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NBA-DRAFT NIGHT
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A most interesting night is ahead for NBA fans.
A most unique collection of players in this year’s draft too.
They have poured in from Europe. They are in a siege of underclassmen. Some are from the NBA-G League Ignite team.
There could be trades involving teams with multiple draft picks, trying to move up the board.
And there are veteran players out there who could be involved in package deals too.
Here’s a New York Times look at ‘who goes where’ possibly in the first round:
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1. Atlanta Hawks
Donovan Clingan | 7-2 center | 20 years old | Connecticut
The conversation around the Hawks has been fascinating to track. Despite Hawks’ general manager Landry Fields saying the team is comfortable selecting at No. 1, league sources continue to get the impression Atlanta is open to offers for the right deal.
One reason: Clingan is the name I have heard linked with the Hawks most often over this past week. He wouldn’t be the sexiest pick, but would fill a few objectives for Atlanta. Firstly, the organization has not yet shown any indication of rebuilding, so it might prefer to select a player who can fit with its roster sooner rather than later. Secondly, coach Quin Snyder had success in Utah building around an elite big man screener and rim protector in Rudy Gobert. Clingan, who impressed in a recent workout for Atlanta, would provide the Hawks a potentially dominant interior presence and high-character big locked up for the near term.
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Clingan had a monster close to the season, helping lead Connecticut to a second straight national title while averaging 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks over his last 18 games, including 16 points, 9.4 rebounds and three blocks in his last seven. After returning from early-season ankle and foot injuries and getting back up to speed, he was one of the most dominant players in college basketball and was arguably the most imposing defender in the country through his sheer presence.
In my last mock draft in early June, I noted Clingan has been viewed as a potential option to go in the top three, and that remains the case. The Hawks might view Clingan more as a potential trade-down target and believe Risacher is a better potential option if they keep the No. 1 pick. The team has a workout with Risacher scheduled this week, which could result in a change of course in one direction or another. This selection process doesn’t seem like a done deal at this stage.
Atlanta might not even be able to move down all that far if it wants Clingan, as several teams picking below the top 3, including Memphis and Chicago, are interested in him and might try to trade up themselves.
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2. Washington Wizards
Alex Sarr | 7-0 big | 19 years old | Perth Wildcats
League sources continue connecting Sarr to Washington if he falls to No. 2. The Wizards, under Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins, are in the market for upside swings, according to league sources. Dawkins comes from the Oklahoma City Thunder tree, where positional size, skill and on-court intelligence reign supreme. The Thunder selected another perimeter 7-footer at No. 2 (Chet Holmgren) during Dawkins’ tenure there, and it’s possible Dawkins sees Sarr as a different, yet stylistically similar player. At 7-feet tall with long arms and remarkable athleticism, Sarr fits that bill if his development comes together.
Sarr is a defensive difference-maker who covers a ton of ground with his arms and quick feet, much like Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr., Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton. Sarr flies around off the ball and can thrive in a variety of ball-screen coverages, ranging from switching to drop. If he’s waiting at the rim and opponents challenge him, odds are he’ll contest the shot, if not outright block it.
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The other end of the floor is the question. Sarr has shown potential as a rim runner in ball screens, but for the most part, his offensive game involves pick-and-pops, and he doesn’t make great screen contact. He’s not a high-impact defensive rebounder, which has led to some questioning if he can consistently play center in the NBA. If Sarr indeed requires a more physical center alongside him, his limited offensive game might be exposed. He’s best served playing next to a floor-spacing five, unless he can become a dangerous perimeter shooter himself.
3. Houston Rockets (from Brooklyn Nets)
Reed Sheppard | 6-2 guard | 20 years old | Kentucky
The Rockets are well stocked with young players, with a potential all-star big man in Alperen Şengün, plus athletic wings and forwards in Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason. Last year’s No. 4 pick, Amen Thompson, possesses similar size, but he was drafted as a point guard and played tremendously down the stretch of the 2023-24 season as a do-everything, multi-positional talent.
