由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
乔纳森·吉沃尼 (Jonathan Givony)
杰里米·伍 (Jeremy Woo)
2024 年 6 月 29 日，美国东部时间上午 8:00
总共 58 个选秀权。 首轮选中了四名法国球员。 NBA 历史上第一个为期两天的活动。 随着这一切以及更多，2024 年 NBA 选秀正式结束。
在巴克莱中心的第 1 轮比赛中，前四个选秀权与 ESPN 的最终模拟选秀完全一致，包括亚特兰大老鹰队用状元签选中了扎卡里·里萨谢 (Zaccharie Risacher)。 然后，底特律活塞队制造了第一个惊喜，他们在第五顺位选中了 ESPN 排名第 13 位的罗恩·霍兰德 (Ron Holland)。
周四的第二轮比赛出现了一系列选秀交易和球队交易，以及大学球星凯尔·菲利波夫斯基 (Kyle Filipowski)、泰勒·科莱克 (Tyler Kolek) 和约翰尼·费菲 (Johnny Furphy) 早早被选中。 第二轮还包括洛杉矶湖人队在第 55 顺位选中了布朗尼·詹姆斯 (Bronny James)。
最有价值的选秀权是什么？ 哪支球队选出了最好的班级？ 哪些球员将入选最佳新秀阵容一阵？ ESPN 选秀分析师乔纳森·吉沃尼和杰里米·伍多年来一直致力于研究 2024 届的潜在客户，他们将在这里为您详细介绍他们喜欢的举动、令人惊讶的举动，并给出一些长期预测。
吉沃尼和伍通过回答 15 个问题来深入探讨这次选秀的影响：
跳转至：
状元秀 | 最佳价值 | 最令人惊讶
最喜欢的球队班级 | 最不喜欢的球队班级
交易规模 | 年度最佳新秀候选人
落选新秀最佳球员 | 预测
您最喜欢的整届选秀球员是哪位？
吉沃尼： 洛杉矶湖人队在第 17 顺位选中了道尔顿·克内希特 (Dalton Knecht)。考虑到联盟对三分球的重视，我仍然对 29 支球队让克内希特落到这么远感到震惊，因为他上赛季是大学篮球界最好的外线得分手，拥有出色的侧翼身体素质，而且看起来像是这届选秀中最具即插即用能力的得分手之一。 我相信在那一刻，克内希特对落选感到失望，但当他来到洛杉矶并看到自己即将进入一个多么好的环境时，他会很快克服这一点的。
伍： 波特兰开拓者队在第 7 顺位选中了多诺万·克林根 (Donovan Clingan)。 这里的价值和契合度都很出色，没有人认为他会真的跌到第 7 顺位，但随着底特律在第 5 顺位和夏洛特在第 6 顺位选择了与大多数人预期不同的方向（并且可能觉得没有足够的信心交易回来并得到他们想要的人选），克林根成为了开拓者队的一笔意外收获。 我认为他是前三名的潜在球员，并且认为他正是开拓者队长期巩固重建所需要的球员。
哪位球员的处境最理想，可以最大限度地发挥他的才能？
吉沃尼： 罗伯·迪林厄姆 (Rob Dillingham) 在第 8 顺位被明尼苏达森林狼队选中。 对于他来说，能够拥有一位像迈克·康利 (Mike Conley) 这样经验丰富的领导者在训练中指导他如何瓦解 NBA 防守的细微差别，这是一件多么令人难以置信的奢侈品。 他还加入了一支上赛季防守效率排名第一的森林狼队，身边和身后都有像杰登·麦克丹尼尔斯 (Jaden McDaniels) 和鲁迪·戈贝尔 (Rudy Gobert) 这样的全明星防守球员来帮助他最大限度地减少他在球场那端的弱点。
我将迪林厄姆排在我的个人大名单上的第三位，他之所以能加盟森林狼，是因为球队积极地与马刺队进行了交易。
伍： 扎克·埃迪 (Zach Edey) 在第 9 顺位被孟菲斯灰熊队选中。 我很高兴看到他能在孟菲斯获得一个难以置信的机会，在那里他将成为球队拼图中真正的一块。 为了最大限度地提高他的长期成长，埃迪需要在一个重视他独特优势并且可以帮助他在防守端缓冲一段时间的地方落脚。
我很好奇当埃迪和贾·莫兰特 (Ja Morant) 在场上时，灰熊队将在节奏方面取得什么样的平衡，但我有一种感觉，这将会奏效。
最有价值的选秀权是什么？
吉沃尼： 犹他爵士队在第 32 顺位选中了凯尔·菲利波夫斯基。 菲利波夫斯基是一位技术娴熟、20 岁的 7 英尺长人，他能运球、传球和投篮，是本届选秀中最有实力的球员之一。 他在防守端的表现一直比人们认为的要好，并且帮助杜克大学打进了精英八强。 他是 ESPN 三月份大名单上的前十名新秀。 我已经和几十个非常了解他和他的处境的人谈过，并且相信他会找到一种方法，成长为一名非常优秀的球员，并在第二轮被选中后为犹他州带来强大的价值。
