With both rounds of the 2024 NBA draft completed, it’s time to break down how each team did over the course of the two-day event.
Below, we’ll take a look at the hauls every team picked up from both rounds, as well as the trades that were made along the way.
And we’ll evaluate how each organization did on the tried-and-true A-through-F grading scale.
Fit, upside, team situations, numbers and plenty more were consulted in coming to these grades, but good-old fashioned subjectivity also had its say.
That has to be present when trying to read a team’s future.
Zaccharie Risacher (No. 1); Nikola Đurišić (No. 43)
The Atlanta Hawks’ grade depends an awful lot on how you feel about Zaccharie Risacher.
The 19-year-old is perhaps the least heralded or known top pick since Andrea Bargnani in 2006, but the best version of the Frenchman fits the modern game perfectly.
He’s 6’10”, a fluid athlete and a potentially dynamic outside shooter. There’s at least a chance he’ll boast the combination of size and versatility just about every team is after on the wing.
The more interesting pick, though, may have come on the draft’s second day. A couple hours before the second round started, Atlanta traded former first-round pick AJ Griffin to the Houston Rockets for the 44th selection. The Hawks later moved up one more spot to take forward Nikola Đurišić.
They’re essentially betting on Đurišić being better than Griffin, and there’s a world in which that winds up being the case.
The Serb, 20, is a product of Mega Basket, the same team that employed Nikola Jokić before he came to the NBA. Over four seasons there, Đurišić averaged 15.9 points, 4.2 assists and 1.2 threes.
Versatility is crucial in today’s NBA, and Đurišić has the potential to check more boxes than Griffin (who may just be an outside shooting specialist).
Baylor Scheierman (No. 30); Anton Watson (No. 54)
The Boston Celtics had the luxury of entering this draft without a single glaring need. They were the deepest team in the NBA in 2023-24, and all their most important players are coming back.
That might have motivated some front offices to take a big swing on an upside pick at No. 30, but Boston elected to go with a five-year college player instead.
After three years with South Dakota State and another with Creighton, Baylor Scheierman averaged 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds (a huge number for a 6’6″ wing), 3.9 assists and 3.1 threes, while shooting 38.1 percent from deep in 2023-24.
His range of skills and ability to shift to different positions makes him a nice fit with a Celtics squad that already has several such players, but the 23-year-old will just have a shorter developmental runway than some of the younger prospects taken after him.
In the second round, Boston sort of doubled up on that strategy, taking another 23-year-old in Gonzaga forward Anton Watson. He shot 21-of-51 (41.2 percent) from three in 2023-24, but he averaged 8.1 points and shot 25.3 percent from deep over the four seasons prior to that.
The Brooklyn Nets didn’t make a single pick during the two days of the draft, but they still dramatically improved their long-term prospects this week thanks to trades with the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.
You can find a more detailed breakdown of those deals here, but the short version is that Brooklyn picked up an absurd total of five first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and two second-round picks for Mikal Bridges and also regained control of its own 2025 first-round pick.
The Nets didn’t have anything to do in this year’s draft, but they’re going to be major players in the next few.
Tidjane Salaün (No. 6); KJ Simpson (No. 42)
The Charlotte Hornets drafted a project at No. 6 in French forward Tidjane Salaün, but he’s another prospect who could develop into the kind of multipositional forward that every team wants right now.
He’s 6’9″ with a 7’1″ wingspan and already plays a physical brand of basketball that Charlotte could be missing without P.J. Washington (traded last season) and Miles Bridges (a free agent this summer).
It could take a while for Salaün to figure out how to shoot, but he’s on a team that should give him plenty of time to develop.
The next day, the Hornets went a bit more conventional, taking a productive junior from Colorado, though KJ Simpson comes with his own concerns.
The 21-year-old averaged 19.7 points and shot 43.4 percent from deep, but he was below 30 in each of the seasons prior to this one, and he came in at just over 6’0″ tall at the combine.
Matas Buzelis (No. 11)
With the Chicago Bulls trading Alex Caruso for 21-year-old Josh Giddey, seemingly angling to move Zach LaVine and maybe losing DeMar DeRozan in free agency, it seems like they might finally lean into a rebuild.
And adding Matas Buzelis to that mix, especially outside the top 10, is a no-brainer.