The Rockets don’t have a “need” among their young core positionally, which allows them to explore several avenues with this pick. Unsurprisingly, league sources continue to believe the Rockets will explore trading it. With young talent in addition to this pick and control of the Nets’ picks in 2025 (swap), 2026 (outright) and 2027 (swap), there might be no team more well-positioned to make a star trade.
For now, I went with Sheppard. His stock is polarizing, with more analytically inclined organizations seeing him as a No. 1 pick contender and others viewing him more as a late lottery pick due to his lack of size. At this point, it seems likely he’ll be drafted somewhere within the top half of the lottery. The Rockets can afford to take a chance on him because he is an ideal connective piece for their young talent. In particular, he’s an elite shooter, which is the one skill this young core lacks. While Smith can hit from the perimeter, Green has had stretches of great shot-making and Whitmore has the potential to fill it up, teams don’t guard Eason, and neither Şengün or Thompson are proficient marksmen.
Sheppard also thinks the game at an elite level and quickly moves the ball to get everyone involved. He averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting an absurd 53.6 percent from the field and 52.1 percent from 3. He also blocked nearly a shot per game and grabbed 2.5 steals.
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4. San Antonio Spurs
Zaccharie Risacher | 6-8 wing/forward | 19 years old | JL Bourg
Risacher remains firmly in the mix to go No. 1 overall, and his name remains connected with Atlanta. However, if he is not the No. 1 pick, it’s plausible he drops into the No. 4 or 5 range if the Rockets and Wizards like Sheppard and Sarr. League sources believe the Spurs are interested in Risacher as a player who fits Victor Wembanyama’s age timeline, but was also productive in a real professional environment this season for France’s JL Bourg.
For his part, Risacher turned on the jets in the French league playoffs, averaging 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds in two series against Nanterre and Monaco. The French wing also produced at a high level in EuroCup competition. Overall, he averaged 11.1 points across 65 EuroCup and French League games while shooting 47 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from 3 and 70.7 percent from the free-throw line. He rebounded at a reasonable rate for a wing and has shown some passing and decision-making chops.
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This last playoff burst was critical for Risacher’s stock. After a prolonged three-month shooting slump, Risacher seemed to be dropping. However, league sources still see Risacher as a likely top-four pick following his excellent final month.
5. Detroit Pistons
Matas Buzelis | 6-9 wing/forward | 19 years old | G League Ignite
This pick is a key swing spot in the draft. League sources are struggling to determine the preferences of new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon, since he wasn’t running the show in New Orleans. However, the Pelicans have a history of taking long, rangy players such as Herb Jones, Dyson Daniels and Trey Murphy. That type of bigger wing also seems to be among the most notable positional needs for the Pistons.
Buzelis ticks that box at least, offering positional size for the wing/forward role. Players with somewhat similar profiles in last year’s class, such as Charlotte’s Brandon Miller, Memphis’ G.G. Jackson, Washington’s Bilal Coulibaly and Whitmore, put together promising rookie seasons while flashing skills they didn’t consistently display in their pre-draft seasons. Perhaps that will happen with Buzelis, too, after a G League Ignite season in which he averaged 14.1 points per game, but only shot 45.5 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from 3. (He upped those numbers to 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 blocks over his last 13 games).
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6. Charlotte Hornets
Stephon Castle | 6-6 wing | 19 years old | Connecticut
The Hornets’ pick is seen as another inflection point, as teams around the league are unclear on the direction new head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson will take. Peterson was an assistant GM in Brooklyn and Atlanta, and his teams made varied picks during his time there.
Instead, I have the Hornets drafting Castle to be a strong fit between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. My latest intel indicates Castle is likely to come off of the board somewhere between the No. 4 and No. 8 picks. He’s a tremendous defender with size and attributes that help teams win games. He got publicity at the NBA combine for saying he views himself as a point guard, but NBA teams largely classify him as a secondary playmaker who could grow into more on-ball reps in time.
