2024 Mock Draft

Pretty good long list/mock the only guy who jumped out to be as being a bit low was Donovan Clingan but he is purely being judged on upside at the moment so will need to develop in his soph year to be a first round pick.

I hadn’t read that Mara was looking to go to UCLA that will certainly give us a good line where he is compared to Bradshaw, Kyle Flip, Donovan etc. I didn’t realise that guys who were already pro could join an NCAA team either.

I would put UF’s Riley Kugel in the first round next year as well but definitely a good long list looking in to next year.

Given what the NBA is looking for 6’6″ to 6’9″ guys who can switch and shoot, and guys taller than that with the same general profile, I think people need to give greater weight to the ones who fit that mold. All said, pre-season mock draft and rankings are at best coin flips because of the assumed assimilation for players from high school to college or youth/lower amateurish leagues to pro ranks in Europe, G-League, or Australia. Anyway, assuming all risks are equal, I would think Ron Holland, Matas Buzelis, and Justin Edwards would have an edge over Isaiah Collier at the very top. Cody Williams fits the profile, but how much of his buzz is riding the coattails of his brother of Jalen? He is going to a Colorado team that is returning its top six scorers from last year, which bodes well for their team as a whole. For him individually, he will have to fit in. If he comes off the bench, and his shooting isn’t much better than he showed at the U19 World Cup, then is it realistic to view him as a lottery prospect in 2024? Just based off the circumstances, I would not imagine he pops early on. If he does, the Buffs might be able to get into the top half of the Pac 12 and into the tournament. Both he and Kwame Evans might fall victim to being on older teams. Oregon’s late push in the portal makes them a much better team. I think with Jesse Zarzuela, N’Faly Dante, Jermaine Couisnard, Kario Oquendo, Keeshawn Barthelemy, Mahamdou Diawara, Nate Bittle, and Evans the Ducks have great long shot potential to win the Pac 12 and make a deep NCAA run. I love riding teams with a deep roster of multiple 1000+ minute college vets, and Oregon not only has 6, but 5 who have averaged double digit points. They also have a 5-star in Evans. We saw what happened to Kel’el Ware last year. I don’t think he will be buried, but I am not so sure he will be able to put together a season that has him in the 1st round. Also, while summer exhibitions can be deceiving, Omaha Biliew was far from a standout in Iowa State’s summer games. It would certainly be a caution signal for one-and-done hype.

On pre-season spec, Alexandre Sarr and Trentyn Flowers have to be viewed as premier possibilities in the NBL. A.J. Johnson is the American member of the Next Stars program. He de-committed from Texas to head over. As a longer, leaner combo guard, I wonder if he struggles in perception relative to the likes of Collier, DJ Wagner, Elmarko Jackson, Judah Mintz, and Trey Alexander because of being so far away. Also, him being slight will be most of an obstacle in the NBL. I think Bobi Klintman doesn’t quite have the same luster given that he was already seen last year at Wake Forest, but he won me over with how he played down the stretch. Alex Toohey is interesting, because the Boomers already have called him into the full men’s team, so they obviously are bullish on his prospects. With him being Australian, he might be more willing to get some more experience there and not enter in 2024. Still, it seems like a deeper crop in their program.

The French LNB actually starts this weekend. Melvin Ajinca is coming off a stellar U19 World Cup. He has the makeup and profile, but can he transition to the men’s game? More often than not, young guys transitioning from ProB to Pro A take a year or so. It would be impressive if he does reasonably well. Zaccharie Risacher got about 450 minutes last year with ASVEL, but has been loaned to Bourg En Bresse. I would assume those minutes should jump, but will be on a lesser team. Mohamed Diawara of Paris Basket has been a youth level darling, and is entering his first year draft eligible season as a 6’8″ forward. At the U18 European Championships, he shot the ball surprisingly well, but a tournament is a small snapshot. Both he and his fellow U18 international Killian Malwaya will probably struggle to breakthrough this year. Paris Basket is an ambitious team. I think they have Euroleague ambitions, and have a more than solid team. They brought in Head coach Tuomas Iisalo from Bonn, as well as half their roster, after they pulled off a Basketball Champions League and run to the German league finals. They also added Nadir Hifi who despite going undrafted could still be a name to watch as he is 21 and could be an option for the French Olympic Team next summer. They need a guard who can both shoot and get his own shot. Regardless, I don’t know how those moves mesh with getting a pair of 18-19 year olds developmental time on the floor. Lucas Ugolin of Limoges transitioned reasonably well from the second division to the first last year, and is automatically eligible in 2024. He is a 6’5″ shooter having shot 38% from three in the LNB and 52% on 27 attempts in the Basketball Champions League. If he takes another step forward, he would seemingly be a name to remember.