Over the course of the last several months, the 19-year-old was typically higher than this in mock drafts. He’s 6’9″, bouncy and another player with potential for positional versatility, but reaching his ceiling will depend a lot on whether he can consistently hit threes.
Chicago-born Buzelis was just 6-of-27 (22.2 percent) from deep for the G-League Ignite.
Jaylon Tyson (No. 20)
Another Central Division team with just one pick, the Cleveland Cavaliers took 6’7″ journeyman Jaylon Tyson, who played for three different schools in three college seasons but settled in nicely at California in 2023-24.
The 21-year-old averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 assists and 1.6 threes this season, but there’s always a bit of concern when a player doesn’t really break out until his junior season. If it makes Cavs fans feel any better, he had a solid box plus/minus as a sophomore at Texas Tech, too.
A bit like Boston, though, Cleveland probably could have justified taking a bit more of a project here, though cap rules in the new collective bargaining agreement are going to make it more difficult to build good teams without contributors on rookie contracts.
We could see a trend over the next few years of teams taking slightly older and seemingly more NBA-ready prospects in the draft to fill out their rotations.
Melvin Ajinça (No. 51)
About halfway through the second round, seemingly small trades started being reported every few minutes, and it felt like the New York Knicks were involved in half of them.
After the dust settled a bit, the Dallas Mavericks wound up with the 51st pick.
There, they took 6’7″ forward Melvin Ajinça, who at least has a chance to develop into the kind of three-and-D role player who can thrive with Luka Dončić creating for him.
At this point in the draft, and for what it cost Dallas to get here, the 20-year-old Frenchman is worth a shot.
DaRon Holmes II (No. 22)
The Denver Nuggets entered the draft with the 28th and 56th picks, but they traded those and two future seconds to move up to 22 and snag a player they’ve been high on for weeks.
He’s a bit older than some his draft classmates, but DaRon Holmes II had good box plus/minuses as both a freshman and sophomore, and he absolutely dominated as a junior.
This season, the 21-year-old averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks, while shooting 38.6 percent from three.
His size (6’9″ with a 7’1″ wingspan) and wide-ranging skill set make him a possible backup for both Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokić.
Ron Holland (No. 5); Bobi Klintman (No. 37)
In the immediate aftermath of the draft’s first night, plenty of fans and analysts questioned the Detroit Pistons for bringing another potentially bad shooter to a team that already has Ausar Thompson and Cade Cunningham (who’s quietly been a bad shooter throughout his career).
But the Pistons are horrible. And they’re probably going to be horrible again next season. They’re nowhere near a position to be drafting for fit. Finding the best player available should be the goal with every pick, and there’s a good chance they reached that goal at No. 5.
Ron Holland was the top prospect on the big boards of both The Athletic’s John Hollinger and Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman. And though it’ll probably take him a while to figure out how to consistently hit from the outside (assuming he ever does), his explosiveness could make him a weapon on defense and in transition very quickly.
And instead of thinking about how the lack of shooting will be a problem for a team we all know will be bad, we could focus instead on the switchy defensive potential of lineups with both Holland and Thompson.
As for second-round selection Bobi Klintman, he’s another multipositional wing (seeing the trend?) who might even have more shooting upside than Holland.
The 21-year-old hit 36.8 percent of his threes as a freshman at Wake Forest in 2022-23 and 35.7 percent for Cairns in the NBL in 2023-24.
Quinten Post (No. 52)
In a pretty roundabout way, the Golden State Warriors emerged from Thursday’s event with 26-year-old Lindy Waters and the No. 52 pick they traded to get him.
Then, they used that pick to draft center Quinten Post. The thinking there may be that he will be more NBA-ready than others Golden State might have taken. And if he keeps shooting like he did in college, he could find his way onto the floor.
Over his last two seasons at Boston College, the 24-year-old averaged 16.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 threes, while shooting 42.9 percent from deep.
Despite his age, that kind of production is worth rolling the dice on at No. 52.
Reed Sheppard (No. 3)
The Houston Rockets smashed their preseason over-under for wins, but they were tied for 23rd in three-point percentage and tied for 17th in threes per 100 possessions this season.
Then, they got lucky in the lottery, moved up to the No. 3 pick and took the best shooter in this class in Reed Sheppard.
As a freshman at Kentucky, the 20-year-old hit 52.1 percent of his three-point attempts, but he wasn’t just a stand-still, catch-and-shoot threat. He can hit from the outside when he’s on the move, coming off screens, or handling the ball himself. He has some upside as a distributor on offense and ball-hawk on defense, too.
