BROOKLYN – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Atlanta holds the top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and even the Hawks were not clear how that card might be played tonight.
Drafting in the top three for the first time since selecting Luka Doncic at No. 3 in 2018, the Hawks are hopeful they can turn their good fortune in the draft lottery order into something long-lasting. Atlanta finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and had only a 3 percent chance of winning the lottery and picking first. But now that general manager Landry Fields has the keys to the draft, he’s not planning to cede control or trade the pick.
“The more that we uncover, like we go, great, I’m glad we have No. 1. I keep joking around like I’m not giving it back,” said Fields, who was promoted to general manager in 2022. “So, I think we’re in a really good position here. I’m excited about it, frankly.”
Media pundits are not as excited about the crop of talent some have described as the worst in a decade or more.
Consensus from NBA evaluators place two French stars near the top of the draft board one year after the San Antonio Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama No. 1 overall.
Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher are narrowly ahead of Kentucky sharpshooter Reed Sheppard and UConn 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan, but at least six players are thought to be in the running for the No. 1 spot one day before the draft.
“We’re planning on picking No. 1,” Fields said of his constant contact with NBA trade suitors.
The NBA moved to a two-day draft format in the first change since adopting the current structure in 1989. The first round is Wednesday in Brooklyn with picks 1-30 announced before restarting the event Thursday night with the 31st selection. There are only 58 total picks in the 2024 draft because of the Nets and Suns being docked second-rounders for rules violations.
Washington won 21 fewer games than Atlanta but holds the No. 2 pick with needs at almost every position and draft lottery mainstay Houston sits third. The Wizards haven’t had a pick this high in the draft since 2010 when John Wall was the top pick out of Kentucky, two years before Washington added Bradley Beal with the No. 3 pick in 2012.
Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said he doesn’t “agree with the narrative” that the 2024 draft class lacks talent at the top. He said after 30 visits with prospects and private workouts, about 10 players remained in the conversation to be considered at No. 2.
The Rockets reportedly are higher on Clingan than most but also met privately with Sheppard and multiple other big men. Houston’s pick is part of the franchise’s return for trading James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.
A countryman to pair with Wembanyama could be an option for the Spurs, who select fourth and also have the No. 8 pick via trade from Toronto. Another 7-footer, Sarr spent last season in the Australian Basketball League after playing for Overtime Elite the two previous seasons. He has high-end mobility and athleticism for his size but isn’t on Wembanyama’s level as a shooter or creator on the offensive end.
Risacher is 6-9 and skilled in almost every facet of the game, earning high marks for his range and perimeter shooting with plus defensive ratings propped up by a 7-foot wingspan.
Sheppard has drawn comparisons to Steve Nash, but he was primarily a shooter in his only season at Kentucky, where his father helped the 1990s Wildcats achieve great success. Sheppard is a hair under 6-foot-4 but flashed a surprising 40-inch vertical and lateral agility at the draft combine to solidify his standing in the lottery.
Clingan’s UConn teammate Stephon Castle was praised for his versatility in his one season with the Huskies. At 6-6, he has point guard skills and dynamic traits as a defender.
Brian Wright has been GM of the Spurs since 2019 and said he’ll never deviate from the best-player-available strategy unless other means to improve the roster — such as packaging picks for a veteran — steers San Antonio away from its momentous youth movement.
Sarr’s older brother, Olivier, was one of 14 French-born players in the NBA last season and has played for the Thunder the past three seasons.
Wembanyama was never on the same team as Alexandre Sarr, but said his rapid improvement is a result of his “crazy talent.”
Behind the Spurs, the Detroit Pistons are set to draft fifth. New VP of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said he’s drawn to edgy and competitive athletes to complement 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham. This is the third consecutive draft in which Detroit enters with the No. 5 pick.
One year removed from picking No. 2 and 3, Charlotte is in the No. 6 spot and Portland at No. 7 plus the final selection of the lottery, No. 14.
Memphis (ninth), Utah (10th), Chicago (11th), Oklahoma City (12th via Houston) and Sacramento (13th) all hold picks as a result of the lottery or trades.
–Field Level Media