伍： 萨克拉门托国王队在第 13 顺位选中了德文·卡特 (Devin Carter)。 我在我的个人榜单上把卡特排在了很高的位置，我认为当他跌到第 13 位时，国王队成为了最大的赢家。 大多数球队都预计芝加哥公牛队（第 11 顺位）会在马塔斯·布泽利斯 (Matas Buzelis) 之前选中他。 卡特的表现应该会轻松超越他的选秀顺位，我很好奇国王队会如何让他与达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 和马利克·蒙克 (Malik Monk) 轮换上场。
哪个选秀权最让您感到意外？
吉沃尼： 迈阿密热火队在第 15 顺位选中了凯莱布·韦尔 (Kel’el Ware)。 我明白押注于天赋并希望让他沉浸在热火文化中可以让他充分发挥自己的潜力，但事实上，他们在同时放弃了道尔顿·克内希特，这并不是我所期望的。 韦尔 7 英尺 1 英寸的身高所带来的篮筐保护和空间拉扯能力的结合，可能会让他在超大型阵容中与巴姆·阿德巴约 (Bam Adebayo) 并肩作战时获得一些上场时间。
他将接受热火队臭名昭著的体能训练计划，并将首先证明他能够在攻防两端都保持比他职业生涯迄今为止更高的持续强度。
伍： 底特律活塞队在第 5 顺位选中了罗恩·霍兰德。 这与其说是霍兰德在选秀中落选，不如说是底特律如何很好地掩盖了他们对这位前 G 联赛 Ignite 前锋的兴趣。 这是一个在天赋上的巨大赌注，活塞队将不得不重新调整他们的阵容，以提高阵容的契合度。
您最喜欢哪个球队的整体阵容？
吉沃尼： 费城 76 人队。 76 人队用第 16 顺位和第 41 顺位以及一份双向合同签下了我个人大名单上的第 10 名（贾里德·麦凯恩 (Jared McCain)）、第 26 名（阿德姆·博纳 (Adem Bona)）和第 53 名（贾斯汀·爱德华兹 (Justin Edwards)），这很有价值。 对手球队经常指出，76 人队可能是联盟中在选秀前为球员提供试训方面最不积极的球队。 我经常在想，这些试训有时是否会比球队试图让他们成为的那种无所不知的知识来源更加分散注意力，几年后，我们将看看费城球队的阵容是否会证明这一点。
伍： 俄克拉荷马城雷霆队。 我真的很喜欢雷霆队的做法，他们囤积了三名我觉得很有实力的组织者：尼古拉·托皮奇 (Nikola Topic)、狄龙·琼斯 (Dillon Jones) 和阿贾伊·米切尔 (Ajay Mitchell)。 你永远不会嫌能传球、控球和投篮的球员多，雷霆队正在聪明地囤积和培养这类球员。 俄克拉荷马城将不得不逐步整合它所拥有的一些天赋和资产，以提高其阵容实力，而可持续发展的关键是拥有像这样的人，他们可以随着时间的推移在这些举措发生时介入。
您最不喜欢哪个球队的整体阵容？
吉沃尼： 丹佛掘金队。 掘金队选中了一名球员达龙·霍姆斯二世 (DaRon Holmes II)，但他们在近一个月前就向 NBA 公开了这一选秀权，迫使他们放弃了三个次轮选秀权，从流程的角度来看，这并不好，尤其是因为他们在一年前追逐杰伦·皮克特 (Jalen Pickett) 时几乎做了同样的事情——联盟中许多我信任的球探并不认为皮克特是一个真正的 NBA 潜在球员。 我在我的个人大名单上将霍姆斯排在第 50 位，所以我很想看看他会成为一个什么样的 NBA 球员。 掘金队有自己独特的篮球风格，并且显然比其他球队更重视不同的特质。 像许多 NBA 最好的球队一样，他们目前在工资帽和奢侈税方面都举步维艰，需要依靠他们的选秀权来保持争夺总冠军的机会。
伍： 密尔沃基雄鹿队。 我不太喜欢雄鹿队在这次选秀中采取的方向，这与其说是球员的问题（AJ 约翰逊 (AJ Johnson)、泰勒·史密斯 (Tyler Smith)），不如说是时间线的问题。 雄鹿队请来了主教练道格·里弗斯 (Doc Rivers) 来争取现在的胜利，扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo) 和达米安·利拉德 (Damian Lillard) 肯定也有同样的想法。 雄鹿队近年来在选秀中采取的发展策略大多还没有得到回报，在第 23 顺位和第 33 顺位有更多现成的球员可供选择的情况下，再增加两名青少年球员让我有点困惑。
您最喜欢的选秀日交易是什么？
