Looking back at what was a chaotic first night in the 2024 NBA Draft by identifying five big winners and five unfortunate losers.
The first round of the 2024 NBA draft is over. Rumors swirled, ripples subsided, trades were abundant, and dreams were made. French players DOMINATED the lottery, having three selections from baguette-land in the first seven picks.
Overall, draft night was exciting. Team and scheme fit will be judged during the season, but for this exercise, we will take a look at pre-draft expectations and initial thoughts to come out with early winners and losers from the draft. As it is every year, some teams nailed their potential fit, while others left us scratching our heads.
Congratulations to the 2024 NBA first-round picks on fulfilling their lifelong dream of becoming NBA players. Now, let's delve into our initial reactions to the 2024 first-round draft winners and losers.
Winner: Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks had a 3% chance of receiving the first overall pick in the draft. They ended up with the first overall pick in the draft. By default, they are winners. With the first overall pick the Hawks selected French forward, Zaccarie Risacher.
Risacher is not yet a complete NBA prospect, but he possesses the size, tools, and work ethic that NBA teams value. It's easy to envision a powerful forward duo of Jalen Johnson and Risacher playing for the Hawks for years to come.
The Atlanta Hawks are still in the process of determining their direction. However, versatile, two-way wing/forwards are highly valued in the NBA, and Risacher has the potential to be the next great one.
Loser: Memphis Grizzlies
I have never been high on Zach Edey. I thought it was hilarious when #1 seed Purdue lost to #16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the 2023 Men's College Basketball Tournament - but I digress. Zach Edey is a massive specimen, standing at 7-foot-4 and weighing 299 lbs. He has also been one of the most dominant players in college basketball each of the past two seasons.
I'm not sure if Edey will be a valuable NBA player or not, so I won't speculate. It seems like a stretch for the Grizzlies to pick him, especially considering that many mock drafts didn't even have Edey being selected in the lottery, let alone in the top 10.
The Grizzlies selected Edey most likely to be their starting center on day-dot. I believe that Edey would have been available later on in the draft and this was a big reach and misplay by the Grizzlies, a team looking to bounce back to put pressure on the West's supreme next season.
Winner: Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards might not have won a lot of games during the regular season, but they are racking up wins this offseason. It starts with the second overall selection of French big man, Alexandre Sarr. Sarr has the physical tools and the potential to be a franchise cornerstone for years to come.
The Wizards didn't stop there. They made a draft-day move, sending forward Deni Avdija to the Blazers for Malcolm Brogdon, the 14th overall pick, and a future first and two future second-round picks. That is INSANE value for Avdija.
They used the 14th pick to select combo guard Bub Carrington out of Pitt and then traded up with the Knicks from 26 to 24 to select wing/forward Kyshawn George out of the University of Miami. The Wizards are finally leaning into a rebuild - something they've been putting off for, what feels like, generations. The Wizards made some shrewd moves and looked toward the future and those are wins we cannot ignore.
Loser: Dalton Knecht
Dalton Knecht is a lottery talent. For picks 11-16, it felt like Knecht was going to hear his name called. However, time and again he was passed up and it was on to the next pick. The Los Angeles Lakers stopped his draft night slide by selecting him at No. 17. (This feels like a make-up pick for missing on Cam Whitmore last year, but we move on).
Knecht is a round-one loser for two main reasons. The first reason is that many mock drafts and pre-draft analyses had Knecht going in the lottery. That is inherently a loss. The second reason is that he will now be on a team that will have NBA Championship aspirations, with a fanbase that expects immediate success, all while co-existing with a player who has had trouble assimilating with draft picks before. **coughs... LeBron... coughs**
Knecht will be under immense pressure and under a microscope with the expectations of having to contribute immediately and that's tough for any rookie. Here's to hoping he figures it out quickly, but for now, it's loser life.
Winner: Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a very good basketball team. The Playoff collapse to the Minnesota Timberwolves was surprising. Many basketball followers believed that they were going to meet the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals until they didn't.
The Nuggets are coming into the offseason with a few question marks surrounding their role players. Zeke Nnaji proved last year that he might be unplayable in big moments. DeAndre Jordan is old, unreliable, and most likely off the team this offseason. So what do the Denver Nuggets do to address one of their bigger needs? They trade up from 28 to 22 and select Dayton center/power forward, DaRon Holmes II.