For a team that has plenty of length and athleticism to cover for Sheppard’s lack of size on defense, this is a near-perfect fit.
Johnny Furphy (No. 35); Tristen Newton (No. 49); Enrique Freeman (No. 50)
The Indiana Pacers didn’t have any first-round picks, but they gave themselves a chance at a difference-maker with three different second-rounders.
The most notable is Kansas’ Johnny Furphy, who was seen by most analysts as a first-round prospect in the lead-up to the draft. He’s a good off-ball mover. And at 6’8″ with a 6’8″ wingspan, he has the potential to fit into a switch-heavy defensive scheme, but he’ll need to become a more consistent three-point shooter.
Later, Indiana took a potential backup playmaker in national champion Tristen Newton and a dominant rebounder in Enrique Freeman, but both are fifth-year seniors.
There may not be much development left to be done for those two, but again, maybe that’s the point. We saw a lot of older players drafted this week, and that may have been a deliberate reaction to the new collective bargaining agreement.
Cam Christie (No. 46)
The brother of Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie, Cam Christie averaged 11.3 points, 2.2 assists and 2.1 threes, while shooting 39.1 percent from three as a freshman for Minnesota this season.
If he can keep shooting like this as he transitions to the NBA, this pick could look like a steal in hindsight, but his game inside the three-point line has a ways to go.
The Minnesota product struggled to finish against college rim protection, so the NBA could be a nightmare on that front. Defense always takes some time, too.
But Christie hasn’t even turned 19 yet, and he already has the most important skill in the game going for him.
Dalton Knecht (No. 17); Bronny James (No. 55)
On the strength of their first-rounder alone, the Los Angeles Lakers would have gotten an A here. Dalton Knecht is 23, but slipping outside the lottery was a bit of a shock for the player who may be this class’ best scorer.
By the time he was taken by the Lakers on Night 1, it was pretty easy to think back on Jaime Jaquez Jr. falling to the Miami Heat last year.
Like Jaquez, Knecht just has a solid feel for the game, bona fide NBA size for a wing and the ability to score at all three levels. He could play for the Lakers right away.
The grade has to come down a bit, though. We knew it was coming. ESPN spent much of its broadcast of the second round preparing the audience (or, perhaps more accurately, selling the audience). And though no one picked at No. 55 has ever been anywhere near a sure thing, Bronny James might be a bit more of a risk than others taken there.
His offensive numbers in college for USC (4.8 points, while shooting 48.1 percent on twos, 26.7 percent from three and 67.6 percent from the line) were dreadful, and he underwent heart surgery less than a year ago.
If helping LeBron James fulfill his dream of playing with his son is the driving factor here, that’s a lot to look past.
On the other hand, Bronny had a respectable showing at the combine, and he may develop into a decent defender. NBA coaching and development staffs will undoubtedly help.
But every roster spot is critical for teams ostensibly in the hunt for titles.
Zach Edey (No. 9); Jaylen Wells (No. 39); Cam Spencer (No. 53)
Zach Edey had pretty consistently found himself outside the lottery in mock drafts up to this week. He didn’t even attend the draft on Night 1. So, hearing his name called at No. 9 by the Memphis Grizzlies was a bit of a surprise.
Memphis, though, may be the one team in the lottery that could justify this selection. Jaren Jackson Jr. has the ability to play center, but he’s better suited to play the 4. Having Edey moves JJJ back to power forward, without necessarily overtaxing Edey.
This isn’t to say he’ll show up and be the starting center on day one, but you can see a world in which Edey and Jackson share the floor for 15-20 minutes per game, and then plays another 15 or so minutes at the 5.
Jackson is a better defender when he’s more of a safety and has a more traditional center to worry about rebounds and clogging up the paint. Edey can do that.
Offensively, he may not fit the run-and-gun style that the Grizzlies want to play with Ja Morant, but his size and touch should still make him a difficult assignment for most opponents.
Of course, he will be tested on the other end, particularly by quicker centers, but players like Jackson, GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr. can help cover for him.
In the second round, Memphis looked for some shooting from Jaylen Wells—who hit 41.7 percent of his threes in 2023-24—and Cam Spencer, the national champion from UConn who hit 41.7 percent of his threes during a five-year college career.
