Nba mock draft athletic

Risacher remains at No. 1 for now. It very well may not end this way, and draft workouts will play a critical role in the process. The NBA is. Who will go nba mock draft athletic. 1 this year? The race couldn't be more open. We rank the top prospects in this year's class and unveil our latest mock draft. The NBA draft lottery odds are set* with the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards favorites to win the first pick. NBA Draft predictions including pick-by-pick analysis from CBS Sports NBA experts. Get the latest news and information on your favorite prospects on.

2024 NBA Mock Draft: Zaccharie Risacher rises to No. 1; top three players all from overseas

Is bronny going to the NBA? His son, USC Trojans freshman combo guard Bronny James, has declared for the 2024 NBA draft while also maintaining his NCAA eligibility by declaring for the college transfer portal. LeBron has long expressed an interest in playing alongside his son in the NBA.

Who is projected to be the number 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft? Many recent NBA mock drafts have different players going No. 1 overall with Serbian guard Nikola Topic, French forward Alexandre Sarr and French wing Zaccharie Risacher among the projected top picks in the draft.

Do the Warriors have a 2024 draft pick? The Rockets and Warriors will both lose their picks unless they jump into the top four (though the Rockets also have the Nets' pick).

Is bronny james declaring for the draft? In the wake of Bronny declaring for the NBA draft, while also putting his name in the transfer portal, the Lakers maintained the shortest odds to draft the younger James out of USC. As a freshman for the Trojans, Bronny averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 assists per game. He played in 25 contests, averaging 19.4 minutes.

NBA Mock Draft: Zaccharie Risacher still No. 1; Sheppard, Castle could impress in March Madness

Players will be quicker, but the NBA court will have more space, so this could go either way. The brother of Oklahoma City Thunder wing Jalen Williams , Cody Williams looks like the kind of prized high-end prospect who can pressure the rim, pass, make plays and potentially defend across multiple positions. Fitting the big wing archetype to a T at 6-foot-8 with long arms, Williams has showcased the ability to play some point guard this season in addition to attacking in transition and slashing from the wing in a straight line.

The biggest questions scouts have regard his self-creation upside. To be an NBA wing in is to be able to create and knock down pull-up jumpers. If he can showcase any upside as a pull-up shooter, teams would feel better about taking him in the top three. Even so, most evaluators have him in the top-six range at this point.

Welcome to the top five, Stephon Castle. He guarded Creighton All-American candidate Baylor Scheierman as well as anyone all season, helping to hold the Blue Jays guard to 12 points on 4-of shooting. Some wonder if his jumper will translate. But no other freshman in the country is consistently impacting games positively for a winning team. Castle immediately stepping into the No.

However, most of that offense has either come in transition or in inefficient settings. He has a below-average true shooting percentage and more turnovers than assists as he struggles with his decision-making. He constantly plays hard, getting the most out of his terrific athleticism by going at percent every moment.

Sometimes, that energy can bite him on defense, when he gets overaggressive and physical. His range seems to be in the No. He is expected to have a full pre-draft process, and scouts believe it will have little impact on his draft placement. But many have also appreciated the way Buzelis is settling into a role with the Ignite and playing more intelligently.

In the open court, he attacks in a way that makes many sense his long-term upside as a ballhandler and scorer. Nba mock draft athletic Walter has been a bit up and down this season, averaging A lot of his struggles have to do with his inconsistent shooting. If that part of his game turns around as expected, Walter is a good investment. He rarely makes mistakes, has strong feel for the game and plays well within a team concept.

Those who buy into his shooting and think he can improve his shaky defense could even see him landing in the top six. This ranking splits the difference. Oklahoma City wants to be able to play with five shooters spaced along the 3-point line. Filipowski has played like an All-American this season, averaging Filipowski can shoot from the perimeter, attack heavy closeouts and bring the ball up the court.

The Blue Devils have a top defense, and he usually positions himself well, contests enough shots and can slide his feet a couple of times on an island to stay with wings and even some guards. In my opinion, Filipowski to the Thunder is a perfect blend of scheme and player.

In his 12 SEC games so far, Knecht is averaging 25 points while shooting If you remove those games, Knecht is averaging nearly 25 points, 5. He should be, regardless. Everything he does offensively should translates to NBA settings. He is a terrific shooter but is also a high-end athlete who can sky in transition and finish inside using legitimate hang time in the air.