Sources connected to the Connecticut program rave about Castle’s character and competitiveness; many loved his willingness to do whatever it took for the Huskies. He took on the defensive stopper role at times on players such as Alabama’s Mark Sears at the Final Four or Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman during the season. He shared responsibilities for initiating the offense, showcasing passing skill and an ability to get to the rim. He moved the ball well across the perimeter and was a high-impact player on both ends despite making only 27 percent of his 3s. He stepped up in almost all of their big games, including a 21-point Final Four performance and a 15-point national title game showing.
7. Portland Trail Blazers
Cody Williams | 6-7 wing | 19 years old | Colorado
The younger brother of blossoming Thunder wing Jalen Williams, Cody profiles as the kind of prized high-end prospect who can pressure the rim, pass, make plays and potentially defend multiple positions. Standing 6-7 with a 7-1 wingspan, Williams showed the ability to play some point guard this past season in addition to attacking in transition and slashing from the wing in a straight line. He struggled to finish after an ankle injury sapped some of his explosiveness, but in his 14 games before the injury, he averaged 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 60.6 percent from the field.
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The Blazers should take another bite at filling their bigger wing role, and evaluators largely see Williams’ upside as quite high. However, Portland is another team league sources are connecting with a lot of players following massive groups of workouts. The consensus is they have interest in Clingan, but this iteration of the mock does not shake out in a way that has them move up and get him.
8. San Antonio Spurs (via Raptors)
Dalton Knecht | 6-5 wing | 23 years old | Tennessee
The Spurs’ No. 8 selection is the one to which league sources have connected the widest range of players. Devin Carter had a tremendous workout in San Antonio. Tidjane Salaun is still seen as an option. Throughout the year, the Spurs were connected with Nikola Topić as a potential long-term answer at lead guard, though Topić’s partially torn ACL has thrown that impression for a loop. Matas Buzelis has been raised as an option if he were to fall to No. 8, as has Cody Williams. This also appears to be Stephon Castle’s floor if he falls on draft night. Whenever a team is connected with this many players, it indicates to league sources (and me) that the Spurs have done a tremendous job of setting smoke screens. It’s difficult to gauge their plans.
Knecht is the other name league sources have recently connected to San Antonio, and the Tennesse product makes sense considering the Spurs were among the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA last season. Knecht scored at a dizzying pace in college, averaging 25.5 points in 18 SEC games while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from 3. Overall, he averaged 21.7 points per game on 46 percent from the field, but those stats are dragged down by a stretch where he played at less than 100 percent following an ankle injury.
His offense should translate to NBA settings. Not only is he a terrific shooter, especially off movement, but he’s also a higher-end athlete than most shooters. He can sky in transition and finish inside with hang time.
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9. Memphis Grizzlies
Devin Carter | 6-2 guard | 22 years old | Providence
No potential lottery selection has helped themselves more throughout the pre-draft process than Carter. He’s taken an “anywhere, anytime” approach to workouts, feeling confident he can measure up to the best players in the class. Like Jaime Jaquez last season, Carter is an older prospect who has shown up in front of teams and given anyone he’s faced difficulty with his athleticism, elite defense and work rate. Team sources have also touted him as leaving one of the strongest impressions in pre-draft interviews.
Carter was one of the best players in college basketball this past season. The son of former NBA point guard Anthony Carter, Devin improved in each of his last five seasons. However, Carter’s biggest jump this past campaign came on offense. After years of being a questionable shooter, Carter hit 37.7 percent of his nearly seven 3-point attempts per game. His shot is something of a moon ball that arcs high in the air, but it went in consistently this season. Several teams in the No. 9 to 15 range are excited by Carter, and he might hear his name called higher than this.
Carter’s father is an assistant coach on the Grizzlies’ staff, so they have all of the possible intel on him. However, the Grizzlies are seen league-wide as a potential threat to trade their selection. President of basketball operations Zach Kleiman has a history of aggressively moving up the board to acquire the player he wants: Recent first-round picks Desmond Bane, Brandon Clarke, Jake LaRavia, Santi Aldama and Ziaire Williams were each acquired in trade-up moves. Memphis is more than willing to move around the board in either direction.