As for some other pre-season thoughts, I think, like Oregon, Memphis has major sleeper potential to go deep in March. Many of those reasons aren’t NBA Draft related (Jahvon Quinerly, Caleb Mills, Jordan Brown, and likely DeAndre Williams), but think Jonathan Pierre, Jaykwon Walton, Ashton Hardaway, and JJ Taylor are the more likely names to pop in draft circles. I don’t think all can in 2023-24 because of the depth of their roster and guys will be left in lesser roles, but think Pierre is one to watch. He entered high school at 5’10”, was 6’2″ as a high school senior and was a D2 recruit, and by the end of the year was 6’7″. After a couple years winning the D2 title, he is listed by Memphis as 6’9″ coming off a 50/40/83 shooting season to go with a point wing style. I am very intrigued to see what role he has this year. Walton is coming off a very good year at Wichita State, and can probably get some 3-and-D buzz if he shoots it at 40% again. Baba Miller had so much buzz going into last year as a late grower who had guard skills and was 6’11”. He mostly played like a skinny 6’11” traditional big. This summer, he was alongside Izan Almansa in leading Spain to the U19 gold medal. While effective overall, he didn’t shoot the ball especially well. Now, the Seminoles will be a largely different unit. They lost Caleb Mills, Naheem McLeod, and Matthew Cleveland from a disappointing team. It would seem as though the 2023-24 team will be more centered around the younger but highly regarded returnees in Miller, Chandler Jackson, Cameron Corhen, Jalen Warley, and De’Ante Green (as well as 5th year Darin Green and grad transfer Primo Spears). Maybe this benefits Miller’s chances to re-emerge. I was pleased that Nae’Qwan Tomlin decided to return to Kansas State. He had not played organized basketball prior to juco, so he needs court time and developmental time. He will have the chance to take on a larger role without Keyontae Johnson and Marquis Nowell in the NBA/G-League. He has the length and athleticism to go with flashes of skill. This year he has to make a jump with Arthur Kaluma and a new duo of pint sized guards in Tylor Perry and Ques Glover. If he does, there is no reason to think with his length and athleticism that he can’t be a lottery pick. It is that level of potential. Two other college guys I have my eye on are Harrison Ingram and Jae’Lyn Withers at UNC. Both left dysfunctional programs, and while the Tar Heels are coming off a bad year could be on a top 10 team. Withers is headed to his home state team coming off a season where he emerged as a 40% three point shooter from three. Can he do it at UNC? If he can, he is a 6’8″ or 6’9″ switchable wing shooter. Harrison Ingram has yet to prove he can shoot, and never lived up to his prep billing at Stanford, but can a better situation allow him to flourish? Internationally, Juan Nunez really impressed me at the World Cup. For a guy who just turned 19 to be effective as a point guard in the World Cup is impressive. He also played a big role on an underdog domestic championship in Germany. In the US, we have underdog champions. In Europe, it is very rare. Because he isn’t an uber-athlete, he will have to become a knockdown three-point shooter to go with a solid point, but that is very much in the realm of possibilities. I think he is better prospect than people give him credit for. Nikola Topic went from MVP of the U18 European Championships to the provisional World Cup roster for Serbia, which is crazy. He signed a four-year contract with Crvena Zvezda this summer, and will have all the time he wants on loan this season with Mega Basket. They play the kids, and it is not crazy for the guy who went from dominating the Euroleague NextGeneration League and U18 European Championships to faring well in the Adriatic League. He is a big point who can shoot. I am intrigued as to how his season will play out, and how his draft assessments change.

Nikola Topic debut: 25 Points (20 in the paint), 4 assists, 5 rebounds, 7 turnovers, 11-18 shooting, 1-6 from 3. He is tough to keep out of the paint His shot doesn’t look bad, just nothing fell from deep.

Full game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-plfFAv508

It is a super young team. Topic is 18. Nikola Đurišić pulled out of the 2023 draft is 19 and had 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Those two seem like the two to keep an eye on, but it is young beyond them Andrej Jelavic is 19 and played 30 minutes. He couldn’t get his jump shot to fall but the 6’10” big man had 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. If he starts making shots as a big man who can protect the rim, who knows. Timotej Malovec is 19 and had 10 points in 24 minutes. Filip Jović is 18 and played 19 minutes. Oleksandr Kobzystyi is 21 and played 11 minutes. Petar Kovacevic is 20 and got 6 points in 14 minutes. Stefan Miljenović is 22. He pumped in 18 points. Uroš Plavšić is 24, but in his first year out of Tennessee. They came back from down to 20 tie it in the final minute against a pretty veteran team that had three guys who were Luka’s teammates at the World Cup, DJ Stewart from Miss State, Justin Cobbs from Cal, Sean Armand from Iona, and Amadou Sowe from UC-Santa Barbara.

Ariel Hukporti is having a nice start to his season. He had a rough season in the NBL two years ago and missed last year with a torn achilles, but seems to have settled in nicely this season. He is the starting center for a good Melbourne team. He has scored double digits in five of his first six games, has three double-doubles, and 11 blocked shots. He is automatically eligible for the 2024 draft, and might start to re-emerge. While still early, this is probably the highest performing crop of Next Stars. I touched on Hukporti. Bobi Klintman has been coming off the bench, but has been quite effective in his first three games. He is averaging 14 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 1.3 BPG. 7-14 from three for an athletic 6’10” forward will always catch an eye. Alex Sarr got noticed in those exhibitions. Since their real season started, he has been more up-and-down than those two, but for an 18-year old to have a couple nice games on the board is something. The former Louisville commit Trentyn Flowers has had one big game. He put in 20 for Adelaide in one of his six games so far. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN388nheng4&pp=ygUPdHJlbnR5biBmbG93ZXJz That game was nominally against AJ Johnson who has had the roughest start. He has not really been able to get into the rotation for Illawarra as of yet. Former Gonaga commit Alex Toohey has had three double digit games for Sydney, and went 7-8 against Brisbane. https://youtu.be/7YWZngTQtcg?si=5MUi_3cRhG3g9lUM . Rocco Zikarsky is a down the road candidate for the giants list as he is 7’2″, and has been getting a little a few minutes here and there for Brisbane. For a 17 year old, it is quite the accomplishment.

FYI, NBL games are on ESPN+ in the US this season, and given the time difference the ability to stream on demand at a reasonable hour.

Ky Boswell and Arizona got off to a really good start to the season. Boswell was well-regarded, in part, because of the familiarity with him because he had been on some of the U-whatever Team USA teams. He has struggled and Arizona has dropped a couple Pac 12 games. This is why there is not a ton of value getting caught up in mock drafts in January. Myles Rice missed two seasons, and plays for a low profile program. He has had a nice, but not spectacular season. For small guard, it is a high bar. There are more good small guards than ever, and the NBA has probably never had less interest. Myles, Boswell, RJ Davis, Jackson Shelstad, Caleb Love, Rob Dillingham, Isaiah Stevens, LJ Cryer, Jamal Shead, Boogie Ellis, Jahvon Quinerly, Rayj Dennis, Ryan Nembhard, Xavier Johnson of SIU, Bruce Thornton, Mark Sears, Tyson Walker, KJ Simpson, Jaylen Murray, Boo Buie, Javian McCollum, Devin Carter, Aidan Mahaney, Nijel Pack, Judah Mintz, Tyrese Hunter, Max Abmas, Wade Taylor, Tyrece Radford, Reece Beekman, and I can go on. It is why I chuckle at people thinking Reed Sheppard’s Kentuckyness makes him a one-and-done. 6’2″ guards who can shoot and aren’t elite athletes are everywhere. They are also, basically, all the best G-Leaguers who aren’t on NBA contracts. Well, them and Matthew Hurt. While Carrington’s play against better opposition continues to disappoint, the size and athleticism at least makes sense. Kanaan Carlyle didn’t debut for Stanford until after the first semester, and it is probably not best to get too caught up in a few weeks of games, but has really made an impact right away. If anything else, the athleticism is there.

