The 2024 NBA Draft kicks off on Wednesday night in Brooklyn, New York, with the next generation of young NBA rookies being selected at Barclays Center.
As the winner of the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery, the Atlanta Hawks have the No. 1 overall pick. How they use that pick will set off a domino effect, with each team hoping their desired pick falls in their slot.
With that said, here are some of the most intriguing NBA prospects heading into Wednesday’s first round and possibly Thursday’s second round, depending on team choice.
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NBA draft candidates Alexandre Sarr (left) and Zachary Lisacher visit the Empire State Building on June 24, 2024 in New York City. (David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
Alexander Searle and Zachary Lissachter
The two Frenchmen have been consistently considered top prospects throughout this draft process, but mock drafters can’t agree on whether they are the better prospect at No. 1 or No. 2, and it looks like the Hawks could go either way when the draft begins.
The 19-year-old centre, who started alongside 7-footer Alexandre Sarr, saw action for the Perth Wildcats in 24 games in the 2023-24 season, averaging 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and shooting 52 per cent from the field in 17.2 minutes per game off the bench.
Sarr’s defensive abilities are expected to translate quickly to the NBA game, while his offensive skills have some room for improvement, but his agility and pure athleticism will make him a great rim protector wherever he goes.
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Zachary Lisacher, also 19, has a bit more experience on the international stage. Playing for Minsideris JL Bour in France’s Betcli Elite League, the 6’9″ Lisacher averaged 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 43.9% from the field in 32 games. Lisacher also performed very well in the BKT EuroCup, averaging 13.1 points per game in 17 games.
NBA scouts have praised his ability to produce on both ends of the court, and his youth means he has plenty of potential to get even better.
Where will the Hawks go? Either way, the Washington Wizards, who have the No. 2 overall pick, are expected to select the Frenchman who Atlanta doesn’t.
Connecticut Huskies player Donovan Clingan, wearing number 32, reacts during the second half of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament national championship game against the Purdue Boilermarks at State Farm Stadium on April 8, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Donovan Clingan
Donovan Clingan, a two-time NCAA national champion with the Connecticut Huskies, was a dominant force in the paint during his collegiate career and NBA teams should be itching to add him to their squads.
But despite many scouts believing the 7-foot-2 center to be the third-best prospect behind Sarr and Lisacher, it’s unclear when he will be drafted.
Why? Because the teams near the top of the first round, including the Houston Rockets (No. 3), San Antonio Spurs (No. 4) and Detroit Pistons (No. 5), need guards. Could the Charlotte Hornets acquire Clingan, who averaged 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 35 games and showed great improvement as a starter in his sophomore year?
Zach Eddy
As good as Clingan was, what NBA team would turn in the card of Zach Eddy, the 7-foot-4 Purdue Boilermaker who returned for his senior season with national title hopes after an early exit against Fairleigh Dickinson University the previous year?
Eddy and Clingan faced off in the finals, and despite Clingan’s ability to defend his man, Eddy made just 15 of 25 field goals and 7 of 10 free throws while scoring a game-high 37 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
Purdue center Zach Eddy (right) holds off North Carolina State forward Ben Middlebrooks during the second half of an NCAA college basketball Final Four game, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Bryn Anderson)
Not only did Eddie want to help his team win, he also wanted to improve his draft standing, with mock drafts projecting him as either the 19th pick to the Toronto Raptors or the 21st overall pick to join Zion Williamson to the New Orleans Pelicans.
But could a team like, say, the Oklahoma City Thunder acquire Eddie and allow Chet Holmgren and his young up-and-comers more freedom to move around the court while he protects the paint?
Reed Shepard and Robert Dillingham
Kentucky’s freshmen played a key role in leading the Wildcats back to “The Dance,” but it ended quickly in a blowout loss to Oakland University.
NBA scouts were sure to want to see how Reed Sheppard and Robert Dillingham would perform in a long tournament, but they had to rely on past film and the draft process to predict how they would fare in the pros.
Shepard, a 6-foot-3 guard, appears to have the edge over the 6-foot-2 Dillingham in mock drafts, but both are projected to be top-10 picks.
Sheppard and Dillingham were both benched by former Kentucky coach John Calipari but averaged 12.5 and 15.2 points per game during their rookie seasons in the always-tough SEC.
Rob Dillingham, wearing No. 0 for the Kentucky Wildcats, takes a shot during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies in the quarterfinals of the SEC basketball tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 15, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
But Shepard has the ability to shoot well in the NBA, averaging 4.4 three-pointers per game last season and averaging 52.1% from three-point range. He was one of the beneficiaries of the draft, with teams reportedly valuing his ability to make open shots and shoot with the ball in his hands.
But Dillingham, who NBA.com described as a “certified shooter,” was evident on video. While Shepard led the team in 3-pointers, Dillingham shot an impressive 44.4 percent from 3-point range and scored from just about anywhere on the court.
But it’s his size that’s hurting his draft prospects the most. NBA scouts worry it will limit his production, especially defensively. But scorers like Trae Young and Jalen Brunson have played at an all-star level around the league, overriding any notion of his size.
Bronny James
Finally, when previewing the NBA Draft, one can’t help but wonder if any team would be willing to draft the son of the all-time leading scorer, LeBron James.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound James got off to a slow start as a freshman at USC as he was recovering from a heart attack prior to the start of the season. Once he recovered and finally took the court for the Trojans, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes over 25 games (six starts).
Currently, James isn’t projected to be a first-round draft pick, as there are simply too many guards with larger collegiate and international sample sizes than what he did with the Trojans.
Bronny James shoots a free throw during the 2024 NBA Basketball Draft Combine on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Hu)
But some believe James has great potential to be a good two-way guard in the league given the right situation and guidance. Would the Los Angeles Lakers pull the trigger in the second round (55th overall) with the idea that his father might return for one more season in the purple and gold? If he is drafted, this seems like the consensus choice.
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He’s clearly a player to watch as the NBA Draft begins.
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