2024 NBA Draft
The 2024 NBA draft is now underway, with the New York Knicks picking first and looking for a great talent to pair with Brandon Ingram and 1-year away Eurostash point guard Mirko Bosjnak. Can those 3 help the Knicks back to the playoffs?
The third person in that trio is what everyone expected: Kansas PF Kordel Cleaves. Cleaves isn’t great from the perimeter, but he can finish from anywhere inside the arc, is very strong, and can jump out of the gym. Trusting that his shot will come and he can play well with Ingram, the Knicks grab him here.
The Magic are on the clock next and have taken players 1st, 3rd, and 4th over the last 2 years, so adding a 2nd overall pick is fitting. With Jaan O’Donnell (SF, 80 ovr), Jameer Trammell (SF, 82 ovr), and Erroll Reaser (PG, 79 ovr) being those three players, will the Magic choose a complementary player, or grab the talent?
They went with a bit of both, grabbing 6’11” big man Angelo Braswell from UNLV. The big man has loads of potential, sees the floor well, and can score well on the interior. However, he’s a bit soft and will likely underwhelm when it comes to rebounding and interior defense.
Cleveland is now on the clock and has the kind of roster that will let them go with nearly any pick, save for point guard.
They grab the big man out of DePaul: Taquan St. Fort. Despite being seven feet tall and mostly playing inside, St. Fort has a nice shot from the mid-range and can even hit some threes. He’s also a fantastic rebounder and adequate defender on the inside. Many draft pundits are thinking that the Magic should have taken St. Fort over Braswell, and that Cleveland must be thrilled with this pick.
Now the Spurs are up, with what may be the most exciting pick in the draft. They have the top 2 picks from last year’s draft at PF and C, so will they grab a guard or wing here? Trade the pick?
There was reportedly fruitful discussions between Chicago and San Antonio to trade the pick in a package that involved Mikal Bridges and last year’s first rounder Matthew Carroll, but ultimately San Antonio keeps the pick and drafts for the future, getting Australian sharpshooter Ashton Uthoff, who will not show up until the 2025-26 season. The Aussie is deadly from deep and should complement Raynell Ere and Horace Wolfe as they improve and mature.
Now up: nationwide darling Seattle SuperSonics. Last year’s pick of Bobby Drake was brilliant and their sneaky signing of Sagana Dupree also paid off. With Roland Mayes, Keston Mendoza, Kim Pait, and Marcello Barber still available, they have a wealth of choices.
Seattle shocks everyone and selects Florida State’s Joey Robbins. The 6’9” wing / stretch 4 is undoubtedly talented. He’s a good defender, decent shooter, and has good size. But he plays the same spots as Drake and Dupree and struggles to rebound the ball or create for himself. Maybe the Sonics are just taking a bet on talent here.
Now the Hornets get to reap the reward of their trade of Zach Lavine, picking 6th and they have a ton of talent available to them.
Despite some of their defensive shortcomings, the Hornets select J.B. McCroskey from Hartford. The redhead can match Uthoff in his ability to shoot the ball but is decidedly average when it comes to defense and athleticism. He’s an amazing shooter, and if he can step into the 2 guard spot this year and isn’t ball dominant, perhaps he’ll allow Fox, Ball, and Sparks to play even better with the ball in their hands more.
Now the second part of that trade comes to fruition with the Brooklyn Nets adding to their KD haul.
The Nets go for a pure talent play by grabbing Marcello Barber, PF from Duke. The reigning national player of the year can play the 3 or 4 and should be a solid rotation player for the Nets his rookie season.
With pick 8, the Pacers select Wisconsin big man Eric Valencia.
With pick 9, the Kings select Stanford stretch 4 Keston Mendoza.
With pick 10, the Honu select Louisiana-Lafayette PF Regis Matela.
With pick 11, the Wizards select Romanian PG Liviu Erhan (euro-stashed for 2 years).
San Antonio is back up with their second pick and has seen a few players fall. They used this opportunity to stop the fall for one of them.
Arizona’s Roland Mayes was considered by some to be the second-best prospect in this draft. Unfortunately for him, that’s mostly based on potential as he may take a few seasons to get up to NBA size and readiness. However, he can score from anywhere, including throwing it down on big men.
That brings up Cleveland’s second selection.
They use it to stop the fall of Pittsburgh’s two-guard Kim Pait. The 6’4” guard is sometimes compared to Peja Stojakovic and is a well-rounded offensive player.
New York is up, and with their first overall pick being used on a power forward, look for them to go perimeter here.
And they do, grabbing Arizona State guard Dan Diaz. At 6’3”, he’s a great shooter with potential as high as the sky, but is still quite raw.
With pick 15, the Cavaliers select North Carolina PF Warren Mayes. He’s the cousin of Arizona’s Roland Mayes, San Antonio’s pick.
With pick 16, the Suns select Michigan State PF Kirby White.
