The 2024 NBA Draft is finally here and it’ll be a historic event regardless of how it plays out. This is the first time since the draft was shortened to two rounds that the event will take place over two days, with the first round happening Wednesday, June 26 and the second round taking place Thursday, June 27.
While this draft does not have the clear-cut star power at the top like last year’s draft, that only creates more intrigue as teams attempt to sort out their rosters. This is the type of draft where teams with better talent evaluation will perform better than teams who tend to rely on gut feelings and secondary information.
I’ll be tracking each first-round pick as it happens and providing instant reaction with draft grades.
2024 NBA Draft grades
First Round
No. 30: Boston Celtics, Baylor Scheierman
Grade: A
Scheierman was a strong scorer for Creighton last season and should be able to get minutes off the bench for the defending champions. He can move the ball well in any offense and will take shots when given the chance. The Celtics take a lot of triples, so he’ll fit well in this system.
No. 29: Utah Jazz, Isaiah Collier
Grade: B
The fit for Collier is interesting here, since he’s unlikely to usurp minutes from the likes of Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton. He does play defense though, and he can eventually be the point guard of the future with Utah’s younger core coming up. He will have a chip on his shoulder falling to the end of the first round and that’ll benefit him and Utah.
No. 28: Phoenix Suns, Ryan Dunn
Grade: B+
Dunn is a strong wing player who will find minutes for his defense, which is where the Suns struggled mightily for a good portion of last season. Phoenix traded back in this draft and still comes away with an important rotation piece. It’s a good move for a team that fell flat after assembling a star core and will look to rebound.
No. 27: Minnesota Timberwolves, Terrence Shannon Jr.
Grade: A
The Timberwolves have done a good job adding more scoring to this roster with Dillingham and now Shannon Jr. Minnesota could use some perimeter depth behind Mike Conley and Jaden McDaniels. Shannon Jr. is a bonafide threat offensively but he’ll need to show he can return to his stellar defense from his Texas Tech days to see good minutes in this rotation.
No. 26: Oklahoma City Thunder, Dillon Jones (via Knicks via Wizards)
Grade: C+
The Thunder are simply stashing players at this point. Jones fits the profile of the typical Oklahoma City project. He’s got a certain physical look and now just needs to clean up his overall game. The scoring and rebounding numbers were awesome, even against inferior competition in college. He could follow in the footsteps of Jalen Williams for OKC.
No. 25: New York Knicks, Pacome Dadiet
Grade: B-
The Knicks just sent a bunch of future picks to the Nets to put the Villanova crew together, so they’ve now got to hit on these picks as low-cost contributors. Dadiet was able to hit the perimeter shot at a great clip and he does have some size, although he won’t be replacing Isaiah Hartenstein. We’ll see if Dadiet even cracks the rotation this year or gets sent to the G League. This is a long-term play with New York going for upside.
No. 24: Washington Wizards, Kyshawn George (via Knicks)
Grade: B
If there’s one thing George can do, it’s shoot the triple. He’s going to have to do more than that to be a productive player for the Wizards, who have freed up some wing minutes with the trade of Deni Avdija. Washington is adding young prospects as part of the rebuild and adding a potential lights-out shooter is not a bad move at any stage.
No. 23: Milwaukee Bucks, AJ Johnson
Grade: C+
The Bucks are in an interesting spot when it comes to drafting players. They’re more likely to move guys for more immediate help given their window. All that being said, this is a surprising pick even from a developmental standpoint. Johnson is unlikely to get enough minutes off the bench to contribute, and he doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to production for now. We’ll see if it pans out.
No. 22: Denver Nuggets, DaRon Holmes (via Suns)
Grade: B
Holmes was a highly productive player with Dayton, and fits the physical profile of Aaron Gordon. He’s going to be an immediate factor for the Nuggets off the bench, especially after they got smacked by Minnesota in that particular area. Holmes might not be a featured player but he’s a good versatile player the Nuggets can plug into the rotation. He’s also a good floor spacer.
