MATTER OF GREAT
International picks dominate top of NBA mock draft
THE 2024 NBA Draft is lacking a Victor Wembanyama, and has been much maligned as having a weak pool or prospects, in comparison. But it’s not completely lacking in talent.
Over the next month or so, general managers will be preparing to ferret that talent out. The Post gets you ready for the festivities, set for June 26 at Barclays Center, with our mock picks:
1 Hawks Alex Sarr F/C, 7-foot-1 Perth Wildcats (Australia)
Atlanta vaulted from just the 10th-worst record — and 3 percent odds to win the lottery — to the No. 1 pick. Sarr — who actually spent two years in Atlanta with Overtime Elite — seems likely to be the second straight French top pick and seventh foreigner since 2013.
2 Wizards Zaccharie Risacher G/F, 6-8, JL Bourg-en-Bresse (France)
Risacher has a solid two-way game that should be a fit for whatever kind of roster Washington eventually puts around him. But his shot could make him an elite role player who could flourish next to any kind of creator … whenever they finally get one.
3 Rockets (from Nets) Reed Sheppard G, 6-3, Kentucky
Nets fans watched this pick they owed Houston, as part of the James Harden trade, jump up all the way up from the ninth-best lottery odds to No. 3. Sheppard is a deadeye who can play off the ball or even play backup point. That’s if they actually make the pick, iffy since they’ve been shopping it around the whole league.
4 Spurs Nikola Topic G, 6-6, KK Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)
Should Risacher fall to them, adding Wembanyama’s countryman could be intriguing. But the wing far more likely to be there is the 18-year-old Topic, a tall guard who has impressive passing ability and shot creation. His knee needs a clean bill of health.
5 Pistons Matas Buzelis F, 6-8, G League Ignite
Buzelis has been viewed as a top-10 pick who could someday possibly be the best player to come out of this weak draft. His shooting form suggests his struggles with Ignite could’ve been an outlier. If so, whoever takes him could hit big down the line.
Hornets 6 Stephon Castle G, 6-6, UConn
Behind Brandon Miller and the oft-injured LaMelo Ball, the Hornets could use reliable backcourt help. Castle has shown the versatility to do whatever is required on both ends of the floor.
Trail Blazers 7 Donovan Clingan C, 7-2, UConn
Considering Robert Williams III’s injury history, the Blazers would benefit from a rebounding big and rimprotector backing up DeAndre Ayton. Clingan, who anchored consecutive NCAA champions at UConn, fits the bill. In this poor draft, the center could go as high as second to Washington.
Spurs (from Raptors) 8 Robert Dillingham G, 6-3, Kentucky
Measured as small as 6-1, he won’t bring size or wingspan. But Dillingham will definitely bring outside shooting. He’s a walking bucket and showed that in Lexington. If he can continue to develop his playmaking, he could be a nice asset for San Antonio and Wembanyama, who will need point guard help.
Grizzlies 9 Ron Holland F, 6-6, G League Ignite
All the chaos, drama and injuries in Memphis handed the Grizzlies an opportunity to add more lottery-type talent to a roster that already has Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. Holland could be that. Yes, his stock took a hit after a so-so G-League campaign rife with turnovers and poor shooting. But he’s an explosive, athletic wing who can get downhill, defend and fit the Grizzlies.
Jazz 10 Dalton Knecht G/F, 6-6, Tennessee
He’s practically venerable in draft terms, 23-years-old after his transfer to Tennessee. But he made it pay off, averaging 21.7 points and making 39.7 percent from 3-point range with several red-hot streaks thrown in. He’s a knock-down shooter from every spot on the court. And though Knecht’s advanced age brings up legitimate questions about upside, his learning curve should also be smoother than most.
Bulls 11 Tidjane Salaun PF, 6-9, Cholet (France)
If the Bulls have finally stopped deluding themselves and are committed to hitting the reset button, they could trade Zach LaVine and find Salaun a long-term development piece.
Thunder (from Rockets) 12 Ja’Kobe Walter G/F, 6-5, Baylor
Walter is a movement shooter who is dangerous coming off screens and even draws fouls, too. He can ease into improving his passing on a conference finalist that’s already ahead of schedule and frankly doesn’t need much from him immediately.
Kings 13 Cody Williams F, 6-9, Colorado
His stock may have slipped slightly, falling out of the projected top 10 after he didn’t explode quite as expected in his lone season at Colorado. But that could just be the case of the Kings getting richer, landing a tall spindly wing who can score and is a fluid athlete.
Trail Blazers 14 (from Warriors) Jared McCain, PG, 6-3 Duke
If Portland can’t land Clingan at No. 7, or opts to pass on him if a prospect they rate even higher falls to them there, expect them to grab the big center. But if they don’t get him, Zach Edey is a similarly-sized facsimile. Otherwise, the Blazers should go best-available at this spot. If that’s McCain, they will snatch up the diminutive 20-year-old scorer as an asset, and figure out the fit behind Henderson and Simons later.
Heat 15 Zach Edey C, 7-3, Purdue
Coming off a gentleman’s sweep in the first round of the playoffs, Miami needs scoring and youth. Edey, at 22-years-old, could step right in with a small learning curve and offer a different look to Bam Adebayo’s rim rolling. He’s over 7-3, has a 7-10 ¹/₂ wingspan and averaged a gaudy 25.2 points for Purdue. Yes, Edey’s defense might limit him to being a role player; but when that role is post-up scoring, screening for Jimmy Butler and finishing, they could do worse.