吉沃尼： 休斯顿火箭队用第 43 顺位选秀权（后来变成了尼古拉·久里西奇 (Nikola Djurisic)）和薪资空间换来了 AJ 格里芬 (AJ Griffin)。 不久前，20 岁的格里芬还被认为是 2022 年选秀大会上的前十名新秀。 他在新秀赛季表现出色，但第二个赛季却表现令人失望，而且在老鹰队选中扎卡里·里萨谢之后，他可能已经不在老鹰队的计划中了。 早在他参加选秀时，格里芬就一直受到伤病困扰，而且他在为老鹰队效力期间也曾受伤。
尽管如此，这对火箭队来说仍然是一个非常有趣的赌博，他们继续在每个位置上囤积年轻球员。 格里芬的臂展（7 英尺）和投篮的多样性（他在新秀赛季的三分球命中率高达 39%，而且他在杜克大学的唯一一个赛季里三分球命中率高达 45%）使他成为一个值得押注的人，此外还有他的年轻。 如果他没有成功，那么，他们的损失也不大。
伍： 圣安东尼奥马刺队将迪林厄姆交易到森林狼队，换取明尼苏达 2031 年的首轮选秀权，以及 2030 年受前一保护的选秀权互换。 很少看到有球队只用未来资产就交易到乐透区，也很少看到两支球队同时接受像这样的交易的风险和回报。 这是森林狼队的一次令人兴奋的赌博，也是马刺队一次经过深思熟虑的短期放弃，这也让迪林厄姆这名在选秀大会上更令人兴奋但也更不稳定的新秀获得了成功，并让圣安东尼奥有机会在未来用这些选秀权进行另一笔交易。
我在交易发生时就说过：我不知道五年后谁在这笔交易中看起来更好，但我对双方都愿意让它发生感到高兴。
您最不喜欢的选秀日交易是什么？
吉沃尼： 马刺队和森林狼队的交易。 马刺队最终可能会后悔将迪林厄姆交易到森林狼队。 我认为迪林厄姆是与维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 搭档的理想后卫，他们现在将在西部联盟中看到他很多次，可能是在未来的季后赛对决中。 尽管这些事情很难预测，但考虑到安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards) 只有 22 岁，很难想象明尼苏达在 2030 年和 2031 年到来时会衰落到那种程度。
伍： 我不认为有任何明显糟糕的交易，但我确实想知道开拓者队是否会后悔没有等到第 14 顺位再看看谁可以选，然后再把它送到华盛顿。 克内希特本来会是一个很有用的补充。
五年后，我们都会想知道为什么 ____________ 会在选秀中落选。
吉沃尼： 卡梅隆·克里斯蒂 (Cameron Christie) 在第 46 顺位被洛杉矶快船队选中。 我在我的大名单上把他排在第 23 位，所以快船队能在第 46 顺位选中他真是太值了。 他需要时间来改善他的身材和防守，才能加入他们的轮换阵容，但像他这样身高和投篮能力兼备的 18 岁球员并不常见，这就是为什么我上周把他列为我的选秀大会遗珠之一。
伍： 以赛亚·科利尔 (Isaiah Collier) 在第 29 顺位被爵士队选中。 我明白为什么球队对他冷淡了，但在第 29 顺位选中他对于爵士队来说是一个巨大的惊喜，这也让科利尔在一个很好的环境中成长和学习。 这是他需要的环境，我认为他有能力在职业生涯中加快他的学习曲线。 他需要在投篮方面做得更好，但从长远来看，这看起来像是一次愚蠢的失误。
现在就预测一下：谁将获得 NBA 年度最佳新秀？
吉沃尼： 扎卡里·里萨谢。 老鹰队在用状元签选中里萨谢后，将会给他一切机会取得成功，而且他在他们的阵容中与 NBA 最好的传球手之一特雷·杨 (Trae Young) 配合得很好。
伍： 扎克·埃迪。 这可能最终看起来很愚蠢，但根据我目前掌握的信息，我要选择埃迪。 当他在场上时，效率和数据都会在那里，灰熊队可能不得不依靠他来打赢比赛。 事实上，你的猜测和我的一样好。
现在就预测一下：哪些球员将入选 NBA 最佳新秀阵容一阵？
吉沃尼： 德文·卡特、扎卡里·里萨谢、道尔顿·克内希特、亚历克斯·萨尔 (Alex Sarr)、扎克·埃迪。 当谈到入选最佳新秀阵容时，环境很重要。 这些球员都具备 NBA 的实力和对球队有利的环境，这应该会为他们提供一个竞争这一荣誉的平台。
伍： 里德·谢泼德 (Reed Sheppard)、里萨谢、克内希特、萨尔、埃迪。 这更多地反映了这些球员可能会得到的出场时间和机会，而不是其他任何东西，因为今年很难在这方面进行猜测。
哪位球员最有可能在 2024-25 赛季的 G 联赛中大放异彩？