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10. Utah Jazz
Tidjane Salaun | 6-9 wing/forward | 18 years old | Cholet
The Jazz continue to prioritize positional size and length, and Salaun ticks those boxes. He is a big forward with some perimeter skill who has been productive for his age in the French League and Basketball Champions League this season, averaging 9.5 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 32 percent from behind the 3-point line. He has a smooth stroke and also shows some upside handling the ball in transition.
More importantly, Salaun simply plays hard and has terrific basketball character. He is aggressive and willing to play physically in the paint despite a still-developing frame. He’d fill several different holes for Utah.
It wouldn’t be a large surprise to see the Jazz try to move up or down the board, as there are several players above them they like, including Carter and Williams, league sources tell The Athletic.
11. Chicago Bulls
Nikola Topić | 6-6 lead guard | 18 years old | Crvena zvezda
Topić’s draft range is one of the biggest talking points around the league now. There seems to be uncertainty about when he’s picked. That has a lot to do with his knee injury, which was diagnosed as a partially torn ACL earlier this month.
It also has to do with teams’ attempts to get a handle on his game. In 13 Adriatic League games for Mega Basket before his transfer to Crvena zvezda, Topić averaged 18.6 points and 6.9 assists while shooting 52.4 percent from the field. He’s a dynamic ball-screen distributor and consistently lived in the paint in the Adriatic League, which consists of the top teams from the six countries that once made up Yugoslavia. He can execute nearly every pass in the book once he gets a downhill advantage and hits teammates with flair and creativity. Topić also scores proficiently at the rim, using inventive touch to finish high off the glass and around rim protectors.
However, after moving over to Crvena zvezda (also known as Red Star) for the second half of the season, he wasn’t quite as impactful, even before getting hurt.
The Bulls are a difficult team to peg and have brought in a wide range of prospects for visits. Additionally, league sources are still unsure of the team’s plans with DeMar DeRozan (an unrestricted free agent), Alex Caruso and Zach LaVine this summer.
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12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Rockets)
Bub Carrington | 6-4 guard | 18 years old | Pittsburgh
The Thunder have a loaded core with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, as well as a ton of effective role players. But they also need another backcourt scorer and ballhandler, especially if they look to move Josh Giddey this summer before having to decide on giving him a rookie-contract extension. Cason Wallace, last year’s first-round pick, had a terrific rookie season and could develop into that kind of player. In today’s game, though, you can’t have enough players with real dribble/pass/shoot attributes.
Carrington was the talk of the scouting community after NCAA conference championship week, when he put together several monster games as Pittsburgh made a late bid for the NCAA Tournament. He’s also had a strong start to his pre-draft process, with several teams noting his impressive pro day. There is an expectation he will be selected somewhere within the first 20 picks.
Carrington is a monster pull-up shooter and sharp passer, and became an improved defender throughout the season. He was productive in averaging 13.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, though he shot 41.2 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from 3. He’s also the youngest high-level college player in the class, not turning 19 until July. Despite that youth, he processes the game exceptionally well.
13. Sacramento Kings
Rob Dillingham | 6-1 guard | 19 years old | Kentucky
League sources believe the Kings want to accentuate their readymade core with other players they feel can help them win now. They only fell to 46 wins this season after winning 48 and establishing themselves as a team to reckon with in 2022-23. However, the Western Conference got better around them, and the Kings don’t want to stay in the Play-in position they found themselves in following that breakout season. That thought process could result in this pick being available for the right veteran.
Dillingham averaged 15.2 points and 3.9 assists per game this past season while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3. He maintains control well despite playing at a fast pace, using a bevy of crossovers and well-timed hesitation moves to maximize his speed. Evaluators are confident he’ll be able to separate from his man in the NBA.
If the Kings end up keeping the pick, Dillingham would be an intriguing potential replacement for Malik Monk, another Kentucky guard who may depart in free agency with Sacramento limited in what it can offer him due to Early Bird rights.
