by William Burns
Tuesday, Jun 04, 2024As some have been saying, this might be one of the worst NBA draft classes of all time. Of course, there is still talent. But, let's take a look and see how good it really is.
Lottery Picks:
After a bit of speculation during the season, nobody really knew who would emerge as the best NBA prospect in this year's draft. As time passed along two names have become the best of the bunch. Alexandre Sarr (Perth Wildcats, NBL - France) & Zaccharie Risacher (France) are now the two favorites to be the #1 overall selection in this year's draft.
Sarr, another lengthy 7-foot-1 player, is a tremendous defender. He might not have the ability that last year's #1 selection in Victor Wembanyama has in ball handling and the confidence of his shot quite yet. But, he has the potential to be great as he's drawn comparisons to someone like Jaren Jackson Jr.
Risacher, who is now expected to go #2, is also a very exciting talent from the nation of France. Standing at 6-foot-10, he's an excellent player in transition, that reminds me a bit of Harrison Barnes. Although that might not be the most flashy player in the world to compare him to, he'll fill a much needed role for a program in need of a player like this.
Over the rest of the top 15 picks of this year's draft, we could see a bunch of different things happen. Will Zach Edey end up in the lottery? Who will be the first guard taken off the board (Nikola Topic? Reed Sheppard? Rob Dillingham?) We will find all of this out on June 27th, 2024.
Last Notes:
A player to keep an eye on in the later stages of the draft will be Bronny James. Son of NBA living legend Lebron James, he most likely wouldn't even be a part of the talk of this draft class without his dad's name. That being said, he's ready to put the work in and I expect him to get drafted near the later stages of the second round.
It's pretty safe to say that this class most definitely doesn't possess the talent that we've seen in previous years. But, it's hard to call it the "worst" without having had any of them play a single game in the NBA yet.
Odds to go #1:
Alexandre Sarr (-210)
Zaccharie Risacher (+190)
Donovan Clingan (+1200)
Ron Holland (+2000)
Reed Sheppard (+2200)
Robert Dillingham (+3000)
Matas Buzelis (+3500)
Nikola Topic (+4000)
Stephon Castle (+5000)
Dalton Knecht (+10000)
Two Draft Night "Prop Bets" to Make:
Firstly, getting Zaccharie Risacher at +100 to be the #2 overall pick is an absolute steal. With the odds of being the #1 overall pick at what they are, I don't see how the French powerhouses don't go #1 and #2 overall in this year's draft.
For my second prop, I've got Donovan Clingan at +425 to be the #3rd overall pick in this year's draft. Although he has the third best odds to be selected at that pick, the Rockets should look at who's going to help them win. Clingan paired up with the already dangerous Alperen Şengün would be a nightmare for opposing opponents. These odds are too good to pass up.
Lottery Picks:
After a bit of speculation during the season, nobody really knew who would emerge as the best NBA prospect in this year's draft. As time passed along two names have become the best of the bunch. Alexandre Sarr (Perth Wildcats, NBL - France) & Zaccharie Risacher (France) are now the two favorites to be the #1 overall selection in this year's draft.
Sarr, another lengthy 7-foot-1 player, is a tremendous defender. He might not have the ability that last year's #1 selection in Victor Wembanyama has in ball handling and the confidence of his shot quite yet. But, he has the potential to be great as he's drawn comparisons to someone like Jaren Jackson Jr.
Risacher, who is now expected to go #2, is also a very exciting talent from the nation of France. Standing at 6-foot-10, he's an excellent player in transition, that reminds me a bit of Harrison Barnes. Although that might not be the most flashy player in the world to compare him to, he'll fill a much needed role for a program in need of a player like this.
Over the rest of the top 15 picks of this year's draft, we could see a bunch of different things happen. Will Zach Edey end up in the lottery? Who will be the first guard taken off the board (Nikola Topic? Reed Sheppard? Rob Dillingham?) We will find all of this out on June 27th, 2024.
Last Notes:
A player to keep an eye on in the later stages of the draft will be Bronny James. Son of NBA living legend Lebron James, he most likely wouldn't even be a part of the talk of this draft class without his dad's name. That being said, he's ready to put the work in and I expect him to get drafted near the later stages of the second round.
It's pretty safe to say that this class most definitely doesn't possess the talent that we've seen in previous years. But, it's hard to call it the "worst" without having had any of them play a single game in the NBA yet.
Odds to go #1:
Alexandre Sarr (-210)
Zaccharie Risacher (+190)
Donovan Clingan (+1200)
Ron Holland (+2000)
Reed Sheppard (+2200)
Robert Dillingham (+3000)
Matas Buzelis (+3500)
Nikola Topic (+4000)
Stephon Castle (+5000)
Dalton Knecht (+10000)
Two Draft Night "Prop Bets" to Make:
Firstly, getting Zaccharie Risacher at +100 to be the #2 overall pick is an absolute steal. With the odds of being the #1 overall pick at what they are, I don't see how the French powerhouses don't go #1 and #2 overall in this year's draft.
For my second prop, I've got Donovan Clingan at +425 to be the #3rd overall pick in this year's draft. Although he has the third best odds to be selected at that pick, the Rockets should look at who's going to help them win. Clingan paired up with the already dangerous Alperen Şengün would be a nightmare for opposing opponents. These odds are too good to pass up.