No. 21: New Orleans Pelicans, Yves Missi
Grade: C+
Missi doesn’t help the Pelicans immediately, as he’s an extremely raw prospect. He struggled to do much offensively with Baylor, but he’s got good defensive instincts and can block shots. The Pelicans do need more of an impact player on the interior but Missi will take his time developing behind Jonas Valanciunas.
No. 20: Cleveland Cavaliers, Jaylon Tyson
Grade: B
The Cavaliers might deal Darius Garland, which was something bandied about when there were rumors about Cleveland’s backcourt involving Donovan Mitchell. Tyson represents some insurance there, although he could help off the bench with his three-point shooting. He did transfer twice, so there might some concerns about whether he’ll be comfortable staying in a smaller role with this team.
No. 19: Toronto Raptors, Ja’Kobe Walter
Grade: A
This is a great development spot for Walter, who projects to be a solid 3-and-D wing. He’s going to be alongside some young talent like Scottie Barnes and Gradey Dick, which will further help his development. The Raptors are trying to rebuild with versatility, and Walter provides that. If he can be more consistent from the midrange, he will be a star.
No. 18: Orlando Magic, Tristan da Silva
Grade: C
I do like the thought process for the Magic, who have had success with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner on the wing. However, there’s some duplicity here with da Silva and he’s going to need time to develop those skills. Does Orlando have that kind of time? There weren’t many bigs who jumped out at this point so taking someone with upside isn’t the worst move. It’s still not inspiring.
No. 17: Los Angeles Lakers, Dalton Knecht
Grade: B+
Knecht doesn’t offer much upside given his age but he can do one thing extremely well; shoot the ball. When you’re trying to build a roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, spacing the floor is paramount. Knecht might not get many opportunities in this backcourt but he should immediately get minutes off the bench.
No. 16: Philadelphia 76ers, Jared McCain
Grade: A
The Sixers barely have a starting lineup at the moment, which gives them tremendous flexibility in the offseason. Therefore I don’t know whether McCain will actually be on this roster by the time Daryl Morey is done wheeling and dealing. If he does make the roster, McCain is an immediate sparkplug off the bench and could eventually play with Tyrese Maxey in the starting backcourt.
No. 15: Miami Heat, Kel’el Ware
Grade: C+
There’s some upside with Ware, who has all the tools to become a dominant player in this league. However, he never seems to be able to put all those tools together in one game. The Heat can bring out the best in him, and he’ll get to learn from the likes of Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. This organization tends to hit on picks, but Ware is quite raw and will take some time to develop.
No. 14: Washington Wizards, Bub Carrington (via Blazers)
Grade: B-
We’ll how Carrington fits in this offense next to Jordan Poole, Tyus Jones and Malcolm Brogdon, who was part of the deal between Washington and Portland for this pick. Carrington should be able to come off the bench and score, but his long-term role is still to be determined with this roster in a rebuilding flux.
No. 13: Sacramento Kings, Devin Carter
Grade: B
This is a good pick on value, because Carter had widely been projected to go in the top 10. He has improved his production every season and is explosive offensively, which makes him a great addition for this particular system. With Malik Monk hitting free agency, Carter is a good insurance plan.
No. 12: Oklahoma City Thunder, Nikola Topic
Grade: B+
The Thunder don’t really need more guards but they have so many picks where they can go for the upside and let guys develop. They got rid of Josh Giddey in the trade for Alex Caruso, so adding Topic to maintain that guard depth isn’t a bad idea.
No. 11: Chicago Bulls, Matas Buzelis
Grade: A
This is a great pick for the Bulls relative to their position. At one point, Buzelis was in contention to be the top pick before he had a down year with Ignite. He’s from the Chicago area and adds playmaking in the frontcourt to balance out DeMar DeRozan and Coby White. Buzelis has the upside Chicago lacked in previous selection, and now it’ll be a matter of him filling out his frame and developing offensively.