吉沃尼： 泰勒·科莱克，纽约尼克斯队。 由于杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 和迈尔斯·麦克布莱德 (Miles McBride) 在后场根深蒂固，主教练汤姆·锡伯杜 (Tom Thibodeau) 的轮换阵容紧张，而且尼克斯队的训练馆和 G 联赛球队（韦斯特切斯特）距离很近，我想象科莱克（第 34 顺位）明年会在那里得到不少的上场时间。 他上赛季领衔大学篮球的助攻榜，而且在 G 联赛中也很可能会这样做，这取决于他能得到多少次任务。 我相信，假以时日，他会成为一名非常优秀的 NBA 球员。
伍： KJ 辛普森 (KJ Simpson)，夏洛特黄蜂队。 我可以看到辛普森在格林斯伯罗（北卡罗来纳州）蜂群队得到不少的分数。 夏洛特有后卫在他前面，而且可能想让他得到发展性的上场时间，他非常适合 G 联赛的节奏和风格。
您最想关注哪位落选球员？
吉沃尼： 凯沙德·约翰逊 (Keshad Johnson)。 我很喜欢他与迈阿密热火队的契合度，并且很容易就能预见到他会成为他们下一个大的发展成功案例。 教练组肯定会欣赏他的防守多样性、爆发力、韧性和场外性格。 热火队在培养球员的三分球方面做得很好，如果约翰逊能在这方面找到稳定性，那么凭借他带来的所有其他东西，他就是一个 NBA 轮换球员。
伍： 艾萨克·琼斯 (Isaac Jones)。 在过去的几个月里，我成为了这位华盛顿州大学大个子的忠实球迷，他是萨克拉门托国王队最好的落选自由球员双向合同签约球员之一。 如果他最终成为一名有用的替补球员，我不会感到惊讶。
对这届新秀五年后的发展做一个预测。
吉沃尼： 这届新秀中至少会出现三位全明星球员，而且从选秀的每个阶段（乐透区、首轮剩余部分、第二轮和落选球员）都会涌现出不少高水平的角色球员。 这种情况每年都在发生，今年也不例外，尽管这届新秀被广泛批评为缺乏顶级球星（这导致这届新秀被讨论为有史以来最差的一届，我一点也不同意这种说法）。
伍： 尽管在过去的一年里，这种阴郁和厄运笼罩着这次选秀，但我认为我们不会把它看作是史上最差的一届选秀。 很多球员都找到了很好的归宿，很多球员都会打出成绩，而且即使前 5 到 10 顺位的球员很难分析，但还是有很多有价值的球员。 总的来说，这些球员应该会取得不错的成绩。
您对这次选秀最大的总体感想是什么？
吉沃尼： 这是我们见过的最年轻的乐透区（第 1 到 14 顺位）之一，也是自 2010 年以来最老的首轮后半段（第 15 到 30 顺位）。NBA 发出的信息是如此矛盾——我们会以非常高的顺位选中世界上最好的青少年球员并培养他们，但在那之后，我们想要的是年龄更大、准备更充分、能够立即做出贡献的球员。
像泰勒·史密斯（第 33 顺位）、约翰尼·费菲（第 35 顺位）、卡梅隆·克里斯蒂（第 46 顺位）、乌尔里希·乔姆切 (Ulrich Chomche)、贾斯汀·爱德华兹（落选）和特伦汀·弗劳尔斯 (Trentyn Flowers)（落选）这样的打了一年就参加选秀的球员落选的事实告诉我，NBA 或许应该考虑允许球员在第一天和第二天之间退出选秀，然后再试一次。 我不确定这些球员中的每一个人都会利用这个机会，但至少给这些球员一个选择，让他们可以选择去上大学，或者寻找一个国际赛场，帮助他们在一年内提高自己的准备程度和地位，这将是一件好事。
伍： 这次选秀最终和我们过去一年中大部分时间里认为的一样平淡无奇，难以捉摸。 事实上，事情这么早就偏离了剧本，这也反映了这一点；像活塞队和黄蜂队这样的球队都在追求潜力，并且不害怕冒险选择他们想要的球员。 很多球队可能觉得他们不能交易回来，并且确定他们的球员还会在那里。 在像这样的一个不确定的市场中，有时最好的办法就是简单地选择你想要的球员。
点击查看原文：The best, worst and most surprising of the NBA draft: Favorite picks, classes and rookie year predictions
The best, worst and most surprising of the NBA draft: Favorite picks, classes and rookie year predictions
Jonathan Givony
Jeremy Woo
Jun 29, 2024, 08:00 AM ET
Fifty-eight total picks. Four French players taken in the first round. The first two-day event in NBA history. And with that and more, the 2024 NBA draft is officially over.
