2024 NBA Draft Fast Approaching

June 21, 2024 by Staff

With the 18th Boston Celtics NBA title secured, the NBA Draft is next on the radar. The mid-week two day event begins Wednesday, June 26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and concludes the next night at ESPN's Seaport District Studios in Manhattan.

According to ESPN, fans can tune into the action on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+ with first-round coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET with the first pick on the clock at 8 p.m. ET. Second-round coverage begins June 27 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The Atlanta Hawks have the first pick.

Boston's latest title was due in large part to the performances by prior Boston draft picks Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Brown was the over-all No. 3 pick by the Celtics in 2016 after he spent just one season at Cal where he was the PAC-12 Freshman Player of the Year. During the NBA Finals Playoffs, Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5 assists per game.

Ironically, Tatum was also a No. 3 pick by the Celtics in the NBA Draft, just one year after Brown's selection. This year, Tatum became just the fifth player in NBA history to lead his team in points, rebounds and assists during a championship run.

The 2023 NBA Draft saw 19-year-old Frenchman Victor Wembanyama taken first by the San Antonio Spurs. The 7-foot, 4-inch center started 71 games this season and averaged 21.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.

For this year's draft, a pair of players from France are expected to go first and second. Zaccharie Risacher is a 19-year old 6-foot, 8-inch forward has been playing pro ball in Europe since 2021. His stats aren't mindblowing but his upside is apparently off the charts.

Alexandre Sarr is a 7-foot center who has played pro ball in Australia and also played in the U.S. in the Overtime Elite League.

The first U.S. college 'kid' expected to go in the draft is 6-foot, 3-inch guard Reed Sheppard, a one-and-done player from the Kentucky Wildcats who was also named that state's Mr. Basketball after the 2022-23 high school season. After his only season in the Blue-and-White, he was named Freshman of the Year by the USBWA (United States Basketball Writers Association) and the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches).

Kentucky, after the loss of head coach John Calipari to Arkansas, is 14th on the list of NCAA National Championship favorites in 2024 for new head coach Mark Pope. The former BYU head coach accepted the job, even though he seemed to have been far down the list of Kentucky's targeted candidates with higher profiles and national recognition. The list of those who declided to go to Kentucky included Scott Drew (Baylor), Danny Hurley (UConn), and Nate Oats (Alabama).

Washington gets the second pick, followed by Houston.

At NBA.com, multiple analysts were polled for their selections and this is a list of the Most Common Picks.

MOST COMMON PICKS

1 (Hawks): Zaccharie Risacher (5)

2 (Wizards): Alexandre Sarr (5)

3 (Rockets): Reed Sheppard (7)

4 (Spurs): Stephon Castle (5)

5 (Pistons): Matas Buzelis (5),

6 (Hornets): Stephon Castle (3)

7 (Trail Blazers): Donovan Clingan (5)

8 (Spurs): Tidjane Salaun (3)

9 (Grizzlies): Devin Carter, Ron Holland II, Dalton Knecht (2)

10 (Jazz): Dalton Knecht (3)

11 (Bulls): Robert Dillingham (3)

12 (Thunder): Cody Williams (3)

13 (Kings): Tidjane Salaun (2)

14 (Trail Blazers): Kyshawn George, Tidjane Salaun (2)