Zaccharie Risacher has probably been playing the most impressive ball. He is going on two-and-a-half month spell of shooting 55% from three. He might is probably the best pick for Detroit who desperately needs a wing shooter who doesn’t need the ball on offense. If they get the top pick, I don’t know how they go elsewhere. I’m not sure how many teams would have him at the top, but he is kind of getting close to Brandon Miller without the baggage status. For an 18 year old to be this much of a contributor on a surprisingly good team, currently 2nd place in France and top of their Eurocup group, is really impressive.

While he has not gotten a ton of buzz, Juan Nunez has really improved his three point shooting this year. He is at 40%.

Michael Ajayi is a name to remember if not in 2024 then 2025. He went from being a 5’7″ freshman in HS to 6’7″ now, and appears to be all arms and legs. He starred at Juco, and has quickly transitioned to Pepperdine where he is now leading WCC in scoring. Not the highest volume 3 point shooter, but 50% on 52 attempts. I think he would have to transition to more of a 3-and-D role, but the early returns on his shooting would indicate that might work.

I don’t know if Jonas Aidoo will be in this draft, but has made big strides. He is still a rim runner and rim protector, but his hands, feel for the game has him going in the right direction. He still fouls too much for my liking, but that just seems to be what Tennessee players do. Baye Ndongo is a little smaller than Aidoo, but if I was to say there was a first year athletic 6’9″ big man with a 7’2″ wingspan who took up basketball at 14 in the ACC averaging 15.8 PPG and 7.1 rebounds over the past 8 games I think there would be interest. Oh, and he has he has shot the ball well enough to pop in 3 of 8 attempts from three. He might be a 2025 guy, but you never know who declares.

Knecht is a great story. He was 6’1″ as a high school senior, went to juco and later Northern Colorado, and is now a star. Part of the reason the season is going his way is that he is a scorer on a team where nobody else can shoot. He is shooting 41.7% from three, and does more than that, but the rest of the team is shooting 31.7%. This is why you are starting to see Tennessee go to a version of the Steph Curry Davidson/Jimmer Mania BYU offense of four guys working for one. It isn’t quite as stark as Curry and Jimmer as they were taking close to a third of their team’s shots, but they have clearly determined this is how they are going to have to win a game that isn’t a rock fight. It is fun for college. As for the pros, Knecht’s back story, path, size, and style are similar to Max Strus. DePaul wasn’t good while Strus was there, but given where DePaul has fallen to since 19-17 wasn’t terrible. Strus adjusted his game to that of a role player, and is now a very well paid one. Knecht could go that path, but where does that land him on draft night? It is not a good draft, but there are a lot of “profile” guys. There will be teams who prefer Justin Edwards to Knecht, history tells you that much. Analytics departments are going to like Tidjane Salaun and Melvin Ajinca. The size, age, and reasonable production in France is going to make them popular. They will probably also do well in workouts. Ryan Dunn has length and athleticism for days, and there are teams who believe they can teach anybody to shoot. You can probably cc Dillon Mitchell on that. Jaxson Robinson has a big wingspan and might be viewed as someone who transitions to a 3-and-D role better. It is also hard to factor in the extent to which 5th year seniors are hindered by the analytics. A decent number of good NBA guys were 5-year college guys: Strus, Austin Reaves, Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, TJ McConnell, Sam Hauser, Caleb and Cody Martin, Duncan Robinson, Cam Johnson, Hunter Tyson, Jalen Pickett, etc. The list probably explodes if you add in guys who took a prep school year prior to college. Only Cam Johnson was a 1st rounder, and most are undrafted. It is easy to say in January that Kencht deserves to be a first rounder, but history tells you teams don’t take them even if they believe in them to sign them right away as undrafted players or give them guaranteed money as 2nd rounders. Maybe this year is different, but it could be a real thing.

I agree that this year’s draft is all over the place and I could not begin to say who I could predict would go first with any confidence. It’s not a great draft but you have interesting upside guys like Sarr and I’m very keen on Topic.

One guy to watch if he did declare would be Ulrich Chomche who is a raw defensive prospect but he has the one thing you cannot teach which is size. He is likely to be the youngest guy in the draft and is the sort of player who could do a great workout and secure a first round spot. I don’t expect him to go in the lottery but could be an interesting pick between 20-30.

I would think Chomche would be a candidate for the G-League Elite, and it is still being reported that he being recruited by Arizona, Texas, and USC. Thierry Darlan and Babacar Sane played in BAL events last year before going to the G-League Elite. Darlan did really well in those games. They are getting needed experience, but even that has been a big leap for them. Rueben Chinyelu came through the BAL academy, and is having a decent first year season for Washington State. By decent, I mean in the rotation but a backup. Joy Ighovodja has mostly been outside the rotation at Wichita State. That doesn’t mean Chomche or Khaman Maluach are the same, but going from where they are playing now to the draft, much less NBA games, is such a massive leap. I think that the perfect candidate for the G-League Ignite is someone teams know has potential and isn’t ready for the NBA. It is better to put him on the Ignite and keep him off an NBA roster until there is enough development to close the gap.

I’d say G-League rather than NCAA would be better for Chomche but if he did declare this year I still feel; his size and upside would get him drafted. In the NCAA I could see his draft status having downside risk. Whether he goes to G League via NBA draft or directly and then looks to build his draft stock is a hard call.

My strongest case for him waiting a year or more would be that this year’s draft does have a lot of big men ,listed in the mocks and early 2025 drafts less so but some of this year’s possible entries could also decide to wait a year.

Another guy I would consider adding now would be VaSean Allette out of Old Dominion. May have just found a gem, although he’s on a bad team… I think I like him better than Malik Mack at least who gets more love because he’s on a better one.

Great to see you back and excellent mock as always JazzP.

Really useful to have the team by team pick breakdown. If Boston could get those 3 they would be happy. I like the Portland and Memphis picks too.

Is this a BPA or team needs based draft as I’m not going to highlight any fits which don’t make positional sense IMO if it is BPA based.

Robbie Avila and guard Isaiah Swope are visiting Saint Louis University this week, and it would seem likely will commit to the Billikens shortly thereafter. Usually, when a guy goes into the portal with a “do not contact” tag, he knows where he is going. It definitely isn’t the NBA Draft.

I one that didn’t quite sit right with me was Clingan at Utah as they have Kessler there who cannot even get the regular starting gig. You’d have two bigs who are excellent blockers who may not play well together. But Danny Ainge was a disciple of Red Auerbach and one of Red’s mantras was “You can’t teach height” so Ainge might follow that.

