Compared to the ease at which mock drafts usually come for me, the 2024 NBA pre-draft process was something I categorically could not wrap my head around. Every prospect mentioned toward the top of the draft had something that could be described as a “significant flaw” in their all-around game as a basketball player, and even post-NBA Summer League, there’ve been almost more questions than answers about some of those top prospects. Beyond discussions about definitely real things like “aura” or “the him factor”, this blog is going to be a repeat of a blog I’ve done in the past, talking about “team/player fits” post-draft (and in my case, post-Summer League). No, I’m not ready to talk about the fact that I put Dyson Daniels and the Pelicans as the best-fitting pair when he doesn’t play for that organization anymore; nor the fact that that whole blog was based around me thinking Paolo Banchero didn’t fit in Orlando. For this year’s iteration, we’re going to rank them based on their draft selection and prospective fit within their teams. I used to try to project where guys would fall in the rotation, but I think that’s a fruitless effort when you can imagine the fit regardless of starting status. 10-1. Here we go.
Purdue - Center - 7’4”- 305lbs - 05/14/2002
I blame Zach Edey for a large part of my abject confusion when it came to this year’s draft. I had hardly a clue on how to take a dude of his stature, and his lack of mobility by modern defensive standards, and gauge his impact, knowing there would be a lot he could do purely because of his size. He just played the one game due to an ankle injury (how red of a flag is that going to end up being?) but 14 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks does seem to justify the pick. He and the Grizzlies get the ten spot purely because I do think he’d have been available later in the lottery. However, when you see the attention he still draws from defenders, you start to think about guys like Ja Morant and Desmond Bane flying around him on offense, and what he’ll provide defensively with Jaren Jackson, Jr., it’s becoming easier to see the vision.
Guard - Kentucky - 6’2” - 180lbs - 06/24/2004
Oh my gosh, the horror, the shock and awe. Putting the guy who looked like he could have been the number-one pick after some of his Summer League performances at the ninth slot on my player/team fit ranking! Write your own blog if you don’t like it. I love Reed Sheppard, and I blame him in a similar way to Zach Edey in that I watched him all year at Kentucky and was following others’ mock drafts and just couldn’t seem to get a critical read of any sort on him. There’s a part of me that thinks that what Houston could be doing in having Sheppard mentored by Fred VanVleet could be very intentional in trying to turn him into a “real” point guard. That being said if he’s relegated to just being a shooter and playing off the ball with guys like Amen Thompson and Jalen Green continuing their rim assaults in the way that they have done in the past couple years, I do wonder if he’ll be able to maintain the same level of productivity against NBA-caliber defenders.
Guard - Crvena Mega (SRB) - 6’6” - 200lbs - 08/10/2005
Alright this will be short and sweet because I am admittedly future-casting to next year because of Topic’s knee surgery (is this cheating?),but I think that Sam Presti choosing to use one of his approximately one million future first-round picks on a guy with a similar build and pace to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is yet another stroke of genius. Topic was in top three discussions all year pre-injury, look it up.
Forward - NBA G League Ignite (USA) - 6’8” - 205lbs - 07/07/2005
This selection has been on peoples’ tongues recently due in part to the fact that an anonymous NBA executive (which may or may not be journalist for a fake person) came out and said they “felt bad” for Cade Cunningham after this pick happened. I’m not sure I would go that far, but there is an element of the Pistons picking another exceedingly young, rim-focused wing that does make you wonder what the vision is. Likely, one of Holland, Ausar Thompson, or Jaden Ivey will be moved in the next couple of years, but I do think the best-case scenario is sort of a “Rockets East” trajectory, at which a star player hits the point where they’re a perennial All-Star (Alperen Sengun, Cade Cunningham) and the supporting cast comes into their own. What Holland is going to bring you is someone who must be accounted for in transition at all times and a ruthless wing defender. I alluded to this in the last entry, but it’s worth noting that #1 pick Zacharie Risacher didn’t enter true #1 discussions until late in the process, and Alex Sarr and Ron Holland (with an occasional hot NCAA player in the mix) were much more common faces atop the big board.
Center - Baylor - 7’0” - 235lbs - 05/14/2004
While Karlo Matkovic (picked in 2022) may be drawing more attention at the pivot spot, Yves Missi, more specifically at pick number 21, feels like tremendous value in the wake of the departure of Jonas Valanciunas. Missi was quoted as saying he wants to be another Dereck Lively, and a team that employs some of the offensively minded talent like New Orleans does will be thrilled to hear that. Maybe new GM (new as in, like, promoted the day before the draft) Bryson Graham is a big fan of online mock drafts, because this was a pairing that many were hoping to happen. With or without Brandon Ingram (with, please let it be with), Missi’s ability to fill the paint without demanding a lot of paint touches, defensive presence, and sheer size will be a welcome presence in the Big Easy.
