following their trade with San Antonio after selecting Donovan Kling in earlier three Wings really stand out as potential options Matas buellis Don connect and tan salon while salon and buellis bring significant upside the best balance of risk and reward which Atlanta will undoubtedly covet given their current situation is D and connect I usually criticize selecting upper classmen in this range of the draft when their stock is solely tied to their production often they require us to overlook major red flags in their profile however that’s not the case with connect his profile is not getting the respect it deserves particularly in a draft like this well yes he’s already 23 years old and that should be considered apart from that there’s very there’s little concern with the player that connect is today he has an impressive frame at 6’6 with a 6’9 Wings spin comparable to someone like Klay Thompson additionally he brings a lot of athleticism to the table which he showcased at this year’s combine it’s not a jaw-dropping physical profile by any means but it’s also one without any significant red flags incredible news considering the dominance he just displayed in his first season with Tennessee he ended the year with averages of 22 points five rebounds and two assists while shooting 46% from the field and 40% from three taking nearly seven attempts a game now no one’s expecting connect to be a Plus on the other end of the floor he also hasn’t shown much at this point as a playmaker but for most of the prospects in this draft the list of concerns is a lot longer than that it’s rare that you’re going to find that level of production combined with a physical profile like the one he has for Atlanta this is really a unique circumstance there’s not many situations where trading down from the number one pick to dve two older College stars is the right decision however considering the draft class we’re dealing with this just might be one of those few instances the Grizzlies find themselves at the ninth spot in the draft a surprising position given their preseason expectations despite johnan suspension at the beginning of the year they were still anticipated to be one of the top teams in the west they had a higher expected win total than Dallas OKC and Minnesota unfortunately though injuries played the team throughout the year and that’s really not an understatement by the end of the season they had managed multiple NBA records for games missed due to injury fortunately though this is not expected to be a long-term issue and the team is widely expected to return to form next season that’s really what makes their position inside the top 10 this draft particularly interesting especially with how this draft board has unfolded so far a lot of recent reports have linked them to Providence guard Devin Carter in a lot of scenarios that seems like the most likely selection however given what’s happened so far in this mock they decide to capitalize on the incredible value that’s still available they select Serbian point guard Nola topich for most of this season topich was consistently mocked to San Antonio at the top of the draft it was easily the most common player team combination however A lot’s changed since then toage missed most of the second half of the Season due to knee injuries and was recently diagnosed with a torn meniscus although reports suggest the injury doesn’t pose any serious long-term complications it undoubtedly affected his draft stock then additionally we’ve got all these fors heating up surrounding the Spurs moving around in this draft as they do in this mock a year ago it seemed impossible that the Grizzlies would find themselves in this range of the draft a few months ago it seemed extremely unlikely that topage would still be on the board in this draft now the ladder is not a guarantee by any means especially if San Antonio stays put at their current selections but in this scenario with him still on the board Memphis is going to jump on the value obviously they’re not drafting their future starting point guard here the face of their franchise is at the point guard position but after a season like the one they just went through they are well aware how unexpected things can be in this league so they go into the draft with the focus of walking away with the best player available the Utah Jazz round out the top 10 with a selection that like the Grizzlies appears to offer Great Value they choose 6’1 G Nightwing mates buellis someone that this time last year was considered the heavy favorite for the number one overall pick at that time coming out of high school the draw was clear he appeared to have a true- wing skill at approaching 7 ft tall fast forward to today however while Scouts have remained intrigued by his size and skill combination his production this past year has revealed him to be much more of a raw talent than initially expected with the ignite he averaged 12 points and five rebounds shooting 48% from the field and only 22% from three an area of his game that was previously seen as his strength and his left Scout scrambling to reassess his potential the Jazz however are undeterred by all the question marks given the abundance of draft Capital they have for the foreseeable future they’re willing to swing for the fenes here now I’ve been going back and forth on bazis over the past year or so he undoubtedly passes the eye test with flying colors but if we go just by the eye test someone like Rob Dillingham would have gone with