76ers 16 Devin Carter G, 6-3, Providence
Another older prospect at 22, Carter got plenty of experience in the Big East grind, used his staggering 7-1 wingspan to great effect on defense and showed well in the combine. He opted to play and helped his stock, which now seems firmly in the top 20. For a 76ers team in win-now mode looking for instant contributors around Joel Embiid, an athletic defender who could immediately make the rotation seems a good fit.
Lakers* 17 Tristan da Silva F, 6-9, Colorado
* The Lakers don’t even know if they’ll have this pick, with the Pelicans having until June 1 to decide if they want to take this pick or defer to next year. But if the Lakers have this selection, expect them to first dangle it to get another veteran to play alongside 39-year-old LeBron James. If that fails, they likely will look for the closest thing they can find to a plug-andplay rookie. Da Silva is the closest thing they can find, a two-way 23-year-old who hit 39.5 percent from deep.
Magic 18 Johnny Furphy SG/SF, 6-9, Kansas
Despite the early playoffs exit, the future is bright in Orlando. With the Magic’s roster, they might be a while until they have a high pick again. Expect them to take a shot on a high-upside prospect who they can give some time to develop. Tall and offensively skilled, Furphy is just that.
Raptors 19 (from Pacers) Kyshawn George SG/SF, 6-8, Miami
Toronto spent years winning based on a bevy of wings who used their long wingspans to defend. George, who has sprouted up 9 inches in the past five years, now fits the mold physically, with his 6-9 wingspan. Add in the fact he hit 40.8 percent from deep at Coral Gables, and it’s easy to see how his spacing would help star forward Scottie Barnes and a Raptors team that was fourthworst in 3-pointers made (11.5) and 3-point percentage (.347).
Cavaliers 20
Carlton Carrington G, 6-5, Pittsburgh
Clearly Cleveland has some things to decide. They’re desperately trying to hold onto superstar Donovan Mitchell (and Darius Garland), and looking for a new coach (Kenny Atkinson and James Borrego are mentioned). For a team in flux, they could go for upside. The 18-year-old Carrington is blessed with that in spades, even if he didn’t play at the combine.
Pelicans (from Bucks) 21 Isaiah Collier PG, 6-5, USC
Once considered a top-10 pick, and certainly still capable of going in the lottery, the needs of teams picking 10-20 could end up seeing Collier take a slight fall through the first round. At a solidly built 205 pounds, he has the size and strength to bully his way through the paint — if he can get his turnovers under control and his shooting percentages up (33.8 from deep as a USC freshman).
Suns 22 Kyle Filipowski PF/C, 7-0, Duke
Much has been made about the Suns’ situation, as they’re very much in winnow mode after trades for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal but still got swept out of the first round. They’ve dealt away control of their first-rounders through 2030, so they have to land a contributor here. They need point guard help but also size, rebounding and defense. With the lead guards gone, the skillful Filipowski is a better value.
Bucks (from Pelicans) 23 Yves Missi C, 7-0, Baylor
For a team that finished as high as Milwaukee did, they actually have several needs. The Bucks will likely go best-available rather than pick for need, and Missi would be that.
Knicks 24 (from Mavericks) Tyler Smith F, 6-11, G League Ignite
After a solid season ended in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Knicks know their path could be tougher next year. Will they use both of their consecutive first-rounders or trade them to bolster their roster with veterans? If they make this pick, the teenaged Smith is raw but eventually could develop down the road into a stretch big with a useful 7-1 wingspan.
Knicks 25 Kel’el Ware C, 7-0, Indiana
With Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitch Robinson, the Knicks don’t have a desperate need at center. And they might deal one or even both of their back-to-back first-round picks. But they can afford to take best available if they sit pat at No. 25, and Ware would be a good choice. His verticality, mobility and budding jumper have drawn comparisons with Dallas rookie Dereck Lively, who shot up draft boards last year.
Wizards 26 (from Clippers) Bobi Klintman F, 6-10, Cairns (Australia)
Klintman has been in multiple different leagues over the past several years and never quite fulfilled his promise. But he’s a versatile two-way wing with skills, multi-positional versatility and a 7-foot wingspan. Somebody is going to gamble on him. Washington, in the early stages of a longdelayed rebuild, needs all the talent they can get, and there’s upside here if he can add strength.
Timberwolves 27 Baylor Scheierman SG/SF, 6-7, Creighton
A solid showing at the combine — one of the stars during live play — has shot Scheierman up draft boards from the bottom of the second round to the tail end of the first. Set to be 24 years old before his rookie campaign starts, the Creighton wing hit 38.1 from deep and looks to be a plug-and-play rotation option for whatever team lands him.
Nuggets 28
Tyler Kolek PG, 6-3, Marquette
With Kentavious CaldwellPope and Reggie Jackson having player options this offseason, Denver will be looking for cheap plug-and-play options here. The 23-year-old Kolek already has a seasoned pick-and-roll game.
Jazz 29 (from Thunder) Justin Edward SG/SF, 6-7, Kentucky
The lefty was a disappointment in Lexington after being a top high school recruit and expected top-10 selection. His catch-and-shoot numbers didn’t match up to the jumper. But the potential for perimeter improvement is there, the 7-foot-1 wingspan is undeniable, and Utah has enough picks to take a gamble here.
Celtics 30 Daron Holmes II F, 6-9, Dayton
There aren’t a ton of big men who can space the floor and protect the rim, but Holmes is one. At least, he is now. He averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks this past season at Dayton, but more than his 7-foot wingspan it was his much-improved 38.6 percent from deep and impressive shooting at the combine that lifted him into first-round contention.