Also with Ainge being a wheeler dealer could they cash in on Kessler for assets and draft Clingan as a ready made replacement. Kessler is NBA proven and still has two years on his rookie deal so would have nice trade value. Just throwing a fun idea out there.

I feel as though if the Jazz stick around their expected slot that they would be one of the teams who could go for a wing. It is an odd team. Keyonte George showed promise and Collin Sexton re-emerged after a pair of injury plagued years. They don’t necessarily need a guard, certainly not a small one, but I don’t think they are necessarily precluded from going there. Maybe they are the team that goes for Collier or Dillingham, and then deal Clarkson.

I expect them to extend Markkanen, and they seem to like John Collins, so a big wing makes sense. While it is far from a perfect crop, there are numerous candidates: Buzelis, Williams, Salaun (Ainge typically drafts Americans but still a possibility), Holland, Castle, and maybe Knecht (I don’t think he will go as high as the mock drafts do). I think that is the area where they need to throw darts the most.

CAstle with his defensive game would be the sort of player Ainge would be drawn to. Utah have scorers in place so Castle could have time to develop that part of his game. The Jazz have all those picks due so I think there is a lot of rebuilding to be done and Ainge and co are always willing to take time if required..

Markkanen I’d assume would be a player that Utah are looking to rebuild around. Whether he extends this summer or waits another year when he could enter free agency and potentially get a far bigger deal. He’d only be 28 when he hits FA so could be in line for a huge deal. If he wasn’t keen on extending this summer it would be no surprise to see Ainge looking to move him and get good assets back. With a very cap friendly contract for next season and going to a team he would likely extend with would makeLauri have great trade value.

Excellent mock as always a few picks do look like reaches yet I can see a reason why they would pick them.

Thinking about Portland taking a big at number 4 be it Sarr, Clingan or maybe reach for Chomche as Jazz P suggests. I wonder what the trade market for Ayton and Grant is?

If Portland took a long term guy like Chomche it would make sense to keep Ayton in place for a bit but if they went with say Clingan then they could easily move Ayton right away. Ayton has two years left on his deal and Grant has potentially 4 years on his. Both would have good trade value.
Could a team looking to improve sooner like say the Spurs look at one of them. Also GSW have CP3 with his unguaranteed deal for next year could that come into play here?

I don’t feel as though Jerami Grant has a great deal of trade value on his contract. Grant could be someone the Sixers pivot to should LeBron, Paul George, and Siakam re-sign with their current teams. Where else makes sense from a financial and competitive standpoint? He is going into year 11 on a big number for four more years, assuming he opts in to his final player option, and has missed a lot of games over the past four seasons. This isn’t about him being a good player, but it is a major commitment that can easily go sideways. OKC still has cap room, but they have one more year before likely max or near max extensions for Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. This, along with a likely max extension for SGA this summer, means they have two years of money overpay role players without real consequences. The third and fourth year on Grant would kill them in the tax. Orlando and Utah don’t make sense in terms of need. Detroit just traded him away.

Ayton is harder to figure. I definitely think less of him for preferring touches on a clearly awful team to having fewer and a different role on one with Booker and Durant. If your goal is to build a winner, is that someone you trade for?

Portland seems like the kind of team that could take a chance on Chomche, though not in the lottery. They have two in the 2nd, which is where multi-year projects make more sense. I don’t think they did well in handling Ibou Badji or Ryan Rupert so far, but have a year with a G-League team now. I think there is a growing curve with how teams operate them.

Ayton tried to join the Pacers but the Suns matched the offer sheet. Then he was shifted to Portland as the Suns would have had huge luxury tax bill otherwise. Great point about Grant missing a fair few games despite being a 20ppg guy over the last few seasons. If Dame had pushed for him to be retained then Dame did him a huge favour.

It is hard to tell how good a guy like Grant would be as a 3rd string on a top team. I had thought with guaranteed years that a contending team might look at him to fit in with their window but durability might be the issue.

Ayton is still only 25 but seems to have hit a ceiling of being a 16 to 18 ppg player who puts up about 10 rpg. without quite becoming a top defensive guy. Can he move on and become a true 20/10 player or might he just assume a role as a good big man on a contending team when his next contract comes up. He’ll still be well paid but probably not at his current rate.

1.Zaccharie Risacher
2. Alexandre Sarr
3. Stephon Castle
4. Reed Shepherd
5. Donovan Clingan
6. Nikola Topic
7. Dalton Knecht
8. Rob Dillingham
9. Matas Buzelis
10. Cody Williams
11.Ronald Holland
12.Kel’el Ware
13.Tyler Smith
14.Terence Shannon
15.Ja’Kobe Walter
16.Zach Edey
17.Carlton Carrington
18.Ulrich Chomche
19.Isaiah Collier
20.Yves Missi
21. Kyle Filipowski
22.KayShawn George
23.Tidjane Salaun
24.Bobi Klintman
25.Tristan DaSilva
26.Jared McCain
27.Devin Carter
28.Johnny Furphy
29.DaRon Holmes
30.N’Faly Dante

I’ve finally managed to get my 1st round in a BPA order. These aren’t on team needs. I’ll do a full mock when we know the draft lottery.

Dante had a very good 5th year senior season IMO and I was impressed with his huge 28/20 game vs a good Creighton team. I have him and DaRon Holmes at the end of the draft as NBA ready big men who can go onto a contending team and play rotation minutes immediately.

If it was a positional and team needs draft then I’d have Holmes and Dante at 28 and 30 in either order to Denver and Boston respectively.
I’ve found a website where I can do a full team needs and write up draft which I intend to do and I’ll post a link on here if the mock draft option isn’t opened up.

Jaydon is just outside my first round. I put Dante ahead of him as Dante is nearly two years younger and has a couple of solid NCAA seasons out of his 5 years on his resume. LeDee did fairly little in his first 4 years then had a great breakout year in 23/24.If Dante can continue this upward curve in his game then he can have an NBA career.

He not only improved his scoring hugely but discovered a 3 point range a bit like how guys like Al Horford, Paul Millsap and David West did later in their NBA careers. I can understand the likes of Zach Edey not needing a 3 point range in college but the bigs the next level down unless they are elite defenders can do with one..