Kel’el Ware (No. 15); Pelle Larsson (No. 44)
The Miami Heat took a toolsy big man in the first round in Kel’el Ware, whose 7’5″ wingspan could make him a real threat as a pick-and-roll finisher. He also went 17-of-40 (42.5 percent) from three as a sophomore, which suggests he could one day stretch the floor, too.
But, like plenty of other athletic big men who’ve come before him, he sometimes coasted on the natural abilities and lost focus. That proved to be a problematic combination of attributes for players like James Wiseman in the past, but Miami might be the best spot to ward against that.
In the second round, they joined the trend of this draft by taking an older wing in Pelle Larsson.
The 23-year-old Swede didn’t produce at a high volume over four college seasons with Utah and Arizona, but he did shoot 39.7 percent from three.
AJ Johnson (No. 23); Tyler Smith (No. 33)
The Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams threatening the NBA’s dreaded new “second apron” and all the team-building penalties that come with it.
And with tons of salary committed to the top of the roster, they could really use difference-makers on small, cost-controlled contracts like the ones rookies sign.
The new collective bargaining agreement is likely a big part of why we saw so many older, presumably more NBA-ready players taken this week, but Milwaukee didn’t really join the fun.
Instead, they used a first-round pick on a 19-year-old, 6’4″ guard who may have some upside as a speedy creator, but he’s likely years away from contributing. He averaged just 2.8 points in 7.9 minutes for Illawarra in the NBL this season.
Then, in the second round, they bet on upside again with 19-year-old Tyler Smith, though his track record with the G-League Ignite (14.3 points and a 35.2 three-point percentage) suggests he might be a little closer to ready.
With Doc Rivers’ history of avoiding playing time for younger prospects, it could take years before either of these picks are helping the Bucks.
Rob Dillingham (No. 8); Terrence Shannon Jr. (No. 27)
Just two years after emptying much of their trove of future draft assets for Rudy Gobert, the Minnesota Timberwolves made an aggressive move on draft night to land Rob Dillingham.
Minnesota sent a 2030 first-round pick swap and went as far out as it could to send a 2031 first to the San Antonio Spurs for Rob Dillingham.
And with the Wolves being one of those teams with an expensive, luxury-taxed roster, he may have to play a pretty significant role as early as next season.
For now, the 19-year-old can be a heat-check scorer off the bench and learn from Mike Conley. And then, ideally, by the time Conley is ready to walk away, Dillingham’s creation and feel for the game will have developed enough for him to be a long-term starter alongside Anthony Edwards.
On basketball fit alone, the trade feels like a good one, but it just cost a decent amount to get it done.
Later in the first round, Minnesota took Terrence Shannon Jr., a fifth-year senior and another wing, who averaged 23.0 points and shot 36.2 percent from three in 2023-24.
If his shooting and defense become a bit more consistent, he could also find a role on this expensive squad before his rookie deal ends.
Yves Missi (No. 21); Antonio Reeves (No. 47)
With Jonas Valančiūnas hitting free agency, it makes sense that the New Orleans Pelicans would take a center in the first round. Yves Missi is one with quite a bit more defensive upside, too.
The 20-year-old has the potential to be a pretty dynamic defender, especially around the paint, but his lack of offense away from there could be a problem for a team that starts Zion Williamson.
In the second round, New Orleans took another player who seems almost tailor-made to replace a current Pelican.
If Brandon Ingram is traded, the Pels might need another wing who can score, and fifth-year senior Antonio Reeves just put up 20.2 points while shooting 44.7 percent from deep for Kentucky.
He needs to develop a bit more as a passer and bulk up for defense, but he’s a decent value play at No. 47.
Pacome Dadiet (No. 25); Tyler Kolek (No. 34); Kevin McCullar (No. 56); Ariel Hukporti (No. 58)
The New York Knicks paid an absolute fortune for Mikal Bridges earlier in the week, and then they were bouncing all over the draft, particularly on Thursday.
The result was New York emerging with four young players who check a number of different boxes.
Pacome Dadiet is an 18-year-old wing with size (6’8″ with a 6’9″ wingspan) and upside (as much on the skills front as the athleticism one).
Tyler Kolek is a steady-handed distributor who could run New York’s second unit, while Kevin McCullar is an experienced wing who played five years in college and has some playmaking chops.
And Ariel Hukporti is a big, physical 5 who could one day develop into a solid rebounder and paint protector.