With pick 17, the Pacers select T.J. Wrenn, PF from BYU.
With that, the Hornets are on the clock with their second pick and are rejoicing with their luck. Needing more depth, and a possible starter at the 5, they found their guy.
Washington’s Darius Lovelace is an intimidating presence who can score inside and is a good passer. This is good value for the Hornets at 18.
With pick 19, Detroit selects Enrique Radenovic, SF from Wisconsin.
With pick 20, Sacramento selects another Wisconsin Badger, SG Jonas Shavies.
With pick 21, Toronto grabs Maryland SG Samuel Pilgrim.
At pick 22, the Magic grab Jameer Trammell’s college teammate from Kansas State, SG Curtis Bitee. Bitee can shoot the lights out…and that’s it for now.
With pick 23, Boston selects Michigan State PF Smackey Krayl.
With pick 24, Minnesota picks Nevada PG Nathan Sneed.
With pick 25, the Trail Blazers select Glenn Thompson, PF from Georgetown.
With pick 26, the Nets select Dmitri Nevsky, PG from Russia.
The Pelicans are rejoicing as they get Oregon wing Can Maldonado. He was a big-time scorer in college and is great value for them at pick 27.
With pick 28, the Nuggets add championship pedigree in Kansas’ V.J. Andres. He’s a solid shooter who might have a future in the league.
At pick 29, the Pacers select Romanian SF Radu Stefan.
At pick 30, the Cavaliers pick Lorenzo Pena, PG from Northwestern.
At pick 31, the 76ers select Tamsir Lawson, PG from Louisville.
At pick 32, the Bucks pick Aliou Finley, SF from Clemson.
Here are some notable second round picks.
Here’s a starting five for the first and the second rounds based on their ability to immediately make an impact.
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The 2024 NBA draft is now underway, with the New York Knicks picking first and looking for a great talent to pair with Brandon Ingram and 1-year away Eurostash point guard Mirko Bosjnak. Can those 3 help the Knicks back to the playoffs?
The third person in that trio is what everyone expected: Kansas PF Kordel Cleaves. Cleaves isn’t great from the perimeter, but he can finish from anywhere inside the arc, is very strong, and can jump out of the gym. Trusting that his shot will come and he can play well with Ingram, the Knicks grab him here.
The Magic are on the clock next and have taken players 1st, 3rd, and 4th over the last 2 years, so adding a 2nd overall pick is fitting. With Jaan O’Donnell (SF, 80 ovr), Jameer Trammell (SF, 82 ovr), and Erroll Reaser (PG, 79 ovr) being those three players, will the Magic choose a complementary player, or grab the talent?
They went with a bit of both, grabbing 6’11” big man Angelo Braswell from UNLV. The big man has loads of potential, sees the floor well, and can score well on the interior. However, he’s a bit soft and will likely underwhelm when it comes to rebounding and interior defense.
Cleveland is now on the clock and has the kind of roster that will let them go with nearly any pick, save for point guard.
They grab the big man out of DePaul: Taquan St. Fort. Despite being seven feet tall and mostly playing inside, St. Fort has a nice shot from the mid-range and can even hit some threes. He’s also a fantastic rebounder and adequate defender on the inside. Many draft pundits are thinking that the Magic should have taken St. Fort over Braswell, and that Cleveland must be thrilled with this pick.
Now the Spurs are up, with what may be the most exciting pick in the draft. They have the top 2 picks from last year’s draft at PF and C, so will they grab a guard or wing here? Trade the pick?
There was reportedly fruitful discussions between Chicago and San Antonio to trade the pick in a package that involved Mikal Bridges and last year’s first rounder Matthew Carroll, but ultimately San Antonio keeps the pick and drafts for the future, getting Australian sharpshooter Ashton Uthoff, who will not show up until the 2025-26 season. The Aussie is deadly from deep and should complement Raynell Ere and Horace Wolfe as they improve and mature.
Now up: nationwide darling Seattle SuperSonics. Last year’s pick of Bobby Drake was brilliant and their sneaky signing of Sagana Dupree also paid off. With Roland Mayes, Keston Mendoza, Kim Pait, and Marcello Barber still available, they have a wealth of choices.
Seattle shocks everyone and selects Florida State’s Joey Robbins. The 6’9” wing / stretch 4 is undoubtedly talented. He’s a good defender, decent shooter, and has good size. But he plays the same spots as Drake and Dupree and struggles to rebound the ball or create for himself. Maybe the Sonics are just taking a bet on talent here.
Now the Hornets get to reap the reward of their trade of Zach Lavine, picking 6th and they have a ton of talent available to them.
Despite some of their defensive shortcomings, the Hornets select J.B. McCroskey from Hartford. The redhead can match Uthoff in his ability to shoot the ball but is decidedly average when it comes to defense and athleticism. He’s an amazing shooter, and if he can step into the 2 guard spot this year and isn’t ball dominant, perhaps he’ll allow Fox, Ball, and Sparks to play even better with the ball in their hands more.