No. 10: Utah Jazz, Cody Williams
Grade: B
Williams, who’s brother has broken out with the Thunder, further adds depth to what is becoming a decent wing rotation in Utah. He’s a raw prospect but has all the tools to be a solid contributor off the bench right away.
No. 9: Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Edey
Grade: F
I do think Edey is going to be able to get minutes in Memphis due to the shortage in the frontcourt. However, there’s no way this is going to pan out how a top-10 pick should. The Grizzlies probably believe they are contenders but they need shooting and playmaking off the bench. Edey doesn’t provide that. You don’t take a big to eat up minutes in the top 10, even in this draft.
No. 8: Minnesota Timberwolves, Rob Dillingham (via Spurs)
Grade: B+
The Spurs picked Dillingham but are sending him to Minnesota. This is a better situation for Dillingham, who would’ve been fighting with Castle and Malaki Branham for minutes in the backcourt. The Timberwolves are getting a big-time scorer who will learn from a great guard in Mike Conley before taking over as the starter in a few seasons.
No. 7: Portland Trail Blazers, Donovan Clingan
Grade: A
This is an excellent pick for the Blazers, who need someone down low to pair with Deandre Ayton. Clingan isn’t going to be a go-to player offensively but he immediately raises Portland’s floor defensively and he’s likely going to have a chip on his shoulder after falling out of the top five in this draft. The Blazers have a ton of guards, so adding Clingan fits the roster as well.
No. 6: Charlotte Hornets, Tidjane Salaun
Grade: C
Salaun has been talked about as a raw prospect with high upside, similar to Holland. Charlotte is in a position to shoot for that upside, and at least the Hornets aren’t loading up on scorers. Salaun is going to take some time to round into form but he could be a defensive force given his size.
No. 5: Detroit Pistons, Ron Holland
Grade: B
Holland was potentially going to go high in the lottery but this would be a bit of a reach for anyone but Detroit. The Pistons are going for pure upside at this point and are in the midst of a deep rebuild. They don’t even have a coach, so there’s not much to debate regarding their picks. Holland is an athletic wing who will spend a lot of time developing.
No. 4: San Antonio Spurs, Stephon Castle
Grade: A
The Spurs are about to get a great perimeter defender to pair with Victor Wembanyama, who will contend for the Defensive Player of the Year award next year. Castle can play multiple positions and will immediately contribute. His biggest weakness is his shot, and there’s no better place to fix that than San Antonio.
No. 3: Houston Rockets, Reed Sheppard
Grade: A
I’m higher on Sheppard than most draft analysts. Despite his stinker in the NCAA tournament, Sheppard came off the bench and helped orchestrate one of the most explosive offenses in college basketball. He’s not going to have to play right away for Houston with Fred VanVleet, which will allow him to contribute off the bench. He’s a sharpshooter who will eventually have the keys to what should be a fun team.
No. 2: Washington Wizards, Alex Sarr
Grade: B
The Wizards need help all over the place, especially defensively. Sarr fits that bill and he’s versatile enough to guard multiple positions. If he fills out a bit, he can even hold his own against centers. I don’t know that he’s necessarily a franchise player but he’s going to be an important contributor in this league. His offensive skills are almost nonexistent at this point, so that’s something he’ll have to develop to truly make good on this selection.
No. 1: Atlanta Hawks, Zaccharie Risacher
Grade: C+
I don’t know that Risacher is the best player in this draft, but he does have some upside as a knockdown three-point shooter. He’s been inconsistent from the perimeter though, and the Hawks don’t necessarily need more offense. It’ll be interesting to see what Atlanta does with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray in the offseason, which will ultimately determine how this team operates. For now, Risacher joins a loaded wing rotation and will hope to improve defensively while proving he can be a consistent offensive threat.