If even one or two of those players hits, this will have been a solid night for the Knicks.
Nikola Topić (No. 12); Dillon Jones (No. 26); Ajay Mitchell (No. 38)
Even after trading Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls, the Oklahoma City Thunder are loaded with playmaking from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and potentially Chet Holmgren.
That didn’t stop them from adding more.
Nikola Topić is perhaps the draft’s best creator and distributor. He has a superb feel for the game for an 18-year-old, but it’ll take time for him to become a more consistent shooter. That and the torn ACL he suffered this past season are real concerns, but OKC is a team that can afford to give the Serb time.
Later in the draft, they took Weber State’s Dillon Jones, a 6’6″ wing who averaged 5.2 assists as a fourth-year junior in 2023-24. And they closed things out with UC-Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell, who averaged 20.0 points and 4.0 assists.
Of course, it will take some time for any of the above to become a fixture in an already stout Thunder rotation, but they’ve given themselves multiple chances at infusing more vision and passing.
Tristan da Silva (No. 18)
The Orlando Magic only had one pick in this draft, and it didn’t come till after the lottery, but they made the most of that opportunity.
A combination of size and playmaking is already one of the Magic’s strengths, thanks to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, and they compounded that with Tristan da Silva.
He’s another older prospect, but the 6’8″ wing showed a good feel for the game at Colorado. The 23-year-old didn’t have a ton of chances to show off his playmaking chops, but you could see the outline of a pick-and-roll creator. And over the last three seasons, he’s hit 39.0 percent of his three-point attempts.
Da Silva has the potential to be good enough to turn Orlando’s positionless duo into a trio, and its offense would be less predictable for it.
Jared McCain (No. 16); Adem Bona (No. 41)
With Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as the clear top two of the Philadelphia 76ers going forward, it makes sense to surround them with as much shooting as possible. And if you can get that from wings, even better.
That’s why the pick of Jared McCain is sort of a no-brainer. As a freshman at Duke, he averaged 14.3 points and 2.4 threes, while shooting 41.4 percent from deep.
Relative to other first-rounders, the 20-year-old may be a little short on top-flight athleticism, but he may not need that in whatever role he occupies for the Sixers.
Their second pick in the draft was a bit more curious. Adem Bona has a 7’4″ wingspan and the potential to be a difference-making shot-blocker, but he’s a bit raw on offense. And the Sixers could likely find a more reliable backup 5 for a veteran minimum contract.
Another flyer on shooting might have made a little more sense.
Ryan Dunn (No. 28); Oso Ighodaro (No. 40)
This is just personal preference, but I’m always a little nervous about draft prospects whose only real selling point is on the defensive end. A lot of those players never develop to the level they need to to survive on offense.
And for Ryan Dunn, defense really is the only selling point.
As a junior at Virginia, the 6’6″ forward averaged just 8.1 points and went 7-of-35 (20.0 percent) from three.
But the 21-year-old might be the very best defender in this draft. Thanks in large part to his instincts and 7’2″ wingspan, he averaged 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals in 27.5 minutes. And getting him at the end of the first round is pretty decent value, especially for a team with as much firepower as the Phoenix Suns.
In the second round, they took an interesting big man in Oso Ighodaro, who has almost no jump shot to speak of but is a pretty solid passer and finisher around the rim.
With the top of the Suns’ books loaded with huge contracts and Drew Eubanks likely gone, Phoenix could use a new backup 5. And having one who can pass to Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal or Devin Booker makes sense.
Donovan Clingan (No. 7)
Being picked seventh qualifies as a mini-slide for Donovan Clingan, who’s shown up in the top three of some mock drafts and may be the best rim protector in this class.
The 20-year-old played a real role as a freshman for the national champion UConnn Huskies in 2022-23, then he was the starting 5 for another title run this season. In 2023-24, he put up 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in just 22.5 minutes.
And he already has great instincts as a paint protector. He’s not necessarily chasing those blocks. He’s smart and quick with his rotations. He already has a good understanding of verticality, and he’s disciplined against shot fakes.
Clingan profiles as the next great rim-running and -protecting 5. The only reason to drop the grade slightly is the lack of perimeter skills (for now) and the fact that Portland might have a bit of a center controversy on its hands now.
If the Blazers can find a trade suitor for Deandre Ayton, great; if not, there could be some tension over which of these two big men should be their future at the position.