Round 1 at Barclays Center saw the first four picks directly align with ESPN’s final mock draft, including the Atlanta Hawks’ selection of Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick. Then, the Detroit Pistons pulled off the first surprise by drafting ESPN’s No. 13th-ranked prospect Ron Holland at No. 5.
Thursday’s second round saw a flurry of draft trades and team transactions, along with college stars Kyle Filipowski, Tyler Kolek and Johnny Furphy going early off the board. Round 2 also featured the selection of Bronny James to the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 55 pick.
What was the best value pick? Which team drafted the best class? And which players will be named to the First Team All-Rookie Team? ESPN draft analysts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have spent years studying the prospects in the 2024 class, and they’re here to fill you in on the moves the liked, the moves that were surprising and give a few long-term predictions.
Givony and Woo dig into the fallout of this draft by answering 15 questions:
Jump to:
Top pick | Best value | Most surprising
Favorite team class | Least favorite team class
Sizing up trades | Rookie of Year candidates
Best to go undrafted | Predictions
What was your favorite pick of the entire draft?
Givony: Dalton Knecht to the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 17. With the emphasis the league is putting on 3-point shooting, I’m still shocked 29 teams let Knecht fall this far considering he was the best perimeter scorer in college basketball last season, has outstanding physical tools for a wing and looked like one of the best plug-and-play scorers in this draft class. I’m sure at the moment Knecht was disappointed to fall in the draft, but he’ll get over that quickly when he lands in Los Angeles and sees what a great situation he’s walking into.
