BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft concluded Wednesday night, and while there is still one round — including 28 selections — to play, it’s not too early to analyze the implications of this evening.
The biggest winner, arguably, was not a team, a player or a manager, but a country. France has enjoyed an unprecedented run of success selecting players in the first round. No team made more picks than the Washington Wizards, who entered the night with two but aggressively added another in the middle of the round, and now they appear to have infused some talent into a roster that was badly needed.
Here are the winners and losers of the first round of the 2024 NBA draft:
WINNERS
Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs
The No. 4 overall selection was based on the Spurs’ help from last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Victor Wembanyama. But going deeper, one of the biggest frustrations for Spurs fans last season was watching Wembanyama struggle for position in the post, or slip through the paint only for ball handlers to the team completely misses Wembanyama – as difficult as that is. miss a 7-foot-4 player running down the floor.
Stephon Castle played both guard positions at UConn, but he’s more comfortable with the ball in his hands, creating for others. He has excellent size for the position at 6-foot-6 and perhaps what will endear him most to coach Gregg Popovich is his effort and willingness to take on the challenge of defending the team’s top guard. other team.
Zach Edey
Edey, the two-time college player of the year at Purdue, went from a late first-round pick to a fringe lottery pick to the Memphis Grizzlies’ No. 9 pick. Yes, he still has to prove there’s room for a huge 7-4 in today’s NBA, but he’s impressed executives and scouts alike with his strength, low post play and ability to get out of double teams. It also gives Memphis versatility for different styles depending on opposing lineups. And he is heading towards a favorable situation. Before injuries and off-the-field issues sidelined Ja Morant, the Grizzlies were one of the West’s ascendant teams, winning 51 games in 2022-23 and 56 in 2021-22.
NOTICE:Zacharie Risacher doesn’t need to be a savior for the Hawks. He just needs to be good.
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UConn
Huskies coach Dan Hurley may have turned down offers from the Lakers, but his team still had a massive footprint on the draft, especially early on. Connecticut had two players selected in the lottery for the first time since 2012, when Andre Drummond (ninth) and Jeremy Lamb (12th) were drafted. This time, the Huskies actually had two players picked in the top 10, with Stephon Castle going to the Spurs at No. 4 and Donovan Clingan to the Trail Blazers at No. 7.
France
Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr went 1-2 in the draft, marking the first time two French players were selected with the first two picks. Tidjane Salaun was drafted sixth, marking the first time three players from a country other than the United States were selected in the top 10. New York took another Frenchman, Pacôme Dadiet, at 25th in Wednesday’s first round . There is currently a French renaissance in the NBA with Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and impressive rookie Bilal Coulibaly of the Washington Wizards. This draft marks the third consecutive year that at least four French players have been drafted.
Wizards of Washington
Washington started the night with two first-round picks – No. 2 and No. 26. But an aggressive front office, led by president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins, completed a trade with Portland to secure another lottery pick at No. 14. The Wizards selected Alex Sarr second, Carlton “Bub” Carrington 14th and Miami’s Kyshawn George at 24th overall after a minor trade with the New York Knicks. Now, the Wizards need these picks to operate, but it’s clear that the Wizards have spent a lot of time investing in this project as part of the franchise’s major rebuilding efforts.
LOSERS
Brooklyn nets
The first round of the draft took place at the Brooklyn Nets’ Barclays Center, and the Nets did not have a first-round pick. They also don’t have a second-round pick on Thursday, but they could trade up for the second round. The Nets traded their 2024 first-round pick to Houston in the deal that sent James Harden from Houston to Brooklyn in 2021. That 2024 pick that Houston received in the deal ended up to be the No. 3 pick, and the Rockets selected the Kentucky guard. Reed Sheppard.
The G League is on fire
The G League Ignite had two players selected in the lottery (Ron Holland at No. 5 and Matas Buzelis at No. 11) and last season Ignite’s Scoot Henderson went to No. 3. However, the 2023-24 season was the last. for Ignite which served as a place for players who were not interested in college or playing internationally to develop and make money. However, NIL rules changed the college landscape and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver decided to shut down the Ignite. “We’ve gotten to the point now with Team Ignite where frankly, we felt it didn’t make sense to compete with these top college programs, which in many cases have better facilities, top-notch coaching, charter planes, et cetera,” Silver said. at the start of the NBA Finals on June 6.
Too many big guys for the Portland Trail Blazers
It’s not so much about selection as it is about building the list. Former UConn center Donovan Clingan should be an instant rim protector, and all signs point to his offensive game continuing to improve at the next level. He stands 7-foot-2 and weighs 282 pounds and averaged 2.5 blocks in his two seasons with the Huskies, both of which resulted in national championships. The problem is Portland needs to acquire another 7-footer, Deandre Ayton, for nearly $70 million over the next two seasons, according to Spotrac.com.
Although Ayton’s offensive game is more refined than Clingan’s at least at this point, their playstyle is rather similar, almost making the Clingan choice redundant. Additionally, as NBA teams increasingly turn to speed and athleticism to push the pace for the sake of scoring, having two bigs like Clingan and Ayton can make the Blazers’ offense seem a bit deliberate and laborious.
Too many guards for the Sacramento Kings
Like the note on the Blazers above, it’s all about roster construction. Devin Carter could actually become one of the top picks in this draft, going to the Kings at 13th overall, but that creates a huge logjam in the backcourt. Sacramento has star point guard De’Aaron Fox and shooting guard Kevin Heurter, with Sixth Man of the Year finalist Malik Monk, Keon Ellis and Davion Mitchell all on the bench.
Ellis stepped into the starting role down the stretch and played well after Hitter (shoulder) and Monk (right knee) were sidelined with injuries. The odd man appears to be Hitter, who is under contract for the next two seasons for nearly $35 million, according to Spotrac.com. Now Kings general manager Monte McNair has to juggle. Even then, the most likely outcome is that one or more of these talented guards will waste away on the bench, barring injury.
Winner and loser
Dalton Knecht
Tennessee shooting guard Dalton Knecht was a projected lottery pick — even top 10 in some mock drafts — but fell to 17th overall. He also “fell” into a good position with the Los Angeles Lakers. He plays alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as well as for new Lakers coach JJ Redick, who embraces the modern NBA and the 3-point shot. This should work well for Knecht.