Devin Carter (No. 13)
The Sacramento Kings paid a pretty big price to duck the luxury tax on Thursday, sending two potential rotation players in Davion Mitchell and Sasha Vezenkov for Jalen McDaniels (one of the worst per-minute players in the NBA in 2023-24).
They bounced back pretty well, though, adding Devin Carter outside the top 10 when some boards had him well within it.
The 22-year-old profiles as a strong defender who can switch around the perimeter. He’s only 6’2″, but he has a 6’9″ wingspan and can be tenacious against smaller guards.
And this season, his offense really woke up. He averaged 19.7 points, 3.6 assists and 2.5 threes, while shooting 37.7 percent from deep.
The concern is that the breakout didn’t really happen until he was a junior. But again, in this draft and under this collective bargaining agreement, the older players might actually have a bit of an advantage.
Stephon Castle (No. 4); Juan Nunez (No. 36); Harrison Ingram (No. 48)
I might have liked this draft a little better if the San Antonio Spurs had just kept Dillingham at No. 8. The backcourt was a pretty consistent question mark throughout 2023-24, and Stephon Castle and Dillingham would’ve been an interesting defense-offense combination.
Still, even without Dillingham, this is a solid class for the Spurs.
If he can play point guard (and that’s an open question), there’s a lot of upside with Castle. He has a 6’9″ wingspan and can bother both guards and wings as a defender. He has a knack for getting to the paint on the other end, too. There’s some real work to be done on the shooting and passing fronts, though.
In the second round, the Spurs made what feels like a very Spursy pick with Juan Nunez, a 20-year-old Spaniard who has great feel as a playmaker. It’ll take some time to see if he can develop into a consistent outside shooter (Ricky Rubio never really did), but his passing is a real strength.
Then, toward the end of draft, San Antonio took Harrison Ingram, a 6’5″ forward with a 7’0″ wingspan who shot 38.5 percent from three this season.
Like some others here, his delayed statistical breakout is a bit of a concern, but size and shooting on the wing are very much in vogue right now.
Ja’Kobe Walter (No. 19); Jonathan Mogbo (No. 31); Jamal Shead (No. 45)
Ja’Kobe Walter didn’t stack up a lot of ancillary contributions as a freshman at Baylor, and his three-point percentage wasn’t great, but 6.3 attempts per game is a plus.
And he profiles as a potentially solid perimeter defender for the Toronto Raptors.
Getting him at No. 19 feels like just about the right range.
The same goes for Jonathan Mogbo at No. 31. He’s 22 years old and didn’t put up gaudy numbers in his fourth year of college basketball, but he has a wide range of skills for a big man, and that’s intriguing.
Mogbo has a 7’2″ wingspan and averaged 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals in less than 30 minutes per game.
As for their last pick, Jamal Shead is small (6’0″ with a 6’3″ wingspan) and couldn’t consistently hit threes, but he’s one of the better table-setters in this draft.
Cody Williams (No. 10); Isaiah Collier (No. 29); Kyle Filipowski (No. 32)
The Utah Jazz may well have won this draft.
Kyle Filipowski was the No. 4 recruit in his high school class. Isaiah Collier and Cody Williams were first and fifth, respectively, in theirs. Now, all three are on the Jazz.
Of course, they all bear some responsibility for “falling” to the spots where they were drafted. Williams didn’t always stand out on a team with da Silva and Simpson. Collier’s shooting was a concern at USC. And Filipowski’s scoring efficiency was a little low for a big man.
There is a ton of pedigree in this class, though, and Utah was able to add it at the guard, wing and big positions.
Alexandre Sarr (No. 2); Bub Carrington (No. 14); Kyshawn George (No. 24)
Alexandre Sarr’s size (7’0″ with a 7’4″ wingspan) is obviously intriguing. And the best version of him is a superstar. At times, he looks like a wing. His handles and passing are pretty fluid for his size.
But he may trust his perimeter skills a little more than he should right now. Decision-making may need as much development as anything right now. He can cut back on his jumpers, and his defensive discipline could use some work, but it’s easy to fall for the upside.
The Washington Wizards obviously did, and they’re a team that has plenty of time and opportunity for him.
As for their other two first-rounders on Wednesday, Washington added a potential heat-check scorer and decent distributor in Bub Carrington and a bigger and more consistent potential version of the same thing in Kyshawn George, who shot 40.8 percent from deep as a freshman.