2024 NBA draft: Players, picks, rankings, stats, mocks

The 2024 NBA draft begins Wednesday in New York with the Atlanta Hawks on the clock holding the No. 1 total choose. There will likely be 58 complete picks over two rounds, with the draft being held throughout two days for the primary time in its historical past.

The large questions heading into the draft: Is there a consensus prime choose? Which groups may shake up the highest 10? How will groups such because the San Antonio Spurs use their a number of draft picks to construct round their stars? Will Bronny James be drafted, and through which spherical?

We offer you a one-stop store for the whole lot it is advisable to know: occasions, places, draft order, prime prospects, rankings, mock drafts, stats and extra. Learn in regards to the draft’s greatest gamers and what to anticipate this week.

Spherical 1: Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET (protection begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+)

Spherical 2: Thursday at 4 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN/ESPN+)

Wednesday’s Spherical 1 will likely be at Barclays Heart in Brooklyn, with Thursday’s Spherical 2 at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in Manhattan.

A few of the invited gamers who will likely be on website in New York embrace: French ahead Zaccharie Risacher, French ahead/middle Alex Sarr, UConn middle Donovan Clingan, Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard, G League Ignite ahead Matas Buzelis, UConn guard Stephon Citadel, Tennessee ahead Dalton Knecht, French ahead Tidjane Salaun, G League Ignite ahead Ron Holland, Colorado wing Cody Williams, Windfall guard Devin Carter, Baylor wing Ja’Kobe Walter.

Two-time Naismith Award winner Zach Edey, who’s projected to be a first-round choose, will watch the draft along with his family and friends at Purdue.

There will likely be 58 picks on this yr’s draft: 1-30 on the primary night time and 31-58 on the second. The Hawks received the NBA lottery for the primary time because it started in 1985, regardless of having 3% odds of profitable it. It is going to be the fourth time the Hawks have the highest choose, however the first since 1975.

The San Antonio Spurs and Portland Path Blazers have probably the most picks with 4 apiece. The Spurs have two top-10 picks (No. 4, No. 10) and two second-round picks (No. 35, No. 48). The Path Blazers have two lottery picks (No. 7, No. 14) and two second-round picks (No. 34, No. 40).

The Brooklyn Nets are the one workforce with no picks. The Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns had been every compelled to forfeit second-round picks for violating guidelines governing the timing of free company dialogue. The Sixers nonetheless have two picks, and the Suns have one.

High 14 (lottery picks):

1. Atlanta Hawks
2. Washington Wizards
3. Houston Rockets (through BKN)
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Detroit Pistons
6. Charlotte Hornets
7. Portland Path Blazers
8. San Antonio Spurs (through TOR)
9. Memphis Grizzlies
10. Utah Jazz
11. Chicago Bulls
12. Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder
13. Sacramento Kings
14. Portland Path Blazers (through GS)

Extra: Wants for groups with first-round picks (ESPN+) | Full draft order

How good is the 2024 draft class?

This class has been extensively panned for its lack of star energy on the prime for a while, and there may be actually reality to that with nobody participant you may level to with definitive All-Star potential, not to mention a number of as we’re usually accustomed to seeing. As an alternative, we discover a group of high-end function gamers, with a number of prospects who mission to be elite defenders anticipated to be among the many prime gamers picked, and others with query marks relating to their dimension, perimeter taking pictures or readiness to contribute making up the remainder of the lottery.

Exterior of the highest picks, it is a pretty regular draft, not all that in contrast to the 2023 draft past the highest three picks in that group. There’s important depth all through the primary spherical and into the second.

Monetary implications surrounding the brand new cap and luxurious tax apron guidelines that go into impact this summer season will possible trigger fairly just a few trades.

Traditionally, the perfect gamers within the draft not often go in any sort of order on the prime. NBA executives anticipate that to be the case much more than common, making this a yr that groups with elite expertise evaluators and intel gatherers can separate themselves from those that weren’t paying shut sufficient consideration throughout the season and will simply be distracted within the pre-draft course of. — Jonathan Givony

How do the prospects rank?

For a full record of the highest 100 prospects (together with strengths and weaknesses), take a look at the whole rankings compiled by ESPN’s draft consultants.

At 6-foot-8, French ahead Zaccharie Risacher ranks on the prime of ESPN’s record. The 19-year-old is a flexible wing whose means to shoot on the transfer, competitiveness and flexibility defensively and total really feel for the sport helped him stand out taking part in high-level competitors within the EuroCup and French league.

ESPN’s prime 10 prospects:

Extra ESPN+ content material: Which NBA gamers do prime prospects evaluate to? | NBA insider Kevin Pelton’s prime 30 prospects

Newest mock draft and intel

Click on right here for the most recent mock draft for all 58 picks (ESPN+), primarily based on exhaustive analysis and intel gathered from scouts and entrance workplace personnel.

Will Atlanta keep at No. 1? Hawks common supervisor Landry Fields mentioned final week the workforce is happy with preserving the highest choose. This is what Givony wrote about Atlanta’s potential choice, whom he tasks will take Zaccharie Risacher at No. 1:

Zaccharie Risacher, as he has for a lot of the pre-draft cycle, continues to carry agency as the selection at No. 1 following a constructive exercise with Atlanta. The suggestions from those that have seen him in the USA is that he’s a greater passer and does a greater job of initiating contact and taking part in via physicality than is anticipated along with his lean body. Donovan Clingan, one other favourite of the Hawks’ teaching workers, stays in play at No. 1.