Now the second part of that trade comes to fruition with the Brooklyn Nets adding to their KD haul.
The Nets go for a pure talent play by grabbing Marcello Barber, PF from Duke. The reigning national player of the year can play the 3 or 4 and should be a solid rotation player for the Nets his rookie season.
With pick 8, the Pacers select Wisconsin big man Eric Valencia.
With pick 9, the Kings select Stanford stretch 4 Keston Mendoza.
With pick 10, the Honu select Louisiana-Lafayette PF Regis Matela.
With pick 11, the Wizards select Romanian PG Liviu Erhan (euro-stashed for 2 years).
San Antonio is back up with their second pick and has seen a few players fall. They used this opportunity to stop the fall for one of them.
Arizona’s Roland Mayes was considered by some to be the second-best prospect in this draft. Unfortunately for him, that’s mostly based on potential as he may take a few seasons to get up to NBA size and readiness. However, he can score from anywhere, including throwing it down on big men.
That brings up Cleveland’s second selection.
They use it to stop the fall of Pittsburgh’s two-guard Kim Pait. The 6’4” guard is sometimes compared to Peja Stojakovic and is a well-rounded offensive player.
New York is up, and with their first overall pick being used on a power forward, look for them to go perimeter here.
And they do, grabbing Arizona State guard Dan Diaz. At 6’3”, he’s a great shooter with potential as high as the sky, but is still quite raw.
With pick 15, the Cavaliers select North Carolina PF Warren Mayes. He’s the cousin of Arizona’s Roland Mayes, San Antonio’s pick.
With pick 16, the Suns select Michigan State PF Kirby White.
With pick 17, the Pacers select T.J. Wrenn, PF from BYU.
With that, the Hornets are on the clock with their second pick and are rejoicing with their luck. Needing more depth, and a possible starter at the 5, they found their guy.
Washington’s Darius Lovelace is an intimidating presence who can score inside and is a good passer. This is good value for the Hornets at 18.
With pick 19, Detroit selects Enrique Radenovic, SF from Wisconsin.
With pick 20, Sacramento selects another Wisconsin Badger, SG Jonas Shavies.
With pick 21, Toronto grabs Maryland SG Samuel Pilgrim.
At pick 22, the Magic grab Jameer Trammell’s college teammate from Kansas State, SG Curtis Bitee. Bitee can shoot the lights out…and that’s it for now.
With pick 23, Boston selects Michigan State PF Smackey Krayl.
With pick 24, Minnesota picks Nevada PG Nathan Sneed.
With pick 25, the Trail Blazers select Glenn Thompson, PF from Georgetown.
With pick 26, the Nets select Dmitri Nevsky, PG from Russia.
The Pelicans are rejoicing as they get Oregon wing Can Maldonado. He was a big-time scorer in college and is great value for them at pick 27.
With pick 28, the Nuggets add championship pedigree in Kansas’ V.J. Andres. He’s a solid shooter who might have a future in the league.
At pick 29, the Pacers select Romanian SF Radu Stefan.
At pick 30, the Cavaliers pick Lorenzo Pena, PG from Northwestern.
At pick 31, the 76ers select Tamsir Lawson, PG from Louisville.
At pick 32, the Bucks pick Aliou Finley, SF from Clemson.
Here are some notable second round picks.
- Utah select UCLA star Fab Pratt at pick 34.
- Jerel Barnard (SF, Kansas) is selected by Memphis at pick 35.
- The Kings make a splash with back-to-back second round picks. First they grab intriguing SG from Washington State Randy Vignale. Then with the 41st pick they grab PG Bronny James. This is surely a grab to try to get LeBron in his final season before retiring, or an attempt to get some good assets in return for Bronny.
- Teddy Ali (PG, North Carolina) is picked at #42 by Orlando.
- Pick 56 was Marquette PG Damond Conklin going to Miami.
- Milwaukee selects Boston College SG Leighton Byerson with the final pick of the draft. This could be a steal as he was listed as one of my “most interesting players” before the season began.
Here’s a starting five for the first and the second rounds based on their ability to immediately make an impact.
| Round 1 Starting 5 | Round 2 Starting 5 |
| SG: Ashton Uthoff (Spurs, pick #4) | SG: Fab Pratt (Jazz, pick #34) |
| SG: J.B. McCroskey (Hornets, pick #6) | SG: Randy Vignale (Kings, pick #40) |
| PF: Kordel Cleaves (Knicks, pick #1) | SF: Jerel Barnard (Grizzlies, pick #35) |
| PF: Angelo Braswell (Magic, pick #2) | SF: Jon Paul Frank (Pelicans, pick #44) |
| C: Taquan St. Fort (Cavaliers, pick #3) | PF: Herbert Copeland (Suns, pick #33) |
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