LeDee to Bucks at 33 would be where I’d probably place him currently in my 2nd round.

https://www.nba.com/news/78-players-invited-to-participate-at-2024-nba-draft-combine

I was a little surprised to see LeDee and Nae’Qwan Tomlin only got invites to the G-League Elite Camp, though Tomlin more so than LeDee. Tomlin is certainly an NBA athlete, and would regard him as no less as prospect (and I would argue a better one if the character checks out after his fallout at K-State) than Trevon Brazile, JT Toppin, and Jonathan Mogbo. With Ryan Kalkbrenner already announcing he is returning to Creighton, I wonder if he will still attend.

I figured it would be good to post my mock 1.0 on this thread. It includes a few trades early and then a team by team next post…

1 – ATL – Alex Sarr
This pick is involved in a trade. Trae Young/Alex Sarr/Bruno Fernando for
Brandon Ingram/Herbert Jones/Jordan Hawkins/Jose Alvarado/#21 pick

2 – WAS – Nikola Topic
This pick is involved in a trade. Nikola Topic/Bilal Coulibaly/Kyle Kuzma/Jared Butler for
Tre Jones/Keldon Johnson/Jeremy Sochan/#4, #35 picks

3 – HOU – Stephon Castle
This pick is involved in a trade. Fred VanVleet/Stephon Castle/Cam Whitmore/Tari Eason/Steven Adams for
Donovan Mitchell/Ty Jerome/Dean Wade/Jarrett Allen/#20 pick

4 – SAN – Rob Dillingham
This pick is involved in the Topic trade and goes to the Wizards.

5 – DET – Zaccharie Risacher
6 – CHA – Reed Sheppard
7 – POR – Matas Buzelis
8 – SAN – Donovan Clingan
9 – MEM – Yves Missi
10 – UTA – Jared McCain
11 – CHI – Ron Holland
12 – OKC – Cody Williams
13 – SAC – Tidjane Salaun
14 – POR – Kyshawn George
15 – MIA – Devin Carter
16 – PHI – Dalton Knecht
17 – LAL – Kel’el Ware
18 – ORL – Pacome Dadiet
19 – TOR – Zach Edey

20 – CLE – Jaylon Tyson
This pick is involved in the Stephon Castle trade and goes to the Rockets.

21 – NOP – DaRon Holmes II
This pick is involved in the Alex Sarr trade and goes to the Hawks.

22 – PHO – Bub Carrington
23 – MIL – Isaiah Collier
24 – NYK – Juan Nunez
25 – NYK – Ulrich Comche
26 – WAS – Tyler Smith
27 – MIN – Justin Edwards
28 – DEN – Ja’Kobe Walter
29 – UTA – Trentyn Flowers
30 – BOS – Ajay Mitchell

31 – TOR – Tyler Kolek
32 – UTA – AJ Johnson
33 – MIL – Malique Lewis
34 – POR – Kyle Filipowski

35 – SAN – Terrence Shannon, Jr.
This trade was involved in the Nikola Topic trade and goes to the Wizards.

36 – IND – KJ Simpson
37 – MIN – Baylor Scheierman
38 – NYK – Nique Clifford
39 – MEM – Antonio Reeves
40 – POR – Nikola Djurisic
41 – PHI – Tristan Da Silva
42 – CHA – JT Toppin
43 – MIA – Coleman Hawkins
44 – HOU – Kevin McCullar
45 – SAC – Adem Bona
46 – LAC – Oso Ighodoro
47 – ORL – Ariel Hukporti
48 – SAN – Jaedon LeDee
49 – IND – Bobi Klintman
50 – IND – Jamir Watkins
51 – WAS – Trevon Brazile
52 – GSW – Tyon Grant-Foster
53 – DET – Melvin Ajinca
54 – BOS – Ryan Dunn
55 – LAL – Bronny James
56 – DEN – Dillon Jones
57 – MEM – Enrique Freeman
58 – DAL – Jamal Shead

ATL
DARON HOLMES II (21)
Brandon Ingram
Herbert Jones
Jordan Hawkins
Jose Alvarado

WAS
ROB DILLINGHAM (4)
TYLER SMITH (26)
TERRENCE SHANNON, JR. (35)
TREVON BRAZILE (51)
Tre Jones
Keldon Johnson
Jeremy Sochan

HOU
JAYLEN TYSON (20)
KEVIN MCCULLAR (44)
Donovan Mitchell
Ty Jerome
Dean Wade
Jarrett Allen

SAN
NIKOLA TOPIC (2)
DONOVAN CLINGAN (8)
JAEDON LEDEE (48)
Jared Butler
Bilal Coulibaly
Kyle Kuzma

DET
ZACCHARIE RISACHER (5)
MELVIN AJINCA (53)

CHA
REED SHEPPARD (6)
JT TOPPIN (42)

POR
MATAS BUZELIS (7)
KYSHAWN GEORGE (14)
KYLE FILIPOWSKI (34)
NIKOLA DJURISIC (40)

MEM
YVES MISSI (9)
ANTONIO REEVES (39)
ENRIQUE FREEMAN (57)

UTA
JARED MCCAIN (10)
TRENTYN FLOWERS (29)
AJ JOHNSON (32)

CHI
RON HOLLAND (11)

OKC
CODY WILLIAMS (12)

SAC
TIDJANE SALAUN (13)
ADEM BONA (45)

MIA
DEVIN CARTER (15)
COLEMAN HAWKINS (43)

PHI
DALTON KNECHT (16)
TRISTAN DA SILVA (41)

LAL
KEL’EL WARE (17)
BRONNY JAMES (55)

ORL
PACOME DADIET (18)
ARIEL HUKPORTI (47)

TOR
ZACH EDEY (19)
TYLER KOLEK (31)

CLE
STEPHON CASTLE (3)
Fred VanVleet
Cam Whitmore
Tari Eason
Steven Adams

NOP
ALEX SARR (1)
Trae Young
Bruno Fernando

PHO
BUB CARRINGTON (22)

MIL
ISAIAH COLLIER (23)
MALIQUE LEWIS (33)

NYK
JUAN NUNEZ (24)
ULRICH COMCHE (25)
NIQUE CLIFFORD (38)

MIN
JUSTIN EDWARDS (27)
BAYLOR SCHEIERMAN (37)

DEN
JA’KOBE WALTER (28)

BOS
AJAY MITCHELL (30)
RYAN DUNN (54)

IND
KJ SIMPSON (36)
BOBI KLINTMAN (49)
JAMIR WATKINS (50)

LAC
OSO IGHODORO (46)

GSW
TYON GRANT-FOSTER (52)

DAL
JAMAL SHEAD (58)

Some good trade ideas there which work out pretty fair. If the Spurs could pull that off then it would be a great night for them. I do wonder with the Spurs do they need a veteran who has won a title to be their locker room leader. With FA I thought of Klay Thompson, Siakam or OG perhaps but if FVV is possibly being traded could he be their ball carrier and leader?