Woo: Donovan Clingan to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7. Both the value and fit here were excellent, and no one thought he’d actually fall to No. 7, but with Detroit at No. 5 and Charlotte at No. 6 going in different directions than most expected (and presumably not feeling comfortable enough to trade back and get who they wanted), Clingan became a coup for the Blazers. I had him as a top-three prospect and think he’s exactly what the Blazers need long term to solidify their rebuild.
Which player landed in the ideal situation to maximize his talent?
Givony: Rob Dillingham to the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 8. What an incredible luxury for him to have an experienced leader such as Mike Conley guiding him in practice on the nuances of picking apart NBA defenses. He also joins a Timberwolves team that ranked No. 1 in defensive efficiency last season, with All-NBA defenders such as Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert alongside and behind him to help minimize his weaknesses on that end of the floor.
I had Dillingham, who landed in Minnesota because of the team’s aggressive trade up with the Spurs, ranked as the No. 3 player on my personal big board.
Woo: Zach Edey to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 9. I love that he walked into an incredible opportunity in Memphis, where he figures to be a real piece of the team’s puzzle. To maximize his long-term growth, Edey needed to land somewhere that valued his unique strengths and could help cushion him defensively for the time being.
I’m curious what type of balance the Grizz will strike in terms of pace when Edey and Ja Morant are on the floor, but I have a feeling it’s going to work.
What was the best value pick?
Givony: Kyle Filipowski to the Utah Jazz at No. 32. Filipowski is a competitively skilled, 20-year-old 7-footer who can dribble, pass and shoot and was one of the most productive players in this draft class. He has always been a better defender than he has been given credit for and helped lead Duke to the Elite Eight. He was a top-10 prospect on ESPN’s Big Board in March. I’ve spoken with dozens of people who know him and his situation intimately and trust he will find a way to develop into a very good player who will deliver strong value to Utah after picking him in the second round.
Woo: Devin Carter to the Sacramento Kings at No. 13. I had Carter ranked quite high on my personal board, and I thought the Kings walked away as big winners when he fell to No. 13. Most teams were expecting the Chicago Bulls (at No. 11) to take him before Matas Buzelis fell. Carter should easily outperform his draft slot, and I’m curious to see how the Kings use him in rotation with De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk.
Which pick most surprised you?
Givony: Kel’el Ware to the Miami Heat at No. 15. I get betting on talent and hoping that immersing him in Heat culture can get him to realize his full potential, but the fact they passed on Dalton Knecht at the same time wasn’t something I was expecting when they were on the clock. Ware’s combination of rim protection and floor spacing at 7-foot-1 might allow him to see some minutes alongside Bam Adebayo in supersized lineups.
He is going to be put through the Heat’s notorious conditioning program, and will show first he can maintain a much higher level of consistent intensity on both ends of the floor than he has to this point in his career.
Woo: Ron Holland to the Detroit Pistons at No. 5. This was less about the notion Holland was falling in the draft and more about how well Detroit masked its interest in the former G League Ignite forward. It’s a big upside swing on talent, and the Pistons will have to rearrange their roster deck a bit to improve the fit.
Which team has your favorite class as a whole?
Givony: Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers added my No. 10 (Jared McCain), 26 (Adem Bona) and 53 (Justin Edwards) prospects on my personal big board with the No. 16 and 41 picks and a two-way contract, which is strong value. Rival teams often point out the Sixers might be the least active team in the league in terms of bringing players in for workouts in the pre-draft process. I’ve often wondered if these workouts can at times serve as more of a distraction than the all-encompassing sources of knowledge that teams tend to make them out to be, and we’ll see in a few years if that proves to be the case with the way Philadelphia’s class pans out.
Woo: Oklahoma City Thunder. I really liked what the Thunder did, loading up on three playmakers I feel good about in Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell. You can never really have enough players who can pass, handle and shoot, and the Thunder are smartly stockpiling and developing these types of players. Oklahoma City will have to progressively consolidate some of the talent and assets it has to improve its roster, and the key to sustainability is having guys like this who can step in over time as those moves occur.
Which team has your least favorite class as a whole?
