NBA 2024 Mock Draft

NBA Index 2024 Mock Draft – 6/24/24

*Sticking with just the 1st round for now. 2nd round mock drafts are for psychopaths.

1. Atlanta Hawks
   • Zaccharie Risacher – Wing – France
     • Most of the mocks have either Risacher or Clingan here. I don’t see why they’d draft Clingan since they just extended Okongwu. Yet again, Coach Snyder was pretty successful in Utah building an entire defense around an elite rim protector.
   • Dark horse: Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan or trade down
2. Washington Wizards
   • Alex Sarr – Big – France
     • They’ve been one of the worst defenses in the league for several years running. They need improvement everywhere, but Sarr is the first step to respectability.
   • Dark horse: None. Sarr is a lock.
3. Houston Rockets
   • Reed Sheppard – Guard – Kentucky
     • Houston is facing a ton of questions with their guard rotation. Has Jalen Green really taken a leap? Can Amen Thompson be a lead guard eventually? Do they opt-in to the 3rd year of VanVleet’s $40mil+/year contract? Sheppard will help answer a lot of those questions. That said, we know Udoka doesn’t want a youth movement. He’s looking for vets to take the next step in Houston.
   • Dark horse: Stephon Castle or possible trade down
4. San Antonio Spurs
   • Nikola Topic – Guard – Serbia
     • Best passer in the draft throwing lobs to Wemby? Yes please. I’m sure Popp can wait a year while Topic recovers from a partial ACL tear. Plus they can address the PG spot more immediately with their 8th pick. Anything to avoid playing Sochan as Point Forward anymore!
   • Dark horse: Stephon Castle or Zaccharie Risacher 
5. Detroit Pistons
   • Matas Buzelis – Forward – G League Ignite
     • Pistons would be overjoyed to see Buzelis fall to them here. New regime in place, new coach coming (likely James Borrego), they’ll look to add scoring around Cade, Ivey, and Duren.
   • Dark horse: Zaccharie Risacher
6. Charlotte Hornets
   • Stephon Castle – Wing – UConn
     • A perfect fit in Charlotte alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. The Hornets will be overjoyed if he falls to them at 6.
   • Dark horse: Donovan Clingan 
7. Portland Trail Blazers
   • Cody Williams – Wing – Colorado
     • Overloaded in the backcourt, but big contracts upfront with Ayton and Grant, it seems they need help on the wing. Cody Williams has a super high upside and doesn’t need the ball in his hands to contribute. Portland can afford to wait as Williams develops over time.
   • Dark horse: Dalton Knecht or Donovan Clingan
8. San Antonio Spurs
   • Devin Carter – Guard – Providence
     • Devin Carter is destined to go to either the Spurs or Heat. If San Antonio can leave this draft with their backcourt of the future – Topic & Carter – alongside wings Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson, do-everything-forward Jeremy Sochan, and Wemby at Center, they’ll be well on their way to returning to the playoffs.
   • Dark horse: Nikola Topic or Tidjane Salaun
9. Memphis Grizzlies
   • Donovan Clingan – Big – UConn
     • Not sure if they foresee JJJ as their long-term center or if they want to get him some help upfront. Either way, I doubt Clingan falls passed 9.
   • Dark horse: Dalton Knecht
10. Utah Jazz
    • Ja’Kobe Walter – Guard – Baylor
      • With Markkanen and Kessler in the front court, their next mission is to surround Keyonte George with backcourt help, especially if they end up moving on from Clarkson & Sexton. Enter fellow Baylor alum, Ja’Kobe Walter.
    • Dark horse: Devin Carter
11. Chicago Bulls
    • Kel’el Ware – Big – Indiana
      • Trading Caruso for Giddey was the first step for CHI to A) retool on the fly and B) getting younger in the process. Giddey needs shooters around him and maybe a rim-running Big. Ware has attitude question marks, but he has arguably the highest ceiling in the draft. Tantalizing talent is hard to pass up here.
    • Dark horse: Devin Carter, Tidjane Salaun, or possible trade down
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
    • Tidjane Salaun – Forward – France
      • If Clingan is here, OKC is taking him. Wouldn’t be shocked if they actually used some of their future draft picks to trade up to ensure they get their man. 
    • Dark horse: Donovan Clingan, Zach Edey, or they’re trading up
13. Sacramento Kings
    • Tristan Da Silva – Forward – Colorado
      • I’ve seen Da Silva mocked here quite a bit. With Sabonis at Center, they need big forwards around him, ideally who can also stretch the floor, in order for the Kings to get back to the playoffs immediately and make another run. Da Silva has the size, shooting, and maturity to check all 3 boxes.
    • Dark horse: Ron Holland or Dalton Knecht
14. Portland Trail Blazers
    • Dalton Knecht – Wing – Tennessee
      • Obviously this depends on what they do at 7, but Portland was one of the worst 3pt shooting teams in the league last year. They’re desperate for some off-the-ball gravity to open up space for Scoot, Sharpe, and Ayton. Knecht likely won’t fall passed 14.
    • Dark horse: Donovan Clingan or Matas Buzelis
15. Miami Heat
    • Ron Holland – Wing – G League Ignite