The Nuggets needed athleticism and offensive production from their bench and Holmes will provide plenty of both. The Nuggets were vibing with Holmes before the draft and this is an easy win - they get the guy they wanted and he fits a position of need. The Nuggets will continue to be a problem in the West.
Loser: Deandre Ayton
Oh boy. It's crazy how time works sometimes. Back in 2018, Deandre Ayton was selected first overall by the Phoenix Suns, before the likes of Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That backfired, huh?
Ayton was unhappy with his role in the desert and was moved to the Portland Trail Blazers this past offseason. Ayton once looked like the center of the future for the Blazers, but then the Blazers traded Jrue Holiday to the Celtics for Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams. Williams' presence put pressure on Ayton to perform this season - he didn't necessarily seize the role.
With the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, the Blazers selected UCONN center, Donovan Clingan. This all but wraps up any thoughts that Ayton could be the center of the future for the Blazers. Clingan will push Ayton for minutes and eventually push him out of town. Ayton seemingly lost his starting job already and the previously disgruntled big will once again have to overcome adversity.
Winner: New York Knicks
The New York Knicks came into draft night with the 24th and 25th picks. Many thought that they would use both picks to select NBA-ready players to enhance a bench unit that could use some sprucing up. Instead, the Knicks traded the 24th pick to the Wizards, selected an 18-year-old French forward Pacome Dadiet with the 25th pick, and traded the 26th pick to the Thunder for a treasure trove of future second-round picks.
The Knicks used the draft to better position themselves in the future. With the new salary cap rules, second-round picks are more valuable than ever. Long-term prospect development will be essential as well. The Knicks knocked those two out of the park. They would receive a winning grade if it were just for those moves alone...
However, we cannot ignore the move that shook the NBA world a few days ago. The Mikal Bridges trade was genius. It might be cheating putting that in this article, but whatever. The Villanova Knicks are more alive and well than ever before. The Knicks are the winners of the entire offseason so far.
Loser: Kyle Filipowski (and to a lesser extent, Johnny Furphy)
Last year Kyle Filipowski was regarded as a semi-legitimate lottery pick. This year he was invited to the green room to hear his name called on night one of the NBA draft. Kyle will have to wait until at least 4:00 pm EST Thursday to hear his name called.
It's always a bummer being a member of the green room and not hearing your name called. It's also always a bummer when one year you're a bonafide first-round and the next year you're a second-round pick.
The irony of Filipowski's loss here is that he will most likely end up pushing the team that selects him to a draft "winner." There's no denying the talent of the former Duke Blue Devil. Towards the end of the draft, it felt like teams were taking swings on the upside over proven talent and that was clearly at the detriment of Filipowski.
Johnny Furphy was also in the green room on night one and wasn't selected - we'll give him his flowers here too.
Winner: Boston Celtics
The rich get richer. Baylor Scheierman is a three-point shooting marksman who could have been selected earlier in the draft, as stated by several draft pundits. A wing/forward from Creighton, Scheierman specializes in perimeter shooting, a play style that isn't soon to go out of style.
The Celtics won the regular season, Eastern Conference Playoffs, and NBA Championship by shooting three-pointers. A team with perennial Championship aspirations like the Celtics need players who can contribute right away. While this presents problems for some rookies, Baylor should be able to buck the trend.
Team and tournament success at Creighton should help Baylor succeed early and often. He's essentially a more complete prospect than Sam Hauser was coming out of college and he's worked wonders for the Celtics. Brad Stevens knows what this team needs and he delivers. Very solid selection by Boston.
Loser: Brooklyn Nets
An hour or two before the NBA Draft started, the Brooklyn Nets were rumored to be interested in making a trade to get into the first round. That didn't happen. This blurb is solely based on that report, seeing as though they didn't make any trades or selections last night. I suppose the five future first-round picks that the Nets received from the New York Knicks as part of the Mikal Bridges trade quenched their draft thirst.
Of note, it was reported that the Nets and Nicolas Claxton intend on agreeing to a hefty new four-year, $100 million deal. Even though Brooklyn isn't entirely blowing up their roster, players like Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson could've been on the move on NBA Draft night. Instead, at least for now, the Nets must figure out what the rebuild is going to look like with them still on the roster.
Because of Brooklyn's continued uncertainty as they move into the future, they have to be considered one of the losers from draft night numero uno.