Givony: Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets drafted one player in DaRon Holmes II, but the way they telegraphed this pick to the NBA nearly a month in advance, forcing them to burn through three second-round picks, wasn’t great from a process standpoint, especially since they did almost the same exact thing a year ago in chasing Jalen Pickett – many scouts around the league whom I trust did not consider Pickett a real NBA prospect. I had Holmes ranked 50th on my personal big board, so I’m fascinated to see what kind of NBA player he turns out to be. The Nuggets have their own unique style of basketball and clearly value different traits than other teams. Like many of the NBA’s best teams, they are threading a very thin needle at the moment with their salary cap and luxury tax situation and need to hit on their draft picks to stay in championship contention.
Woo: Milwaukee Bucks. I didn’t love the direction the Bucks took with this draft, and it was less about the players (AJ Johnson, Tyler Smith) and more a question of the timeline. The Bucks brought in coach Doc Rivers to win now, and surely Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard feel the same way. The development swings Milwaukee has taken in recent drafts mostly haven’t paid off yet, and adding two more teenagers into the mix when there were more readymade players available at Nos. 23 and 33 was a bit confusing to me.
What was your favorite in-draft trade?
Givony: The Houston Rockets acquiring AJ Griffin for the No. 43 pick (which turned into Nikola Djurisic) and salary cap relief. It wasn’t long ago that Griffin, 20, was considered a top-10 prospect in the 2022 draft. He showed flashes as a NBA rookie but had a disappointing sophomore campaign, and probably wasn’t in the Hawks’ plans after they drafted Zaccharie Risacher. There were medical concerns with Griffin dating back to his draft days, and he has had injuries while playing for the Hawks.
Still, this is a really interesting gamble from the Rockets who continue to stockpile young talent at every position. Griffin’s combination of length (7-foot wingspan) and shot-making versatility (he made 39% of his 3s as a rookie on good volume, and 45% of his 3s in his lone season at Duke) make him someone worth betting on, in addition to his youth. If he doesn’t pan out, well, they didn’t give up that much.
Woo: The San Antonio Spurs trading Dillingham to the Timberwolves for Minnesota’s 2031 first-round pick, and a 2030 top-one-protected pick swap. It’s so rare to see any team trade into the lottery with just futures, and it’s also pretty rare to see two teams simultaneously accept the risk and reward of a deal like this. It was an exciting gamble by the Timberwolves and a measured short-term punt by the Spurs that also put one of the draft’s more exciting but volatile prospects in Dillingham in an excellent situation to succeed, and set up San Antonio to make another trade down the line with those picks if it chooses.
I said this at the moment of the trade: I don’t know who will look better in this deal five years from now, but I was entertained that both sides were down to make it happen.
What was your least favorite in-draft trade?
Givony: The Spurs-Timberwolves trade. The Spurs might end up regretting trading Dillingham to the Timberwolves. I thought Dillingham was an ideal guard to pair with Victor Wembanyama, and they will see quite a bit of him now in the Western Conference, possibly in future playoff battles. As difficult as these things are to predict, with Anthony Edwards being only 22 years old, it’s hard to see Minnesota falling off that much by the time 2030 and 2031 roll around.
Woo: I didn’t think there were any blatantly bad trades, but I do wonder if the Blazers might regret not waiting to see who was available at No. 14 before sending it to Washington. Knecht would have been a useful addition there.
In five years, we’re all going to wonder why ____________ fell in the draft.
Givony: Cameron Christie to the LA Clippers at No. 46. I had him ranked as the No. 23 prospect on my big board, so for the Clippers to scoop him up at No. 46 was incredible value. He’s going to need time to improve his frame and defense enough to join their rotation, but 18-year-olds with his combination of size and shot-making versatility aren’t that easy to come by, which is why I pegged him as one of my draft sleepers last week.
Woo: Isaiah Collier to the Jazz at No. 29. I get why teams cooled on him, but drafting him at No. 29 was an amazing break for the Jazz, and puts Collier in a great situation to develop and learn on the job. It’s the type of fit he needed, and I think he has the talent to accelerate his learning curve in a better situation in the pros. He’ll need to shoot it a lot better, but this sticks out as a fall that might look goofy in hindsight.
Call it now: Who will win NBA Rookie of the Year?
Givony: Zaccharie Risacher. The Hawks will give Risacher every opportunity to be successful after picking him No. 1, and he’s a great fit on their roster operating off one of the best passers in the NBA in Trae Young.