The other fun thought I had for them was trading for Draymond Green. He has baggage but is a proven winner and could teach the young roster “the dark arts”. Pops had Bruce Bowen before who knew how to get at opponents and was an elite defensive guy

All the picks make sense even if there are guys you have dropped off the list I KNOW i’d have in my mock.

DaRon Holmes is now number 20 on this site’s mock. He has either got a promise or created a very good impression with them or has impressed a number of teams outside the lottery in mid to later first round.

I always like Givony and the Nature Boy’s drafts. They have some good ideas like Salaun as high as 8 and Castle to Utah etc. But Holmes seems to have a lot of difference in his draft status.

If he was only a likely late 2nd rounder could he return to college and a good NILS deal? Great Osobor got a fantastic NILS deal and I;d rate Da’Ron a better player than him. It makes me wonder what Edey’s NILS deal would be worth given he is the best college player for last couple of years. Edey will stay in draft as he is pretty certain to go first round but if he wasn’t then what would a college return have generated moneywise for him?

I think there are aspects of mock drafts and draft assessment (the Bronny being a winner or riser after last week will always top the list for me- 6’2″ guard off a bad season shoots 6-18 in scrimmages, struggles to defend bigger players, but did well in a shooting drill and can jump) that can be poorly thought through at this point, but you have to acknowledge that there is a wide spectrum for a lot of guys. Just thinking about the center prospects, I think Sarr is probably gone by #3. Clingan’s floor is probably 8-12. I cannot see all of them passing on him. Beyond those two, rank Kel’el Ware, Kyle Filipowski, Yves Missi, Zach Edey, PJ Hall, Trevon Brazile, Izan Almansa, DaRon Holmes, N’Faly Dante, Ulrich Chomche, Oso Ighodaro, Coleman Hawkins, Adem Bona, Ariel Hukporti, Quentin Post, JT Toppin, and Isaac Jones with confidence. The league has become so style obsessed that it is really difficult to find a spot for Edey. Teams want role players to make sense within their system. If they want to switch everything and spread the floor, then why would they take Edey? Under that theory, they want Kel’el Ware. Why would you take Yves Missi over Trevon Brazile? Physically, Brazile is the more impressive athlete and are at best even in length and size. He is more skilled, and Missi’s rawness far exceeds the one-year age gap even when factoring in that Brazile did not have that good of a season. Why would Kyle Filipowski be widely mocked in the first round and PJ Hall in the 2nd? Hall is a similar size, similar skill level, far better athlete, and coming off a better season where he led a lesser team further. If you were to assess Holmes against this class, he would grade out as a B in most every category: size, mobility, athleticism, skill level, game feel, and production relative to level. Rank that against Chomche where he his size, mobility, and athleticism are As and his skill level, game feel, and production bring him way down. Ighodaro is a great athlete with good feel for the game, but can’t shoot. Hawkins is a lesser athlete with a good feel for the game, but can shoot. It is tough. Added to that, I have stated this quite a bit, this draft has a lot of guys with impressive projectable traits. If the wings and forwards (Djurisic, Smith, Knecht, George, Furphy, Edwards, da Silva, Shannon, McCullar, Ajinca, Tyson, Scheierman, Dunn, Ingram, Flowers, and Dadiet) start going relatively early, the centers and point guards are likely to fall.

I understand why people like the idea of Edey to OKC, but they want a spaced floor and the ability to switch. They have brought in Chet, Jaylin Williams, bring in Muscala at every opportunity, and have tried to develop Olivier Sarr. Clearly, they want someone who they can have in a 5-out look and some ability to switch on defense. If they take take Kel’el Ware, it makes sense. If they fall in love with Holmes or Brazile, and nobody want to trade up, they just roll with one of them. If they sign Daniel Theis or Jonas Valanciunas in free agency, they have a couple years where they can afford to overpay a bit to have guys who can step out but also have grown man strength to bang bodies. It would also afford them the chance to take one of those long, athletic projectable guys like Holland, Salaun, Williams, Buzelis, or Smith. Maybe they see Djurisic as a replacement for Giddey if they look to include him in trade him for that switchable stretch center. They have the future picks and young players to get Detroit to move Isaiah Stewart if they want. They have 2025 1st rounders coming out of their ears to put in a deal or any other guy they might want.

Missi comes from a basketball family. Both of his parents played, and his brother did at Harvard. He is not the old story of an international players who just grew so much people begged him to try basketball. It is somewhat weird that he is this raw given his background, which is why I have some doubts about whether his skills will come around.

I think there is a difference between assessing a player and mocking them. The Thunder have established a type of guy they like. It makes more sense, to me at least, to assume they will behave as they have as opposed to make a distinct shift. If they were to go big, and there is no guarantee that is the direction they go because of the flexibility they have to add by other means, other players would better fit their mold. Ware would probably be the most likely. If they were to cast a wider net, I think Holmes or Brazile more resemble the kind of big men they have brought in. It is not that I assess them as lottery picks, but there have been players with the physical and athletic makeup of Trevon Brazile who go far earlier than expected. Again, he has better physical and athletic traits than Missi, and is more skilled. If people feel comfortable thinking of Missi as a lottery pick, why would Brazile be so surprising? I think Holmes is more polished than Ware, but lacks the same elite physical and athletic traits. It would be a bit of a surprise if Holmes goes before Ware, but not outside the realm of possibilities. If they think it is close, the polish and maturity could make the difference.

It might be early for Djurisic, but the versatile wings have tended to go earlier than expected in the past few drafts (some work and others don’t but think Terry, LaRavia, Jalen Williams, Roddy, Braun, Duarte, Murphy, Grimes, Howard, Jaquez, Sheppard, and Strawther). They were not mocked anywhere near where they went throughout the spring. Shannon is tough because of the legal situation, so I am just going to set him aside. Would it be surprising if some combination of Djurisic, Harrison Ingram, Melvin Ajinca, Jaylon Tyson, Baylor Scheierman, Justin Edwards, Jaylen Wells, Dillon Jones, or Cam Christie end up jumping the guys who are 1st rounders in consensus mocks? They all won’t, some will. If asked to guess, I would think Edwards, Djurisic, Tyson, and Christie would be the most likely. Ingram and Ajinca would be just behind them.