Forward - Colorado - 6’8” - 220lbs - 05/15/2001
Da Silva was a prospect who garnered a wide range of opinions over the past couple draft cycles. He was one of those guys, not dissimilar to Kyle Filipowski, who probably could have also been a first rounder last year. Where Da Silva and Filipowski do differ is that where Filipowski’s stock fell leading up to the draft, Da Silva’s rose, and his Summer League play has cemented the certainty of “guaranteed” older prospects and their impact. He’s made himself a legitimate threat as another jumbo-sized playmaker in the half court and in transition, and he’s also proved himself to be a legitimate threat from beyond the arc. He seems to have an excellent feel for spacing and how to place himself somewhere else on the floor after he passes the ball, as opposed to just standing around. Coming out of Colorado, there were questions about if Da Silva was kind of an undersized traditional power forward more so than a legitimate professional wing, and he seems to have answered all of those already. The idea of the second-unit backcourt including a combination of Anthony Black, Jett Howard, and Tristan Da Silva should make Magic fans very excited.
Center - Connecticut - 7’2” - 280lbs - 02/23/2004
Clingan was someone who was up and down draft boards, reaching as high as top-2 discussions during and in the wake of his second champion run with UConn. Once the questions were answered about what he’ll realistically be able to bring on the offensive end, and the fact that it didn’t seem to have much of an impact on his top-ten status, I think this was about the right valuation of the monstrous Huskie. He ranks high on this list because despite Portland’s weird status in terms of guys that are established and young talent, he fits in to every scenario. There seems to be something resembling a consensus that the Blazers are going to move on from either Jerami Grant or Anfernee Simons, due to some emerging talent at their positions. While I’m not Joe Cronin, I think the better move is to find a suitor for Grant, so Clingan can protect the paint and be a lob threat with a relentless attack of Scoot Henderson, Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe.
Forward - Tennessee - 6’5” - 205lbs - 04/19/2001
This is a case of valuation (no way Knecht’s age should have been as much of a deciding factor as it reportedly was) and situation that lands the Tennessee sniper in the third slot. He’s looked to be as sure of a thing as advertised, even if a certain other Lakers draft pick has been commanding more attention than he has. Both now (post SL) and immediately following the Draft, the consensus opinion has been “did he really fall to seventeen?? To play with LeBron??”. On the latter note, the situation that Knecht is coming into cements him as a nearly perfect selection, not dissimilar to the number two slot on this list. The Lakers’ window seems LeBron dependent at this point, which is categorically insane to say about a guy who’s about to turn 40. Anthony Davis has looked like one of the best players on Team USA this summer (LeBron has too, but let’s not go there), so if the Lakers want to make a title run before LeBron retires and AD becomes a jaded vet, surrounding them with sure things was absolutely the move. Adding a shooter who’s way more dynamic than “just a shooter” around LeBron essentially running the point guard and AD in the high post will lead to a likely ROTY campaign for Knecht.
Center/Forward - Indiana - 7’0” - 240lbs - 04/20/2004
Without reduxing the entire diatribe I just went on about established guys going to contenders with aging stars, that is what makes Kel’el Ware going to Miami such a good pick and high-ranking on my list. After a disappointing freshman campaign at Oregon, largely due to the fact that he was unable to crack the rotation, Ware transferred to Indiana and Mike Woodson, where he emerged as a legitimate inside-out offensive threat and rim protector that we saw glimpses of at UO. Another guy who likely could have been a first rounder last year (due to a lack of frontcourt depth), as a frontcourt mate with Bam Adebayo he could make Miami one of the most formidable defensive frontcourts in the Eastern Conference, all the while giving Jimmy Butler another guy to draw attention on the offensive end as his ability to beat guys one on one diminishes as he ages.
Guard - Connecticut - 6’6” - 215lbs - 11/01/2004
Admittedly this is a biased pick, as I’d have taken Stephon Castle number one overall. I think he’s the most complete player in the draft class, and I think that Atlanta could have gotten a big return if they decided to trade back, especially if they were married to Risacher as their guy. A wing-sized point guard, Castle comes into a situation in San Antonio with two things that stick out as “oh my god how is that allowed” factors. The first is, Chris Paul recently signed with the San Antonio Spurs, giving Castle the perfect mentor as CP3 continues to tiptoe towards retirement. The second, and potentially significantly more obvious factor is that Victor Wembanyama guy. It’s pretty crazy that we’re about to start watching the entire rest of that guy’s NBA career, and that it wasn’t over after that bananaland rookie season. Any sort of reasonably good NBA wings and a lack of significant injuries are going to make Castle and Wemby a formidable opponent for years to come.
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