Wemby’s future Spurs co-stars: With two top-10 picks, the Spurs are in a chief place to construct round Rookie of the 12 months Victor Wembanyama. This is the most recent on what Givony is listening to from San Antonio:

The Spurs are telling rival groups they are going to be taking a best-player-available strategy at each picks No. 4 and No. 8, regardless of having backcourt wants and an absence of taking pictures and playmaking — areas they’re going to want to handle in due time. Taking a affected person strategy appears to be San Antonio’s technique for now, as there are many situations by which extra enticing choices develop into accessible within the close to future.

The return of huge males: The NCAA championship recreation pitted two of probably the most intriguing middle prospects in recent times, with UConn’s Donovan Clingan (7-foot-3) getting the perfect of Purdue and counterpart Zach Edey (7-4) en path to a second straight title. As ESPN draft skilled Jeremy Woo explains, each gamers have been labeled as throwbacks to the Nineteen Nineties and 2000s NBA, however there’s nonetheless attraction surrounding two of the draft’s greatest outliers.

The place Bronny James may land: The son of LeBron James is not anticipated to be chosen within the first spherical however may go late within the second spherical. Bronny’s agent, Wealthy Paul (who additionally represents LeBron), instructed ESPN final week that the 6-2 guard has labored out individually for simply two groups: the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Compensate for ESPN’s evaluation of Bronny’s recreation following his exercises on the NBA draft mix in Might.

Donovan Clingan and Bristol Central Excessive Faculty: An ideal match

Discover out why Donovan Clingan selected to remain at his hometown highschool of Bristol Central earlier than he turned a two-time NCAA champion at UConn.

Who’re the highest prospects by ability?

Our consultants put collectively an ESPN+ record of the highest prospects primarily based on abilities and traits in 20 classes. Listed here are notable names who stand out.

Finest pick-and-roll finisher: Zach Edey | C | Purdue

Edey is a dream goal for playmaking guards to pair with in pick-and-roll actions. He units large, bruising screens and is an impressive mark rolling to the paint and catching the whole lot thrown his means along with his large, magnetic arms and 7-11 wingspan.

Finest ball handler: Rob Dillingham | PG | Kentucky

Dillingham has a wide selection of elusive strikes at his disposal, together with herky-jerky crossovers, double crossovers, in-and-out dribbles, behind-the-back dribbles and extra.

Finest leaper/dunker: Matas Buzelis, SF/PF, G League Ignite

Not many 19-year olds at 6-10 have the audacity to drag off in-game windmills like Buzelis did within the G League this season, however that mixture of explosiveness and bravado is a giant a part of his attraction.

Extra ESPN+ content material: Sleeper picks at each place

Who’re the highest worldwide gamers?

Fourteen worldwide gamers have been chosen first total within the draft, with the most recent coming final yr when the Spurs took Wembanyama at No. 1. This yr might not be completely different if the Hawks choose fellow French expertise Risacher with the highest choose. This is different worldwide prospects price noting:

Alex Sarr | PF/C | Perth (Australia)
Age: 19 | 7-1, 224 kilos

With a 7-4 wingspan, Sarr’s mixture of dimension, size, mobility, defensive versatility and ending means provides him a straightforward area of interest he can fill as a vertical spacing massive who can defend the rim and slide with guards on the perimeter.

Nikola Subject | PG | Crimson Star Belgrade (Serbia)
Age: 18 | 6-7, 203 kilos

Subject has nice dimension for a degree guard with an impressive mixture of ball dealing with, pace-changing speeds out of hesitation strikes, and creativity discovering teammates on the transfer and ending skillfully across the basket. It stays to be seen how {a partially} torn ACL will have an effect on his draft standing.

Alex Sarr’s NBA draft profile

Take a look at a few of the highlights which have made Alex Sarr a prime NBA draft prospect.

New this yr: NBA Draft Day Predictor

ESPN analytics’ new NBA Draft Day Predictor is pushed by skilled mock drafts, ESPN’s prime 100 prospect rankings and historic draft outcomes to find out chances for gamers throughout a spread of picks. Take a look at ESPN analytics author Chris Harden’s evaluation on a few of the draft’s greatest questions.

As well as, ESPN has launched its 2024 NBA mock draft simulator, permitting you to behave as the important thing decision-maker on your favourite workforce to make picks in each rounds and conduct trades. The simulator will likely be reside all through the draft, offering minute-by-minute % likelihood every prospect is chosen at every choose.

Check out ESPN’s mock draft simulator

ESPN Stats & Information: 5 issues to find out about this draft

This draft may very well be the third time within the trendy draft period (since 1966) that the highest two picks did not attend faculty, and first such occasion since 2003 — when LeBron James and Darko Milicic had been taken with the highest two picks.
If Bronny James is chosen, it will mark the primary time {that a} son has been drafted with their father nonetheless an energetic NBA participant. There have been 51 cases of fathers and sons being chosen within the NBA draft within the trendy draft period, which features a pair final yr (Jett Howard and Trayce Jackson-Davis).
A Kentucky participant has been drafted within the first spherical in 14 straight drafts, the longest streak within the trendy period.
It is going to be the ultimate draft by which G League Ignite gamers will likely be chosen after it was introduced the workforce can be shut down. Since its founding in 2021, G League Ignite has had 10 gamers drafted — greater than any faculty, nation, or different developmental program in that point. Duke has had eight, adopted by three different faculty applications with six (Gonzaga, Kentucky, Michigan).
UConn may have two gamers (Donovan Clingan and Stephon Citadel) projected within the prime 10. The final nationwide champion to not have a lottery choose within the following draft was North Carolina in 2016-17.