In this draft, not much would be shocking… Brazile to the lottery would surprise me but not shock me. DaRon would be the better fit than Brazile most places I think.

First time seeing this thread, lots of great posts.

I haven’t watched G league prospects that much, so can someone with better knowledge explain what separates Matas Buzelis from Nikola Djurišić? I see they are same age, similar size, similar shooting percentage. I see that Đurišić won more games.

Trevon Brazile I see more as a second round guy. Would he benefit returning for his senior year as 2 years on from an ACL guys tend to be better than first year back.

The quandary whether to take a more NBA ready guy like Holmes or Hall compared to a more raw guy like Comche or Missi has been going on for years. If a team feels they can get the upside guys to the level the NBA ready guys are now a couple of years on I like to go with upside but the risk is you can draft a bust.

I always drafted on upside for contending teams but with so many win now or looking for that first title I tend to now favour more NBA ready guys. Whoever wins the title this year might be more willing to role the dice on an upside guy IMO.

I am not arguing with current perception, nor am I claiming Brazile had a particularly good season. My argument that I believe he will end up going in the first is that he is 6’9.25″ without shoes, 7’3.75″ wingspan, over 9’0″ standing reach with a 41-inch vertical. He has also been 46-130 from three over his up-and-down college career. His combination of length, athleticism is rare on its own, but added to that a promising skill level makes him a rare prospect. You probably have to go back to Tyrus Thomas and Rudy Gay (though coming out Rudy was more polished and I would not put him on the same level as a prospect) to find guys who compare as having 9’0″ standing reach, 40-inch vertical, and don’t enter the league as self-guarded when away from the rim (as was the limiting factor for Udoka Azuibuike and could also be for Adem Bona). Even guys who come close usually end up in the 1st round. If a front court player has a 7+ wingspan and 9+ standing reach, you are typically considered to be really athletic at a 35-inch vert, which is basically the case for Missi and Chomche. The difference is Brazile is both already a better player and has better physical and athletic traits. The reason I mentioned him when discussing the Thunder is that this is the team that took Ousmane Dieng, Darius Bazley, Isaiah Roby, Josh Hall, etc. It is my mental draft algorithm. If a team liked these guys, they might also like that guy.

I can see the Tyrus Thomas physical comparison, I didn’t recall Rudy being an athletic freak. He was more of an inconsistent scorer when he was drafted but had been seen as a possible top pick in some early 2006 drafts.

How do you compare Trevon to say DaRon Holmes another guy in that late first round, early 2nd round mix. There are a load of bigs in that part of the draft, we all have our own opinions which are always selective. We just have to wait to see how it plays out.

Excellent mock and breakdown as always JazzP. All picks make sense even if I’d have some picks different but that is always subjective. I like the Spurs and Knicks hauls most personally.

I’ve just noticed that Clingan is down to 14 on this site’s mock draft, has he had some negative workouts or durability issues as that seems low for him IMO.

Is Bronny worth the 17th pick?

Your mocks are always one of the best but to take an unproven guy who had a serious health issue that soon to keep his near 40 year old Dad happy, LBJ is the 2nd greatest player ever behind MJ in my view but this could well be his last season and then a rebuilding Lakers could be left with Bronny eating up cap space. We don’t know what their new coach will think of such a plan and I’d assume that he’d be expected to be there post LBJ era

I will throw one curveball which could make JazzP’s idea work, the Lakers take Bronny at 17th pick but by doing this for LeBron he agrees to make a much reduced salary to allow them to get FA targets in, bigger MLE options etc. LeBron is a billionaire so giving up a big chunk of salary over half of which would have gone in tax anyway gets Bronny a contract and what he’d make on joint marketing would help cover any salary shortfall.

All the other choices make great sense as always/

It makes no sense for the Lakers to take him at #17. He is not that good of a prospect. I don’t say that to be mean. He is a small guard who can’t run the point and 27% from three. At the Combine where draft analysts who want Rich Paul to continue returning their texts claim Bronny did well shot 6-18 in two scrimmages and struggled when switched onto bigger players. If LeBron wants to play two more years, then the Lakers are going to give him a two-year guarantee. It is going to happen. It is nepotism and unfair to everyone who prefers professional sports to be as close to a meritocracy as possible, but there is no denying it. There is absolutely no reason to give him what is essentially a third guaranteed year. If they are so willing to appease LeBron as to take Bronny with a first pick, they aren’t declining his third year after his rookie season. Why do that? The Lakers aren’t cash strapped. They can afford to buy a 2nd round pick (and there are no shortage of willing sellers) if Rich Paul tips them off that another team has interest, and we all can assume he will. They are being very transparent. He is, at best, a middling prospect who isn’t visiting all the teams willing to bring him in for a workout. This doesn’t happen. Most players of his current level are just trying to get on a summer league team, not trying to dictate terms by claiming to reject a two-way deal. For all the people who think of his as a “developmental prospect” you have to understand it a relative term. Even if Bronny becomes a better shooter and handler, he is still a 6’2″ guard. If his “upside” is as a 4th guard and connective piece, then just about every guard going through the draft process has that upside. The only reason to pretend there is legitimacy to him as a prospect is that just about any prospect given two years of time on an NBA roster could develop into a guy who hangs around the league for a decade. There is risk in dismissing someone who will have that chance, because most don’t. That said, that is not how analysis is supposed to work, even in a field as silly as sports.

On an objective level, there is no way a person can look at Bronny James and think he is a better prospect than Tristen Newton, Reece Beekman, Trey Alexander, and Boogie Ellis. It must absolutely suck for guys like that to have to go through the process like every other draft prospect and stand on their own merits, only for professional analysts in the media to carry water for a lesser player because they don’t want Rich Paul to ignore their texts. The problem is that then the people on the whole believe it.

Terence Shannon has been found not guilty in his rape trial. I would think this will mean he’ll move up the mock boards unless teams think that dirt might stick.

I don’t think a team would have taken Shannon if he had been convicted. He is a viable prospect, but not worth the press of “Team X Drafts Terrence Shannon: 3rd Team All-American and convicted rapist.” Please, renew your season tickets before the upcoming deadline. Now that he has been acquitted, it is easier. You can easily see Orlando, Toronto, and Milwaukee consider him.

As an aside, the Alabama basketball murder case is still moving slowly, but there is a hearing later this week. My guess is those videos are going to be crucial once it goes to trial, especially after one of the witnesses was killed after his motorcycle was hit by a truck, which would be too cliche an Alabama death if this was a movie.

