For the past two months, the NBA has been solely about the best teams in basketball. All eyes were on the Celtics as they won their record 18th NBA championship.
Now, it’s time for the bottom feeders to shine at the NBA Draft as they hope to change the projection of their franchise.
The NBA divided the draft into two nights with the first round concluding on Wednesday, June 26, and the second round beginning on Thursday, June 27.
The first round kicked off with two French stars landing back to back — Zaccharie Risacher was off the board first, amid some confusion from former NBA player Frank Mason, and Alexandre Sarr went No. 2.
A pair of UConn and Kentucky players went in the top 10 as Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham all found their new homes.
The Grizzlies selected Zach Edey, one of the most polarizing prospects this year, with the ninth overall pick, leaving some questioning if it was too much of a reach for the Purdue standout.
While this year’s draft is considerably weaker than previous classes, that doesn’t mean there aren’t hidden gems to go along with the top players. Even the 2013 draft, which is considered to be one of the worst classes in league history, has Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert to show for it.
There will be notable role players, if not stars, that emerge from this draft. Some of those may come in the second round. Bronny James was the focal point of the second round as he landed with the Lakers at No. 55.
In addition to the 58 selections across two rounds, there were numerous trades going on. Teams trading up and down and trading in and out of the draft can get confusing, so The Sporting News is here to help.
The Sporting News has you covered on all the picks and key trades from the 2024 NBA Draft.
SN’S NBA DRAFT HQ: Live grades | Day 2 mock | Winners and losers
There were 58 picks in this year’s draft since the NBA stripped the Suns and 76ers of their picks due to tampering violations.
Round | Pick | Overall | Team | Player |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 1 | Hawks | Zaccharie Risacher |
1 | 2 | 2 | Wizards | Alex Sarr |
1 | 3 | 3 | Rockets (via Nets) | Reed Sheppard |
1 | 4 | 4 | Spurs | Stephon Castle |
1 | 5 | 5 | Pistons | Ron Holland II |
1 | 6 | 6 | Hornets | Tidjane Salaun |
1 | 7 | 7 | Trail Blazers | Donovan Clingan |
1 | 8 | 8 | Spurs (via Raptors) | Rob Dillingham |
1 | 9 | 9 | Grizzlies | Zach Edey |
1 | 10 | 10 | Jazz | Cody Williams |
1 | 11 | 11 | Bulls | Matas Buzelis |
1 | 12 | 12 | Thunder (via Rockets) | Nikola Topic |
1 | 13 | 13 | Kings | Devin Carter |
1 | 14 | 14 | Trail Blazers (via Warriors) | Bub Carrington |
1 | 15 | 15 | Heat | Kel’el Ware |
1 | 16 | 16 | 76ers | Jared McCain |
1 | 17 | 17 | Lakers | Dalton Knecht |
1 | 18 | 18 | Magic | Tristan da Silva |
1 | 19 | 19 | Raptors (via Pacers) | Ja’Kobe Walter |
1 | 20 | 20 | Cavaliers | Jaylon Tyson |
1 | 21 | 21 | Pelicans (via Bucks) | Yves Missi |
1 | 22 | 22 | Suns | DaRon Holmes II |
1 | 23 | 23 | Bucks (via Pelicans) | AJ Johnson |
1 | 24 | 24 | Knicks (via Mavericks) | Kyshawn George |
1 | 25 | 25 | Knicks | Pacome Dadiet |
1 | 26 | 26 | Wizards (via Clippers) | Dillon Jones |
1 | 27 | 27 | Timberwolves | Terrence Shannon Jr. |
1 | 28 | 28 | Nuggets | Ryan Dunn |
1 | 29 | 29 | Jazz (via Thunder) | Isaiah Collier |
1 | 30 | 30 | Celtics | Baylor Scheierman |
Round | Pick | Overall | Team | Player |
---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 1 | 31 | Raptors (via Pistons) | Jonathan Mogbo |
2 | 2 | 32 | Jazz (via Wizards) | Kyle Filipowski |
2 | 3 | 33 | Bucks (via Trail Blazers) | Tyler Smith |
2 | 4 | 34 | Trail Blazers (via Hornets) | Tyler Kolek |
2 | 5 | 35 | Spurs | Johnny Furphy |
2 | 6 | 36 | Pacers (via Raptors) | Juan Nunez |
2 | 7 | 37 | Timberwolves (via Grizzlies | Bobi Klintman |
2 | 8 | 38 | Knicks (via Jazz) | Ajay Mitchell |
2 | 9 | 39 | Grizzlies (via Nets) | Jaylen Wells |
2 | 10 | 40 | Trail Blazers (via Hawks) | Oso Ighodaro |
2 | 11 | 41 | 76ers (via Bulls) | Adem Bona |
2 | 12 | 42 | Hornets (via Rockets) | KJ Simpson |
2 | 13 | 43 | Heat | Nikola Durisic |
2 | 14 | 44 | Rockets (via Warriors) | Pelle Larsson |
2 | 15 | 45 | Kings | Jamal Shead |
2 | 16 | 46 | Clippers (via Pacers) | Cam Christie |
2 | 17 | 47 | Magic | Antonio Reeves |
2 | 18 | 48 | Spurs (via Lakers) | Harrison Ingram |
2 | 19 | 49 | Pacers (via Cavaliers) | Tristen Newton |
2 | 20 | 50 | Pacers (via Pelicans) | Enrique Freeman |
2 | 21 | 51 | Wizards (via Suns) | Melvin Ajinca |
2 | 22 | 52 | Warriors (via Bucks) | Quinten Post |
2 | 23 | 53 | Pistons (via Knicks) | Cam Spencer |
2 | 24 | 54 | Celtics (via Mavericks) | Anton Watson |
2 | 25 | 55 | Lakers (via Clippers) | Bronny James |
2 | 26 | 56 | Nuggets (via Timberwolves) | Kevin McCullar Jr. |
2 | 27 | 57 | Grizzlies (via Thunder) | Ulrich Chomche |
2 | 28 | 58 | Mavericks (via Celtics) | Ariel Hukporti |
By JACK BEZANTS Published: 05:21 GMT, 22 December 2024 | Updated: 06:02 GMT, 22 December 2024
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