The issues come on defense. Knecht is rough around the edges on that end and consistently makes errors that lead to problems for Tennessee. But I tend to buy into these late bloomers, especially those who can really shoot and possess legitimate NBA athleticism.

Sheppard and his teammate Rob Dillingham more on him below are the two most polarizing players for scouts right now. He racks up 2. His closeouts on shooters are textbook and disruptive. When combined with his elite shooting, Sheppard is one of the best connective players in this draft class. Sheppard presents a fascinating argument. Do you believe in his remarkable feel for the game and high skill level, or do you worry too much about his physical deficiencies?

His range is all over the map. Too many people who work for NBA teams love his game. Teams are very interested and see him as a real option starting in the back half of the lottery right now. Playing for Bill Self, a coach who generally has an aversion to playing raw freshmen, Furphy is averaging Furphy has a lot of what NBA teams look for across the landscape when trying to identify interesting projects in whom to invest.

At with legitimate athleticism in the open court, Furphy is a potential one-and-done who was not even really on the radar this time last year. Over the last 18 months, the Australian has exploded. Now, Furphy has earned serious minutes and consistently hits the score sheet with his rebounding, and he forces teams to run in transition with Kansas because of how much pressure he puts on the rim.

My bet is teams invest the developmental resources in Furphy in a big way. With Dillingham, scouts point to his elite speed with the ball in his hand in addition to his touch. Dillingham plays fast but maintains his control at a really high level. That impacts him as a finisher at times despite his explosiveness, but it really causes issues on defense.

Dillingham has a real case as the worst defender in the class, struggling to get over screens at the point of attack and having issues dealing with any sort of mismatch. He also can get a bit distracted off the ball and make poorly timed digs and rotations. The questions surrounding Dillingham are pretty simple. Can he be a starting point guard, or is he more of a backup?

Is he a good enough distributor. Or is he going to settle in largely as a score-first guard. Can he hold up at all on defense to allow him to close games. The best comparison I have been able to come up with for Dillingham is Lou Williams. Where would a team take Williams in this class. My best bet right now is in the back end of the lottery.

Collier has been one of the toughest evaluations this season. Collier is an extremely impressive downhill athlete who lives in the paint and has the wherewithal to hit kickouts and dump-offs for assists. Having said that, USC has been a mess with and without him this season.

His jumper looks ready for the NBA, with great touch off the catch and when Bourg runs him off movement actions. He cuts well to the rim and creates buckets in transition. On defense, Risacher is sharp as a help defender and cuts off angles with his length, especially when operating as the low man in ball-screen coverages.

The worry: Risacher is not a good shot creator at this point. How does copa del rey work The difference between him and someone like current Charlotte Hornets rookie Brandon Miller is the latter knew how to play with more poise to create his own shots in pick-and-roll situations, particularly from the midrange area. Sarr emerged early in this draft cycle as a legitimate potential No.

Sarr is a difference-maker on defense. Sarr flies around rotating off the ball and can handle himself in a variety of ball-screen coverages, ranging from switching to drop. The other end is the question. If he indeed requires a more physical center alongside him, his limited offensive game may be exposed. It will just take him a lot of time to round out. Buzelis has been a beneficiary of multiple factors each occurring at once in this class.

Those four are positive indicators because Buzelis has not had an ideal pre-draft campaign, especially early. He also won some plaudits from scouts for his play at the Rising Stars event at All-Star Weekend, where he helped the G League team upset a roster of NBA rookies and sophomores that included Wembanyama. There are certainly questions even after his in-season improvement, and shooting is the one that comes up the most.

While Buzelis has been able to fit into an offensive role with G League Ignite instead of pressing the issue, scouts would like to learn more about his ability to create on his own. A month ago , I said Sheppard and Kentucky teammate Rob Dillingham were the two most polarizing players in this draft class.

In his last 13 games, Sheppard is averaging By the way, that 50 percent mark from 3 over his last 13 games. Questions certainly remain. He lacks the length or athleticism typical of a top pick. Offensively, Sheppard is potent leading the fast break or delivering hit-ahead passes to his teammates. When combined with his elite shooting, those attributes make Sheppard one of the best connective players in this class.

His games against Mississippi State 32 points, seven assists and five rebounds on Feb. Defensively, Sheppard makes plays, and his closeouts on shooters are textbook and disruptive. I had Sheppard ranked at No. If the right team ends up at No. The Grizzlies, for example, they tend to love prospects with high feel for the game and skill levels that produce across the box score, even if they have physical limitations.