As for Bronny, if he was as good as Chris Paul, this is a different conversation. He is not a point guard, but is point guard sized at a time teams would prefer their point guards to be 6’4″ or 6’5″. He was the third best point guard on his USC team. That isn’t my assessment, it is the revealed assessment of the coach. In Beekman, you have a comparably sized player who is a better point, better defender, and better shooter (albeit not great). All the supposed Bronny James intangibles that don’t have to do with his father are true of Beekman. He works hard, is smart, and can fit in because of how he plays. The reason a team takes a younger player who has not produced is because he has superior developmental traits to the older and better producing one. Ulrich Chomche is not anywhere close to NBA ready, but the world doesn’t have many 6’11” players with 7’4″ wingspans, 9’1″ standing reaches, and 35 inch verticals. He isn’t good now, but if he develops there are not many who can match his size and athleticism. Teams will assess at some point in the draft when it is right to chance it with him. Teams chance it on Cam Reddish, Justin Edwards, Bilal Coulibaly, the Thompson twins, MarJon Beauchamp, Ousmane Dieng, Ziaire Williams, and Dyson Daniels because if they develop they offer a combination of size and athleticism that is hard to find on the perimeter. That is just not the case with Bronny. A team isn’t drafting him with the expectation he grows to 6’6″ in the next three years. If you put in multiple years with him, all you are going to get is the same kind of guys I mentioned earlier, another handful of players like him who come along in every draft, more who are available in the G-League, and others playing at high levels abroad. What is the reward with hoping to develop him? The thing is, I know Beekman and Ellis aren’t going to get any benefit of the doubt whereas Bronny obviously will. That is the risk of being honest about this situation. In all likelihood, Bronny will have a longer NBA career than them, but that does not make him a better prospect. They are superior players who are being treated like prospects should. Unfortunately for them, their size matters. They don’t fit what NBA teams ideally want. Neither is Bronny, but he is getting treated differently by the media. It gets back to nepotism. You cannot square that circle.

As for Rick Carlisle, I think he knows how to evade as well as anyone. No coach is going to publicly badmouth a prospect. It serves no purpose to hurt relations with Klutch when maybe they may want to take a flier on one of their other clients like Chomche or Edwards. He came up with an answer that does no harm and means nothing. They have Tyrese Haliburton, TJ McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, and Ben Sheppard. Why would Bronny James be high on their board? LeBron isn’t moving his family to Indy, so he can watch the Mad Ants on his days off. It is absurd.

If LBJ had a kid brother and was at his peak then I could see his team drafting the brother or having him on the roster like Giannis’ older brother is at the Bucks. But LBJ is 40 years old this year he has possibly a couple of years max left in the NBA so unless he has agreed some sort of big salary reduction if they take Bronny.

What if they get a new HC who doesn’t want Bronny would that have been a sticking point if Dan Hurley had said he’d have taken the job but he didn’t want Bronny on the roster.

As regards Ulrich Chomche if the Celtics win one more match this season and he is still available at 30 I could see them taking him then. They will be the Champions so can take an upside swing and being around Al Horford for a year would be a great learning setting Chomche.

TEAM BY TEAM

ATL – Alex Sarr(1)
WAS – Zaccharie Risacher(2), AJ Johnson(26), Mohamed Diawara(51)
HOU – Reed Sheppard(3) Ariel Hukporti(44)
SAN – Stephon Castle(4), Donovan Clingan(8), Trentyn Flowers(35), Cam Spencer(48)
DET – Tidjane Salaun(5), Antonio Reeves(53)
CHA – Robert Dillingham(6), Kevin McCullar(42)
POR – Ron Holland(7), Nikola Topic(14), Adem Bona(34), Ryan Dunn(40)
MEM – Yves Missi(9), Bobi Klintman(39) Mouhamed Faye(57)
UTA – Jared McCain(10), Johnny Furphy(29), Ja’Kobe Walter(32)
CHI – Matas Buzelis(11)
OKC – Zach Edey(12),
SAC – Dalton Knecht(13), Tyler Kolek(45)
MIA – Devin Carter(15), Oso Ighodoro(43)
PHI – Cody Wililams(16), Malique Lewis(41)
LAL – Kel’el Ware(17), Bronny James(55)
ORL – Jaylon Tyson(18), KJ Simpson(47)
TOR – Tyler Smith(19), Justin Edwards(31)
CLE – Terrence Shannon, Jr.(20)
NOP – DaRon Holmes(21)
PHO – Bub Carrington(22)
MIL – Kyshawn George(23), Ulrich Comche(33)
NYK – Pacome Dadiet(24), Tristan Da Silva(25), Ajay Mitchell(38)
MIN – Isaiah Collier(27), Nikola Djurisic(37)
DEN – Kyle Filipowski(28) Bugoljub Markovic(56)
BOS – Juan Nunez(30), Izan Almanza(54)
IND – Baylor Scheierman(36), Isaiah Stevens(49), Tristan Newton(50)
LAC – Jaedon LeDee(46)
GSW – Harrison Ingram(52)
DAL – Jalen Bridges(58)

Tidjane Salaun is a bit of a reach but if the 4 guys before him are off the board he makes sense. Would Reed be used as a 6th man and run the offence when FVV is not in the game or they could go 3 guard line up if chasing a game. Reed with FVV, Sengun, Green and Smith as a starter would make him 5th option which wouldn’t be ideal but when points are needed that line up could work.

The Spurs choices look great and you get 3 UConn players in the same draft.

Edey with Chet would give them size but they do need a big physical anchor for match ups against T-Wolves, Philly to name a couple. The twin towers may not play together all the time but when they do Edey can anchor the paint on defence to allow Chet to be a shot changer, blocker on the perimeter and it means other teams have to cope with a size match up issue on offence too.

I still put it out there what if another team decided to draft Bronny just before the Lakers 2nd round pick out of pure spite or to see what LBJ and MR Adele did?

Say the Spurs took him at 48 and said you want to play with the kid come to our team?

Izan Almansa is someone whose stock could go up a year from now. He is a little like Trayce Jackson-Davis in that he has showed an old school game, but a modern day athlete. It helped Jackson-Davis to transition well, and if has a strong second year could help Almansa’s case. I wonder where he goes for next season. The G-League is still an option, even post-Ignite. He, obviously, could go back to Spain or elsewhere in Europe. The Sarr route to the NBL after time at OTE is another possibility.