the first selection of the night my main concern with Bellis is the limited range of outcomes he might have which is why I think he’s placed firmly in the boom or buz category of this draft his recent comments about himself compared to Zachary RZA really reflect a pretty concerning mentality R unlike buzel is won’t go as high as he will solely due to his upside the Intriguing Talent re the Intriguing Talent re has at his size is paired with really solid production at the professional level a much more competitive professional level than you find in the G League most of that production has actually been playing off the ball what many see as a positive with where the league is today Matas on the other hand doesn’t share that opinion when basket new asked him if you would like to challenge Reza J in a pre-draft workout buzel has responded of course I want to see him one-on-one he just doesn’t want to do that with me his agent will not do that with me and I know he won’t it’s a business decision my advantage is that I have everything over him the Chicago Bulls are next at 11 a team that as we speak might be in the early stages of a fire sale and complete roster overhaul they didn’t waste much time at all and kicked off the offseason sending Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder in change for Josh giddy before that trade I had the Bulls grabbing Kentucky point guard Rob Dillingham after that move however I think we see a much different direction they decide to swing for the fences and select the Raw Talent of 6′ 10 French Ford dejon Salon there’s no question that Salon would be an upside play but that could very likely be what Chicago is after here Salon has an incredible physical profile he has a built out frame paired with a well over 7t wingspan now his production in the French league this past season doesn’t really get you excited he averaged just nine points and four rebounds shooting only 37% from the field and 33% from three however despite what the efficiency suggest he has a really promising shot from outside which actually accounted for a majority of his production this past year that shooting potential paired with that frame is what’s going to have teams like potentially Chicago so intrigued in this range of the draft the other half of that first big trade of the offseason the Oklahoma City Thunder are now on the clock at 12 prey is likely to be intrigued by the value of the falling Rob Billingham But ultimately they go the exact opposite route instead of 6’1 they go 7’5 selecting the backtack college player of the year produ Center Zach eedi there is no question this selection is going to be a polar one Zach eedi is possibly the most polar Prospect in this draft class the last time I mocked this selection to OKC just about half the comment section had their pitch works out but I still think there’s a very strong chance this happens while there is no denying that their unique versatility up and down the lineup played a major role in their breakout success this past season at times their complete lack of size and even ability to get size out there if they wanted was a real concern for them while it seems inevitable that this coure is going to be competing at the top of the league for a very long time by the time they actually get over the hump it’s hard to Envision there will still be so much responsibility on a guy like Jaylen Williams in the front Court while it’s unclear just how positive or detrimental adding a bunch of size to this team will be there’s no denying it’s coming at some point so here before they get aggressive in free agency or make a big trade they take a flyer with a pretty low value draft selection they go to the extreme with someone that’s going to answer a lot of those questions for them quickly then at the same time they’re still gaining access to incredible upside as possibly the biggest mystery of this draft is just how well Ed’s game can translate to the NBA a conversation that has a lot of smart people on the extremes of both sides then we’ve got Sacramento at 13 team that’s been involved in a lot of rumors as of recently by the time you’re seeing this they could have easily already made a deal with so many moving Parts heading their way they grab value and select Rob Dillingham someone whose risk reward profile is blatantly clear he’s a top ball handler and individual Creator in this class he’s a Human Highlight Reel whose Talent jumps off the screen the concerns however are also blatantly obvious his size at just 6’1 160 lb he would come into the NBA as one of the smallest players in the entire league the Portland Trailblazers hold the final selection of the lottery they grabbed Ron Holland earlier and now get another incredible athletic profile with 6’4 Providence guard Devin Carter one of the biggest risers of the draft board over the last few months as a junior this past year he was one of the top scor he was one of the top scoring threats in the country ending the season with averages of 20 points nine rebounds and four assists shooting 47% from the field and 38% from three production that consistently put him in first round conversations but then after the combine he really emerg as a likely lottery selection in this draft now the back court in Portland is currently very crowded but I don’t think anyone really feels that’s too permanent so the Blazer snag what I believe is one of the best values in this class

The 2024 NBA Draft Looks Completely Different Than Everyone Thought