The first two-day draft in NBA history was completed Thursday, with heightened attention on the end of the second round due to Bronny James, LeBron’s son, getting selected by the Los Angeles Lakers. Here are our winners and losers from the 2024 draft.
Winner: France
The Year of Wembanyama is a tough act to follow. That idea was looming over this entire draft cycle and its collection of prospects. France’s encore: both of the top two picks, three of the top six and four of the top 25. Now that John Calipari is changing schools after one last crop of Kentucky lottery picks, Big Blue Nation might be passing the torch overseas. The Paris Olympics can’t get here fast enough.
Loser: Detroit Pistons
The Pistons are stuck in a cycle of mild disappointment with the lottery result followed by tempered optimism with the pick. No doubt Ron Holland is talented. But there’s just no way around it: He’s another non-shooter. With G League Ignite last year, he was 24% from 3-point range. In the last three years, the Pistons have selected four lottery picks who shot a combined 32.5% from three in their respective pre-draft seasons. Spacing the floor doesn’t seem to be a priority.
Winners: Timberwolves and Spurs
In a draft class that was understood to be lacking in star power, a 2024 Western Conference finalist who needed offense somehow emerged from the first round with two of the most talented ball-in-hand scorers on the board. Props to Minnesota GM Tim Connelly for the aggression. Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. are both conceivable rotation pieces. On the other side of Minnesota’s trade-up for the No. 8 pick, the vision makes sense for San Antonio. UConn’s Stephon Castle was already exciting at No. 4, so the Spurs sacrificed their second lottery pick and got back a 2030 first-round pick swap (the year after Anthony Edwards is a free agent) and 2031 unprotected first — a gamble on the eventual demise of a small-market team. On top of that, the trade makes sense short-term. It’s worth being patient with Wembanyama for one more season and entering the lottery sweepstakes with a loaded 2025 draft class on deck.
Loser: Two-big lineups
Elsewhere in the West, the Trail Blazers were fortunate enough to have UConn center Donovan Clingan fall into their laps at No. 7 after weeks of top-five buzz. It was a good pick but set up a clunky situation with Clingan and Deandre Ayton now on the roster. Two picks later, the Grizzlies bit on Zach Edey in a potentially over-zealous move that implies a starting lineup featuring Purdue’s old-school big next to Jaren Jackson Jr. If everyone’s suddenly trying to emulate what Connelly built in Minnesota, these don’t feel like they’re going to be the most successful examples.
Winner: Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat
Calvin Booth’s self-assurance as a draft scout might be his defining characteristic, for better or worse. It led him to trade up six spots this year. The Nuggets are burning through future draft assets, but DaRon Holmes II is a picture-perfect fit for their frontcourt needs if his athleticism and versatility can translate. Alongside Holmes in the post-lottery steal category of big men is Kel’el Ware, a floor-spacing 7-footer who went 15th to Miami.
Loser: Milwaukee Bucks
The most baffling pick in the entire draft: AJ Johnson at No. 23. Never mind that Milwaukee probably could’ve traded down to the second round for Johnson, based on where most draft boards had the NBL prospect. More alarming is the question of how a 2.9 point-per-game 19-year-old fits within the Bucks’ win-now timeline. Giannis ain’t getting any younger.
Winner: Dalton Knecht
Even after his unexpected slide? You bet. Knecht was a consensus lottery projection who fell to the Lakers at No. 17. It’s a perfect outcome for the Denver-area prospect. Instead of disappearing for a few years in Charlotte or Portland, he gets to learn from LeBron James on a team that’s trying to convince itself it’s a contender. He’s easy to see as a plug-and-play selection for a roster that has struggled with depth. And he’ll get half as much attention (that’s generous) as the Lakers’ 55th overall pick, at least until the season starts, and then he’ll have just as many eyeballs on him. Come for Bronny James, stay for that other draft pick who’s making an impact.
Loser: Oklahoma City Thunder
OK, the Thunder had an admirable draft, particularly the Nikola Topic pick. But they’ll always be losers for neglecting Auburn’s Jaylin Williams in the second round and failing to form the most indistinguishable Big Three in NBA history. (What would the third nickname have been, with J-Dub and J-Will taken?) Instead, the Nuggets snagged Williams on an Exhibit 10 contract after the draft ended, a source told The Denver Post.
Winner: Utah Jazz
Colorado’s Cody Williams at 10? Positional size and upside on the wing. USC’s Isaiah Collier at 29? A former No. 1 recruit in his class, ready to develop into a backcourt weapon. Duke’s Kyle Filipowski at 32? A center who can dribble, pass and shoot is rare enough in the first round. Utah might’ve had the best draft in the league.
Originally Published: June 28, 2024 at 8:55 a.m.
