The 2024 NBA Draft has been as unpredictable as one would expect for a class that was thought to be extremely weak at the top.
There were some interesting choices and some great surprises.
The only thing that went according to plan was Bronny James coming to Los Angeles with his father, LeBron, provided he re-signs, as expected.
Here’s how the Post breaks down the winners and losers:
winner
Timberwolves
Minnesota had the best draft of any team, acquiring two top offensive players with the No. 8 pick, Rob Dillingham out of Kentucky, and Terrence Shannon out of Illinois with the 27th pick.
Dillingham needs to improve defensively, and the 6-foot-6 Shannon may struggle to defend wings right away, but the Timberwolves have a solid defensive backline that could help hide them for a while.
Both should provide immediate scoring power to bolster Minnesota’s second unit.
Shannon, in particular, is something of a bargain: He’s a three-level scorer who led Illinois to a Big Ten Tournament title and its first Elite Eight appearance in 19 years.
Lakers
A night later, I’m still trying to understand why Dalton Knecht fell to the Lakers with the 17th pick in the lottery.
Many teams will regret not acquiring the hard-shooting wing, who shot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range at Tennessee and is a better athlete than some give him credit for.
Knecht would have made a lot of sense at No. 6 for the Hornets, who are lacking in shooting, among many other options.
Instead, new Lakers head coach JJ Redick acquired a floor spacer who can provide immediate offensive impact.
This was a bargain for Los Angeles.
Tyler Kolek
There are questions about his athleticism and defensive ability, and it’s unclear whether his game will translate from college to the NBA.
Does this sound familiar?
Similar things were said about Jalen Brunson going pro.
Korec, a dynamic point guard out of Marquette University who averaged 15.3 points, 7.7 assists and shot 38.8 percent from the 3-point line last season, will play behind and learn from Brunson as the Knicks traded up to No. 34 overall to acquire the left-handed point guard.
It’s a win-win.
Remember, the Knicks have developed a string of second-round draft picks in recent years, from Mitchell Robinson to Miles McBride, and needed a backup for Brunson.
Coach Tom Thibodeau will likely value Korec’s toughness and playmaking.
Big East
It was a great two days for a league that hasn’t produced many top talent in recent years, having missed out on three NCAA Tournament appearances in March.
The team has three lottery picks on its roster for the first time since 2013 — Connecticut guards Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan and Providence guard Devin Carter — and five draft picks, including Creighton wing Baylor Shireman, taken 30th by the Celtics, Marquette guards Kollek and Oso Ighodalo (40th, Suns), and Connecticut guards Tristan Newton (49th, Pacers) and Cam Spencer (53rd, Grizzlies).
This has huge recruiting implications for not only the schools mentioned above, but other teams across the league as well.
This shows the Big East can send players into the league, which is invaluable when it comes to recruiting.
The eight overall selections were the second-most of any conference, behind the Pac-12’s nine.
Lebron and Bronny
Call it nepotism.
I hate the idea that LeBron James and his agent Rich Paul orchestrated this, that the Lakers had no choice but to select Bronny James with the 55th overall pick, and that no one else was all that interested in LeBron’s son, who clearly wasn’t NBA ready.
Having the James brothers as teammates is still pretty amazing.
Look, Bronny’s got a long way to go.
After a disappointing season at USC, coupled with significant health issues, it would have been better for him to stay at least one more year at USC.
There is still a lot to be developed.
He needs to get stronger.
But what better way to do that than by learning from one of the best players in the game’s history?
loser
piston
Who will be taking the shots for the Pistons?
Detroit made their first surprise pick in the draft, selecting G League Ignite Ron Holland II with the fifth overall pick, a selection that left most experts and analysts scratching their heads.
Holland is a good athlete, but right now he’s more of a slasher than anything else.
But it was a strange choice for a team that was 28th in the league on 3-point shooting at 34.8 percent and needed more space, especially after taking Orser Thompson, a non-shooter, with the fifth overall pick last year.
Hawks
There were no great players at the top of this draft, no franchise-changing prospects.
Scouts and analysts are calling it one of the worst in recent memory.
There weren’t many good options.
Still, French forward Zachary Lisacher, a 6-foot-9 forward who doesn’t shoot or defend well, feels like a player out of reach.
Second-place finisher Alex Searle opted not to participate in practice in Atlanta.
Still, I would have picked the 7-footer, who, with his 7-foot-4 wingspan and superhuman athleticism, is at the very least an impact defender.
Bucks
Milwaukee is in win-now mode.
They need help defensively on the perimeter.
The Bucks had the best defender at No. 23, but they passed on Ryan Dunn out of Virginia and selected … AJ Johnson.
The 19-year-old Johnson, who played in Australia’s NBL, is considered to have great potential, but the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists last season.
He is a project.
They could have taken him at No. 33 in the second round, where he was projected to be the pick.
rocket
They passed on Castle and took Reed Shepard with the third pick.
Look, Shepard has the shooting ability and playmaking ability to be a good fit with this young roster.
But the Castle’s ceilings are much higher.
I think he has a chance to be the best player in this draft.
Even if his 3-point shooting doesn’t improve (and there’s no reason to believe it won’t), he has a bright future as a lockdown defender who can impact the game without being a big scorer.
One scout sees Andre Iguodala at 6-6 Castle.
Houston will regret this in the future.
Kyle Filippovski
You had to feel sorry for the 7-footer from Duke.
Not only was he not selected in the first round despite being projected to be picked somewhere between the late teens and mid-20s, having to wait overnight because the draft was extended to two days, but his personal information was spread on social media after he was selected by the Jazz with the second pick in the second round.
His family began posting on X that his much older girlfriend was trying to integrate him into Mormon culture and alienate him from the family.
An unforgettable draft experience.