Reed Sheppard and Kentucky, a love story. He can execute nearly every pass in the book once he gets that downhill advantage and hits teammates with flair and creativity. First, where is he as a shooter. Nba mock draft athletic He makes his free throws but is an inconsistent marksmen from 3-point range. The second question is whether he can separate consistently from NBA defenders, who are quicker than the slower players who make up the Adriatic League.

On the other hand, the NBA game is played in more space, so this could go either way. He has been outstanding since returning from an injury earlier this season. Since the calendar turned to , Castle has averaged Since Jan. He is a terrific connective tissue for the best team in the country and consistently impacts the game in multiple facets.

On top of that, Castle has played at a really high level on defense, taking on a variety of tough assignments ranging from point-of-attack matchups to difficult off-ball help responsibilities. Some evaluators also wonder if his jumper will translate to the NBA. The brother of Oklahoma City Thunder wing Jalen Williams , Cody Williams profiles as the kind of prized high-end prospect who can pressure the rim, pass, make plays and potentially defend multiple positions.

At with long arms, Williams has showcased the ability to play some point guard this season in addition to attacking in transition and slashing from the wing in a straight line. These days, NBA wings must be able to create and knock down pull-up jumpers. If he can showcase any upside as a pull-up shooter, NBA teams would feel better about taking him in the top three.

Even so, most evaluators have him in the top-six range at this point. However, most of those points 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.

He constantly plays hard, getting the most out of his terrific athleticism by going percent at every moment. His energy can sometimes bite him on defense when he gets overaggressive and overly physical. Some evaluators who have gone back through his tape now that his season is over have come away a bit more understanding and impressed with his play this season.

Pre-draft workouts will play a huge role in determining his draft position, especially if he shoots the ball well in front of NBA executives. This pick goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it falls outside of the top Dillingham is a prospect with dizzying highs and significant question marks. Scouts love his elite speed with the ball in his hands, in addition to his touch.

Dillingham, who is averaging 15 points and 3. He uses a bevy of quick crossovers and maximizes his speed with well-timed hesitation moves to change pace. That lack of size impacts him as a finisher at times and really causes issues on the other end. Dillingham may be the worst defender in the class, given his struggles getting over screens at the point of attack and issues dealing with any sort of mismatch.

He also can get a bit distracted off the ball, with poorly timed digs and rotations. Can Dillingham be a starting point guard, or is he more of a bench sparkplug. Is he a good enough distributor to be the former, or is he too much of a score-first guard. Can he hold up at all on defense to allow him to close key games?

Where would a team take Williams in this class. He has a smooth stroke that should have no issues translating to NBA range, and he can attack the rim on cuts and straight-line drives. I also view him as a more of a forward than a true wing athletically, which could hinder his positional flexibility.

Many teams see him as a real option starting in the back half of the lottery. Oklahoma City wants to be able to play with five shooters spaced along the 3-point line at all times. Typically, the biggest impediment to that goal is the difficulty of finding centers with legitimate size for the position who can also dribble, pass and shoot.

The Thunder might end up having to settle for more of a complement to Chet Holmgren than a clear scheme fit. Clingan would be that complement. He can run dribble-handoffs and really pass for a player his size. Clingan has had an up-and-down year after injuring his foot in the preseason and his ankle midway through the regular season. He moves well for his size and is elite in drop coverage defensively, stopping ballhandlers from turning the corner on him and getting to the rim.

His ability to backpedal on-balance is very real. When not defending the ball, he makes his presence felt when necessary. The good news: Clingan has averaged 25 minutes per game since Feb. It took a long time for people to recognize how much Knecht torched SEC play this season. He scored at a staggering pace, averaging If you remove those games, Knecht is averaging 25 points, 5.

Everything he does offensively should translate to NBA settings. Search forums. Log in. Install the app. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.

Thread starter Sloth55 Start date Feb 20, Joined Jul 25, Messages 6 Reaction Score The Athletic just released a new NBA mock draft. Unfortunately it is behind a paywall but it has Castle at 5 to Portland, Clingan at 18 to the Knicks, Karaban to the Celtics at 41 and Spencer to the Spurs at Joined Oct 23, Messages Reaction Score Sloth55 said:. Joined Sep 6, Messages 12, Reaction Score 65, Joined Jun 2, Messages 1, Reaction Score 14, Joined Dec 8, Messages 12, Reaction Score 94, HuskyHawk The triumphant return of the Blues Brothers.

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