      • Probably the highest ceiling in the draft, if there’s anyone who can get the most of Holland’s athletic tools, it’s Spo.
    • Dark horse: Carlton Carrington or Kyshawn George
16. Philadelphia 76ers
    • Tyler Smith – Forward – G League Ignite
      • I doubt Morey stays at 16. He’s looking for win-now guys, ideally who can shoot and spread the floor for Maxey and Embiid. Smith can do that, but is he ready?
    • Dark horse: Carlton Carrington, Bobi Llintman or trade out
17. Los Angeles Lakers
    • Jared McCain – Guard – Duke
      • Another possible trade, but will be interesting to see if Redick looks for a fellow Duke guard to spread the floor, defend opposing PGs, and not be intimidated when playing with LeBron & AD. McCain is a great value here.
    • Dark horse: Carlton Carrington, Rob Dillingham or trade out
18. Orlando Magic
    • Kyle Filipowski – Big – Duke
      • They are set defensively, but desperately need 3pt shooting. Enter Flip, whose 3pt shooting would make life easier for Paolo, Franz, and Jalen.
    • Dark horse: Carlton Carrington, Kel’el Ware, or DaRon Holmes
19. Toronto Raptors
    • Rob Dillingham – Guard – Kentucky
      • With Barnes and Poeltl upfront, and Quickley in the backcourt, the Raptors have the makings of a solid defense next year. However they need some on ball creation to support Barnes, their de-facto point forward. Dillingham is one of the most electrifying players in the draft and won’t be asked to do too much in Toronto.
    • Dark horse: Zach Edey or Carlton Carrington
20. Cleveland Cavaliers
    • Carlton Carrington – Guard – Pittsburgh
      • Insurance for the potential trade of either Mitchell or Garland. I actually think the Cavs will keep both for the near future. However, adding Carrington from just over the border takes the pressure off Cleveland’s star guards from having to carry the team offensively every night. 
    • Dark horse: Tyler Smith or Bobi Klintman
21. New Orleans Pelicans
    • DaRon Holmes – Big – Dayton
      • Would almost immediately become the starting Center, assuming the Pels don’t re-sign Valanciunas. Holmes’ ability to step out and shoot will open up so many things for Zion, Jones, Murphy, C.J., and Ingram (assuming he’s still there).
    • Dark horse: Kyle Filipowski or Kevin McCullar Jr.
22. Phoenix Suns
    • Yves Missi – Big – Baylor
      • Nurk had a career high in games played last season. That won’t happen again. The Suns need a Big that can protect the rim and do the dirty work so KD, Booker, and Beal can do their thing.
    • Dark horse: DaRon Holmes or Kevin McCullar Jr.
23. Milwaukee Bucks
    • Terrence Shannon Jr. – Wing – Illinois
      • One of my favorites, Shannon can come in and provide scoring off the bench immediately. As Middleton fades, Shannon could see a significant role as the Bucks attempt to make another run.
    • Dark horse: Kevin McCullar Jr. or Jaylen Tyson
24. New York Knicks
    • Ryan Dunn – Forward – Virginia
      • No way the Knicks let Dunn get passed them here. Thibs will play him 40 minutes a night on his day off.
    • Dark horse: Kevin McCullar Jr. or possible trade up
25. New York Knicks
    • Zach Edey – Big – Purdue
      • If Hartenstein leaves as a free agent, that’s a big hole upfront that Mitchell Robinson isn’t healthy often enough to fill. Edey will immediately be a fan favorite in Gotham, and could prove quite valuable, as Thibs remains one of the last old-school coaches in the NBA.
    • Dark horse: Terrence Shannon Jr. or possible trade up
26. Washington Wizards
    • Isaiah Collier – Guard – USC
      • The Wiz would be overjoyed at the prospect of drafting arguably the best center in the draft in Sarr followed by arguably the point guard in the draft in Collier. There will still be plenty of talent available for Washington here, but if Collier is available, they won’t let him slip.
    • Dark horse: Jaylen Tyson or Tyler Kolek
27. Minnesota Timberwolves
    • Kyshawn George – Guard – Miami
      • Kyshawn is basically younger Slo-Mo, only he can actually shoot. He’d fit in perfectly in support of Ant.& KAT. Furthermore, he has PG skills and can eventually be groomed to fill in for Conley as he ages.
    • Dark horse: Cam Christie or Tyler Kolek
28. Denver Nuggets
    • Kevin McCullar Jr. – Wing – Kansas
      • McCullar Jr. fits with a lot of teams in the 20s, but I doubt Denver let’s him slip passed them. They struck gold with another Kansas wing in Christian Braun. They might try it again with McCullar. That said, the rumor is they’ve made a promise to DaRon Holmes here.
    • Dark horse: Jaylen Tyson, DaRon Holmes, or Bobi Klintman
29. Utah Jazz
    • Johnny Furphy – Wing – Kansas
      • After nabbing JaKobe Walter at 10, the Jazz add another wing who can shoot in Furphy. A future starting 5 of George, Walter, Furphy, Markkanen, and Kessler has a lot of potential.
    • Dark horse: Tyler Kolek or Jaylon Tyson
30. Boston Celtics
    • Osasere Ighodaro – Big – Marquette
      • The defending champs have very few holes. That said, with KP’s injury history and Al Horford’s age, they can’t rely solely on Luke Kornet to man the middle. Ighodaro is exactly the sort of mature, high IQ, winner that would fit in perfectly with the Celtics.
    • Dark horse: Zach Edey or Bobi Klintman