14. Portland Trail Blazers (via Warriors)
Zach Edey | 7-4 center | 22 years old | Purdue
Edey was the best player in college basketball, averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and more than two blocks per game on his way to back-to-back National Player of the Year awards. He establishes position anywhere and everywhere on the court because of his size and strength, yet possesses remarkable touch around the rim. One could make the case he was the best screen-setter in the country with the way he crushed guards trying to get through and rolled to the rim for deep post-ups or easy buckets. Edey improved defensively over his time in college, becoming an impactful drop-coverage pick-and-roll defender who took up enough space to dissuade guards from driving and finishing around the basket.
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The issue with his fit in the NBA is obvious: He’s 7-4 and doesn’t move particularly well laterally. Can he stop ballhandlers from turning the corner on him? Can he get back in transition in the up-and-down NBA?
Despite those concerns, Edey appears to be rising right now. It would be a surprise to see him get outside of the top-22 or so picks. I have Portland selecting him with the final pick of the lottery, as the Blazers are exploring frontcourt options. In particular, Edey’s screening would be a godsend for guards like Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons after last season’s Portland group struggled to gain any sort of separation.
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15. Miami Heat
Ron Holland | 6-7 wing | 18 years old | G League Ignite
Holland was the Ignite’s most productive player last season, averaging 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while being one of the team’s few offensive creators. Most of those points, however, came in transition or inefficiently in half-court settings. He had a below-average true shooting percentage and more turnovers than assists as he struggled with his decision-making. Those issues are somewhat to be expected from an 18-year-old playing professionally for the first time, but they also have made it tricky for evaluators to slot him. He also missed the end of the G League season with a thumb injury that occurred as he was beginning to improve.
Holland’s motor excites NBA teams the most. He constantly plays hard, getting the most out of his athleticism. His energy can sometimes cause him to be overaggressive and overly physical on defense, but amid the Ignite’s poor season, Holland showed a capacity for growth that impressed many scouts.
His range is seen as quite wide right now. He hasn’t had a strong pre-draft process; he struggled to impress teams during visits and at his pro day, according to league sources. However, Holland isn’t the type of player who typically impresses in those situations, so teams would be wise not to over-index on that portion of the process.
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16. Philadelphia 76ers
Jared McCain | 6-2 guard | 20 years old | Duke
Many league sources believe the 76ers could move their first-round pick to get immediate help. Philadelphia has cleared significant cap space to go star-hunting, so, if the right deal becomes available, this pick could be used to further that goal. Even if the Sixers believe they could potentially sign a star in free agency, filling out the roster with ready-made veterans around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey will be critical.
McCain was seen as a potential one-and-done lottery prospect entering the season before a slow start made evaluators pause. However, over the last two-thirds of the season, McCain was one of the best freshman scorers in high-major college basketball. Starting with Duke’s Dec. 9 game against Charlotte, McCain averaged 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists over his last 28 games. He made 41.6 percent of his 6.4 3-point attempts per game during that span and consistently got into the lane in transition or when driving closeouts. I also thought he improved drastically on defense over his final 15 or so games.
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His fit with Tyrese Maxey is not ideal because of their size, but I don’t expect Daryl Morey to draft based on fit when the 76ers have so few players under contract next season.
17. Los Angeles Lakers
Tristan da Silva | 6-8 forward | 23 years old | Colorado
The New Orleans Pelicans had an option to take the Lakers’ No. 17 pick this year or defer the pick to 2025. They decided to do the latter, which allowed the Lakers to retain this selection. This is another pick many believe is ripe to be moved as the Lakers scour the trade market for immediate upgrades around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
If they keep it, da Silva is an oft-mentioned option. Other scouts have finally come around following his strong finish to the year and play in the NCAA Tournament. Over his final 14 games, da Silva averaged 17.1 points while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from 3. He grabbed 4.6 rebounds, dished out 2.2 assists and grabbed 1.3 steals. He’s made nearly 40 percent from 3 over the last two seasons.
Da Silva moves well without the ball but can also handle it himself and make good passing decisions. He processes the game quickly and plays at a high speed, even if he doesn’t have great athletic tools. He isn’t an elite defender, but he’s smart, adequate against other forwards and sharp off the ball. He ticks a lot of boxes that make him profile well as a solid rotation player in today’s NBA.