Woo: Zach Edey. This might wind up looking dumb, but with the information I have now, I’m going to pick Edey. The efficiency and production will be there when he’s in the game and the Grizzlies might have to lean on him to play winning minutes. In reality, your guess is as good as mine.
Call it now: Which five players will be named to the NBA All-Rookie first team?
Givony: Devin Carter, Zaccharie Risacher, Dalton Knecht, Alex Sarr, Zach Edey. Situation matters when it comes to making the All-Rookie Team. These players have some combination of NBA readiness and a team-friendly situation that should give them a platform to compete for this honor.
Woo: Reed Sheppard, Risacher, Knecht, Sarr, Edey. This is more a referendum on the playing time and opportunity these guys are likely going to get than anything else because it’s a really hard year to guess on that front.
Which player is most likely to light up the G League in 2024-25?
Givony: Tyler Kolek, New York Knicks. With Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride entrenched in the backcourt, coach Tom Thibodeau’s tight rotations and the proximity between the Knicks’ practice facility and G League team (Westchester), I imagine Kolek (the No. 34 pick) will be getting a decent amount of burn there next year. He led college basketball in assists last season, and will likely do the same in the G League also, depending on how many assignments he gets. He’s going to be a very good NBA player in time, I believe.
Woo: KJ Simpson, Charlotte Hornets. I can see Simpson getting quite a few buckets with the Greensboro (North Carolina) Swarm. Charlotte has guards in place ahead of him and probably will want to get him developmental minutes, and he’s a great fit for the pace and style of the G League game.
Which undrafted player are you most interested to follow?
Givony: Keshad Johnson. I love his fit with the Miami Heat, and could easily see him being their next big developmental success story. The coaching staff will surely come to appreciate his defensive versatility, explosiveness, toughness and off-court character. The Heat have done well to develop players’ 3-point shooting, and if Johnson can find consistency there, he’s an NBA rotation player with all the other things he brings.
Woo: Isaac Jones. I became a big fan of the Washington State’s big man over the past few months, and he was one of the top undrafted free agent two-way signings for the Sacramento Kings. It won’t shock me if he winds up as a useful bench player in time.
Make one prediction about this class for five years from now.
Givony: There will be at least three All-Stars to emerge from this group, and quite a few high-quality role-players will emerge from every portion of the draft (the lottery, the remainder of the first round, the second round, and undrafted players). It happens every year, and this year will be no exception, despite the way this class was widely panned for its lack of star power at the top (which turned into this being discussed as an all-time bad draft class, which I do not agree with one bit).
Woo: Despite the amount of gloom and doom that kind of characterized some of this draft cycle, I don’t think we’ll be looking at this as the Worst Draft Ever. A lot of players landed in great situations, a lot of guys are going to pan out, and there was good value to be had, even though the top five to 10 picks were difficult to parse. These guys should turn out all right on the whole.
What is your top overarching takeaway from this draft?
Givony: This was one of the youngest lottery (Nos. 1 through 14) portions of the draft we’ve ever seen, and it was the oldest second half of the first round (Nos. 15 through 30) since 2010. Such incredibly contrasting messages the NBA is sending – we’ll take and develop the very best teenage prospects in the world very high, but after that, we want older, ready-made guys who can be instant contributors.
The fact that one-and-done prospects such as Tyler Smith (No. 33), Johnny Furphy (No. 35), Cam Christie (No. 46), Ulrich Chomche, Justin Edwards (undrafted) and Trentyn Flowers (undrafted) fell the way they did tells me the NBA might want to consider allowing players to withdraw their names from the draft in between the first and second days and have a do-over. I’m not sure every one of those players would have taken advantage of that, but it would be nice to at least give those players the option of going to college or finding an international situation that could help them increase their readiness and standing in a year’s time.
Woo: This draft was ultimately just as flat and inscrutable as we thought it would be for much of the past year. The fact things went off script so early reflected that; teams like the Pistons and Hornets were swinging for upside and weren’t afraid to take chances on the guy they wanted. A lot of teams presumably felt like they couldn’t trade back and be sure their player would be there. And in an uncertain market like this one was, sometimes the best thing is to simply draft who you want.
via ESPN