For those who hearken to analysts, pundits, observers and NBA personnel speaking concerning the 2024 draft, you’ll get the distinct impression that this can be a “weak draft” or a “unhealthy draft.”
Granted, there is not a “no-brainer” choice on the very prime and there are no surefire All-Stars within the lottery, as now we have seen in previous drafts, however there may be nonetheless expertise and worth. Take a look at it this manner: If Jalen Brunson (Villanova) and Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa State) had been popping out of faculty this 12 months as a substitute of some years in the past, folks would nonetheless name this a weak draft.
The draft, which is able to happen Wednesday and Thursday (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+), just isn’t as attractive or highly effective on the prime as final 12 months’s Victor Wembanyama draft or subsequent 12 months’s Cooper Flagg draft. However there’s a lot to love concerning the prospects who will likely be within the inexperienced room and past this 12 months. Bear in mind, the draft is a two-day occasion for the primary time this 12 months, with the primary spherical on Wednesday and the second spherical on Thursday, giving groups extra time to pick out and to make trades.
This 12 months marks my twenty second straight NBA draft sitting on the important desk.
My first NBA draft for ESPN was in 2003, when LeBron James was the No. 1 choice — and I had hair to comb earlier than we went on the air. Over that point interval, there have been nice drafts and less-than-great drafts, however high quality expertise has at all times been discovered yearly.
Whereas I can not argue persuasively with those that say this isn’t a red-carpet, marquee-name draft, listed below are 10 prospects I actually like, and why: