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Reacting to ESPN’s 2024 NBA Mock Draft



Reacting to ESPN’s 2024 NBA Mock Draft

All right so ESPN just dropped their new 2024 NBA mock draft and I want to react to it I currently don’t have ESPN plus right now and on three this website just basically reposted it so I’m going to react to it here definitely reasonable if you want to call me cheap in the

Comments but yeah let me know also if you guys like to hear my opinions on any of their outlets and their mock drafts as well this is from Jonathan gavone I’ll leave a link to that article in the description as well he’s their number one draft guy he definitely gives some

Really good thoughts and opinions so they did this on projection since obviously the lottery is until May and with the number one pick theyve the Washington Wizards taking Zach rasher out of France playing a JL Borg right now and rasher has definitely gained some hype to go number one overall and

It’s definitely looking like this can happen because he’s going to be an efficient shooter to next level but I think he projects to be more of a complimentary piece rather than somebody you’re building around but I think that’d be fine for the Wizards cuz obviously they don’t even know who their

Franchise player is yet obviously like the Detroit Pistons have Kate Cunningham the Spurs have Victor wanyama the Hornets have lamelo ball we don’t really know who that is for the wizard yet because their most paid guy is Jordan P not working out bow Kali could be that

Guy but it may not be for a little bit and I think I’ve seen a couple guys go projected number one but it seems like rasay definitely has the most hype to go number one right so number two he has the Detroit Pistons selecting Alex SAR I’d still probably go SAR number one

Overall if I were any of these teams I think SAR does project to have some jumper at the NBA level where you could play him next to Jaylen durren obviously we’re going to need to see more reps out of him as we lead up to the draft and it

May take a lot of time for him to develop a consistent jumper at the NBA level but who knows maybe Detroit ends up trading out of this pick CU They Don’t Really Love SAR as a fit maybe they opt for a wing with AER off the

Board and they take the next best guy but he’s going to be an elite rim protector and I think he has one of the highest floors out have anybody in this class all right this is a shocker number three overall he is the San Antonio Spurs selecting Rob Dillingham out of

Kentucky now Rob Dillingham is an absolute Beast this year you can see he’s averaging just under 15 points three rebounds and four assists for the Wildcats on good efficiency too almost 50% from the field almost 45% from three doesn’t need to work on those free

Throws though he is 61 62 so a little bit undersized for a guard but this dude is a Flatout bucket Kentucky is one of the more deeper teams in the country and seems to be a little underwhelming this year but they just lost against LSU on the road but it wasn’t because of

Dillingh him he came off the bench he had 23 points he looked a little shaky for the first half of that game but really showed out in that fourth quarter when the game mattered the most I mean he continues to come off the bench for the team he should play more than 22

Minutes a night for the wild cats and I really like the idea of him and San Antonio three seems a little bit High Nicole topic is still my point guard one in this class and I think has a higher ceiling than Dillingham but Dillingham probably has a higher floor and if you

Want to be safe with this pick at three I get it this is a little bit of a shocker Matas buellis at number four to the Charlotte Hornets out of the g-league ignite buellis has played in 18 games for the ignite this season he shooting 45% from the field 28% from

Three and 65% from the line the ignite have been an absolute mess he did show out a little bit in the rising star Showcase in all-star weekend I mean he’s a 610 forward that’s obviously going to be very appealing to the modern-day game and I think Charlotte could look for a

Wing to pair him up with Brandon Miller alongside Mark Williams and lamelo ball so I get that I don’t think I would go buas I wouldn’t go over him over his g-league teammate Ron Holland just because of Ron Holland’s defensive potential I wouldn’t go over Cody Williams because I think Cody Williams

Will be a more consistent complimentary shooter to somebody like lamelo ball or Brandon Miller but I think this is way too high for Monas right now I know he has a lot of potential I just wouldn’t be a fan of him to Charlotte so I just mentioned Cody Williams he is Cody

Williams going to Portland at five thankfully does not have them taking a point guard I’ve seen way too many mocks of the Blazers using their first on a lead guard especially if they are picking this high with Cody Williams on the board it would just make no sense for

Them to take like a toe pitch or a cast so they get Cody Williams the younger brother of Jaylen Williams out of Colorado he’s been efficient this season 59% from the field 47% from three just 70% from the line it is a little misleading for those three-pointers

Though cuz he is just taking two a night so you’d like to see him take a little bit more and sometimes it feels like he’s trying to preserve his high three-point percentage and passes up solid looks and it’s some late games for Colorado this season he’s definitely

Been phased out of their offense and he looks like maybe the third or fourth best player on the buffalo’s team and he wasn’t a great shooter in high school as well so if he could be somewhat consistent because obvious obviously 47% is not sustainable if he could be a high

30s guy at the NBA level could be a great complimentary piece to scoot Henderson and anery Simons he could play alongside either Shaden sharp or Jeremy Grant it could be a nice two three or four at the NBA level because he has the size and the frame to be a good Defender

Maybe needs to get a Little Bit Stronger though so he is the Toronto Raptor selecting nicoa topen six overall I think this is incredible value like I said I would have taken him third overall to the San Antonio Spurs in this mock he definitely has a slower style of

Play similar to somebody like Luca donic said he did start playing EUR League ball this year but got hurt kind of right away in that I mean he’s 18 years old and he’s already 6600 200 lb that projects to be a pretty good athlete at the NBA level anyone MVP honors at the

Feba under 18 European championship last year that’s still pretty impressive and him and Toronto could be really fun because I don’t think emanel Quickly’s like the franchise point guard he could be a one he could be a two he may come off the bench that may better suit him

So I like this fit for Toronto we got Memphis here at number seven selecting jacobe Walter out of Balor Walter’s kind of been all over the place especially as of late has not been very efficient for the Bor bears that have been kind of fluu uating with their ranking college

Basketball this season he’s kind of the one or the two on this team so at least we’re seeing a high volume he’s taking 11 shots a night six of those being three so I think this 32% on six attempts is kind of encouraging because he’s shooting 85% from the line so it

Makes me think he could shoot north of 35% from three at the NBA level I don’t know if he’s going to be as efficient as a three level scorer as maybe Scouts thought he could be earlier in the Big 12 Conference play I don’t know if I

Love the fit of him in Memphis though specifically there’s some other players I think I would opt for them to take here at seven maybe a complimentary piece like Reed Shepard or take one of the best defensive Wings in this class Ron Holland okay he is the Houston

Rockets selecting tjn salon number eight this pick is via Brooklyn from the James Harden trade I don’t like this I think Salon should not be a top 10 pick right now especially with the way this mock is going I could like to see Houston maybe add some more big men depth this could

Be the range where you see guys like Kyle filipowski kle wear Eve Missy Donovan kingan start going I just mentioned Ron Holland I think he would be a great fit this team I think Reed Shepard could be also a great complimentary piece being how efficient he’s been at Kentucky this season so I’m

Not a fan of Salon to the rockets at eight right now he’s going to take a little bit of time to develop I don’t know if he’d be a good enough Defender right away in meoka system so he’s got the OKC Thunder selecting Kyle filipowski number nine I like them

Taking a big man here but once again with Ron Holland on the board I don’t really see the appeal of taking filipowski ahead of Holland filipowski would have been a top 20 pick last year but decided to stay a Duke and if he ended up going here in the top 10

Definitely would have been worth it he is averaging 17 points and eight rebounds this year for the Duke Blue Devils he’s also improved his three-point shot going from 28% as a freshman to 34% as a sophomore maybe a little bit undersized the NBA level to

Be a center but could be a nice backup for for the Thunder I don’t hate the pick I really like the idea of the Hawks getting Ron Holland here at 10 Holland is 68 200 lb he was like the number one Prospect coming out of last year’s High

School class originally he was supposed to go to Texas decommitted now playing for the ignite like brelis and a lot of guys that have came through the g-league ignite system has struggled with his efficiency 44% from the field 24% from three 76% from the line he does not pass

The ball all too well sometimes has tunnel vision and a 3.2 assist to three turnover ratio is isn’t great I think that’s more of a g-league ignite issue not a Ron Holland issue but he could be a really good Defender at the NBA level he’s been incredible for the ignite this

Year on that side of the floor and that could be a great piece to a Hawks team that could retool its complete roster this off season all right so let’s hit on the rest of the first round here th G Donovan kingan at 11 hey they had

Filipowski and kingan in this draft I would be a big fan of that the Thunder haven’t really drafted that many bigs in The Last 5 Years I mean you could add pukui in the 2020 draft and then obviously you had Chad homr in 20 so

This would be a good way for the Thunder to beef up their front Court depth so I’m a fan of it but if you just added Ron Holland and kingan in this draft or Shepard and kingan I’d like that a little bit more in my opinion there are

Some medical concerns with kingan though coming out of the draft so we’ll see how how he goes with those issues maybe flaring up or just appearing in Medicals on draft time next up we got Reed Shepard going to the Bulls at 12 I think this is really good value for Chicago I

Think Shepard is a borderline top 10 Prospect in this class it’s because of the efficiency it’s because of the playmaking ability and he’s going to be I think a perfect complimentary piece at the next level it’d be really fun to watch him and Kobe White in the back

Court next year for the Bulls if they move LaVine this off season he’s averaging 12 points four rebounds and four assists shooting 52 from the field 51% from three and 80% from the line those numbers alone should warrant a lottery pick next up we got Zach to the

Kings at 13 this may be the dumbest pick in this whole mock you go to any other draft Outlet like the athletic like CBS sports whicher report nobody has Ed in the lottery just nobody does so I don’t get why johnan gavone and ESPN loves thinking that Ed will be a lottery pick

I don’t think he should be obviously he’s one of the best players you could say he is the best player in college basketball I mean he has some great statistics he’s a fouryear senior if you watch this guy play there’s no way he’s going to be able to keep up with NBA

Center athletes like yes he’s 74 yes he’s 285 but that is a giant to the kids he’s playing in the NCA level it’s another beast at the NBA level it’s not going to be that impressive that he’s 74 285 I think he’s probably projected to

Be a good backup big man in the NBA if you were to stay healthy but for a Kings team I would not take Ed here at 13 there’s other bigs that I like I like like Don Holmes more than him I like E Mei kle wear Tyler Smith out of the g-

League ignite I just don’t know what ESPN loves about Zach need to take him here at 13 Pelicans getting Isaiah ker at 14 this pick is from the ad trade last time the Pelicans took a pick at the back end of the lottery with Kyrie

Lois didn’t work out but ker was a top prospect coming into the year got off to a rough start at USC but has been a beast as of late for them this dude is an absolute bowling ball when he’s driving to the rim he scored 25 against Colorado 15 against Utah 18 against

Stanford 20 against Cal she 26 against Stanford again he’s been playing well in conference play and I would much rather have Isaiah ker on my team going forward than Zach EDI we got Toronto Raptor selecting Stefan castle at 15 Castle could be a project play but maybe

Perfect for this Toronto Raptors team if they ended up with castle and Topic in this draft that would be really fun because at least one of those guys should work out as your franchise point guard I don’t know why we have Kevin mcculler going to 16 to Miami I hate

This pick as well mcculler has been really inefficient as of late as you could see some injuries in there shot 29% against Cincy 27% against Iowa State played well against Houston 33% against Kansas State 28% against Oklahoma he’s also a 5year senior as well so he was 23

Years old but hey maybe that’s what the heat want to go for I just like better upper classman than him like take dos and connect there they got Devon Carter going to the Blazers at 17 I like that he’s not really a lead point guard he’s more known for his defense at a

Providence so I’m cool with that he can play alongside scoot Henderson I love dalon connect going into the magic at 18 I think that’s who the heat should probably take at 16 I think maybe that’s who the king should take at 13 love the Knicks getting Ty Smith out of the

G-league ignite at 19 could space the floor as a big man love the Sixers getting Jared McCain at 20 one of the best Shooters in this draft a little bit under sized doesn’t have a super high ceiling but he’s like I said one of the best Shooters in this class and as a

Freshman son’s getting Ryan d a 21 I do not know how dun doesn’t go in the top 20 he’s the best defender in this class yes there are concerns with the outside jumper but this dude is the best defender he can plug and play into any defensive scheme and he’s still an

Incredible athlete he’s a great slasher cutter he can finish inside at The Rim Ryan dun and my opinion should go in the lottery I don’t think he goes 21 to the Suns I mean that would be an absolute seal there are so many teams that I

Would love to land done Kings at 13 Pelicans at 14 Raptors at 15 basically every team should look at Ryan dun YC to the bucks at 22 they need some big man help that’s a good pick Boby Clem to the Knicks at 23 I’m fine with that could be

A project player the Knicks have a pretty deep roster as it is could benefit of playing in the g-league kware going to the Pelicans at 24 with yonis valus is pending free agency I’m cool with that Eon ala to the Nugget to 25 another project big man with z really

Not having a great year off that extension this could be a solid pick I don’t know why we have Trayvon Brazil still as a first-rounder out of Arkansas I don’t see it he’s basically a junior and he’s shooting 46% from the field and 34% from three and I don’t even think

He’s going to be projected to be that good as a Defender at 69 I really don’t see the first round appeal in him I mean the wizard taking a flyer on DJ Wagner he’s not been great at Kentucky this year he could definitely benefit another year playing in college I’m fine with

The Cs taking Juan Nunes there at 28 he’s probably a fringe first-rounder at this point there are some players I like a little bit more Tyler kak going to the Celtics at 30 he could be a good playmaking point guard at the NBA level

I’m a big fan of him a white dude that talks a lot of could fit right in there at Boston Melvin aena going to the Jazz at 31 don’t know if I really love them taking another project player so I actually hate this first round for the

Jazz right now and then lastly they have Kean George going to the Raptors at 32 I don’t know why there’s 32 picks in here that actually confused me a ton I was like wait there’s 32 teams in the league now so yeah these are the first two second rounders okay I skipped over

Johnny Fury if he’s going to declare in this draft this is a great pick for for the timber to 29 I thought he could maybe stay another year at Kansas but I think he’s definitely surpassed Kevin mcculler as the guy I would take out of Kansas like he’s a freshman he’s young

And he’s been very efficient as of late but he’s really risen up some draft boards it’s kind of crazy but yeah basically since conference play started the dude has been much better for Kansas but I still think he would benefit from staying another year as a Jayhawk but

Going back to keesan George here at 32 he’s going to be a good defender in the league I don’t really love the pick but hey at 32 why not so yeah let me know what you guys think about that mock in the comments below I was surprised to

See no Trey Alexander of Kaden or ooso eodo out of Marquette I would have taken those two guys in the first round and yeah let me know if you guys enjoyed me react to this mock by dropping a thumbs up and that let me know if you guys want

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34 Comments

  1. Topic is possibly Killian hayes 2.0. Guards who canā€™t shoot and canā€™t defend are a big no for me

  2. Okc would definitely take Kyle over holland he literally the ideal center that okc wants, holland doesnā€™t fit what okc goes for I understand Sheppard though he fit the mold of what okc goes for when drafting

    As for clingan, fans who donā€™t know how okc operate gonna be real disappointed again when they donā€™t draft him or player like him, like I been telling fans for the past 3 years

  3. maybe this is a casual take by me, but is this draft class weak, only really know 10-11 names on here when I typically know the entire 1st round well or is it just that we've been spoiled by such a strong 2023 class?

  4. if Dunn is still available at 17 why Toronto wouldn't take him idk…. he is the OG replacement if not they need 2 draft at least 1 big man so they gotta get the Kelel ware imo… would be a great fit in TOR to space the floor for Scottie and RJ and Jak

  5. Good comments on Edey not being drafted in the lottery, I donā€™t understand why heā€™s getting first-round buzz at all. He wonā€™t provide much value for an NBA offense, and heā€™s going to be attacked a lot on defense too. Pass.

    Good point on Portland not needing another guard for Peteā€™s sake, they probably wonā€™t use a single pick in this draft (of 4!) on a guard, they have too many as it is. They will target Sarr, Risacher, and Williams.

    Also – do you think Reed SHOULD get picked in the lottery? He just doesnā€™t seem to have enough size, explosiveness, or playmaking ability or potential to me for the lotto.

  6. EDEY HATERS KILL ME THERE'S PLENTY OF SLOWER GUYS IN THE NBA HES AVERAGED 25 & 12 2 YEARS IN A ROW AND HES ONLY BEEN PLAYING BASKETBALL FOR 6 YEARS KEEP SLEEPING ON HIM THOUGH šŸ¤”

  7. Pistons taking Sarr would be a mistake. He's good. It's not because he's bad. But he doesn't help maximize the Cade/Ivey/Ausar/Duren core. Just complicates things further. Draft a wing.

  8. Charlotte needs all the defense and size they can get. Charlotte definitely goes for Risacher or Cody Williams I dont see the appeal in Matas for Charlotte.

  9. Iā€™ll never understand why people draft guys hoping that they learn how to shoot, especially after what happened with Simmons, it just seems odd to just ignore shooting ability in todays league.

  10. It doesnā€™t make sense to draft Rob that high,in some mock drafts heā€™s even late lottery.
    If the Spurs got the top 3 pick,they should draft Cody,and if the Raptorsā€™ one converted,they could still draft Rob
    or another PG with the 7th.

  11. Blazers taking Codt makes little sense if they plan to play him in the SG. I mean yeah you can play Sharpe at the 3 but what about Anfernee and Scoot.

  12. Im just gonna make my predictions on how their nba careers will pan out:

    1.) Risacher – role player at best. Bust for a top pick.
    2.) Sarr – solid starting 5 center. Not a franchise player to build around.
    3.) Dillingham – bust. Super small & weak.
    4.) Buzelis = bust.
    5.) cody williams = will be a solid starter. Okay player. Will not be as good as his big brother.
    6.) Topic = potential to be the 2nd best player on a bad/mid team. May eventually even be the #1 option on a bad team. Should be drafted at #1
    7.) Walter = will be a solid starter. Okay player.
    8.) Salaun = role player at best. Bust for a top 10.
    9.) Filipowski = will be a solid starting center EVENTUALLY one day. One dimensional. Only defense.
    10.) Ron Holland = will be a solid starting 5 player EVENTUALLY. Can eventually be like the 3rd best player on a good or mid team.
    11.) clingan = will be a solid starting center one day. One dimensional. Kinda like steve adams.
    12.) Reed Sheppard = will be a really good role player on a mid or good team. He has austin reeves vibes potential to outperform what critics will think of him.
    13.) edey = will not have a long nba career. HUGE BUST. This is like picking a slightly worse version of mo bamba. He should be in the WWE instead or be in movies. Maybe post nba career. I would not draft him.
    14.) isaiah collier = role player on a mid-good team. Nothing impressive about him.
    15.) stephon castle = potential to be a huge steal. Could eventually be the 2nd best player on a bad or mid team. He should be in the top 8 imo.
    16.) mccullar jr =a low level role player. Type of role player to be passed around from team to team. Could possibly be in the nba for 9 or more years.
    17.) devin carter = low level role player. Will not have a long nba career.

    everybody after this is a low level role player except maybe Yves Missi who could potentially be a solid starting center one day.

  13. You are the reason that I fell in love in analyzing draft class and playing MyLeague that's why I want to have your opinion on my thoughts on Ron Holland as I'm one of the Ron Holland non-believers and who is your player comp for Ron Holland. Thanks Matt!

    I admit that he is incredibly athletic and at least top 3 wing defender in this class but I'm low on him because of his IQ, playmaking, and self-creation (it looks so awkward and I don't think it translates in the NBA). Because of these reasons and similar players in the past draft, I've become a huge believer that he has a high bust potential. I still think that he is a 10-14 pick in my head but predicts that he still goes 6-9 just because of his athleticism, level of the draft, and teams betting on his self-creation and shooting translating or improving in the league.

  14. is it just me or does Alex Sarr feel like he might become an Anthony Davis type player?

    would defo draft him #1 overall if the team has no franchise PF/C yet

  15. There is no way the thunder draft 2 centers in the lottery. Their lack of size is intentional. I hope they take one because the value looks right, I would think the other pick needs to be a bigger wing

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