Category: NBA Draft

PJ Hall undrafted in 2024 NBA draft, signs with Denver Nuggets

PJ Hall has signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets.

Former Clemson big man PJ Hall has found a home in the NBA.

After not being selected on Day 2 of the 2024 NBA Draft in New York, Hall has signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets. He’ll reunite with former Clemson teammate Hunter Tyson in the Nuggets’ organization. Tyson was a 2023 second-round pick.

Hall was forecast in many mock drafts to be a second-round pick, as well. CBS Sports had him going as high as No. 41 overall to the Philadelphia 76ers while Bleacher Report saw Hall as a No. 45 pick (by Sacramento). On3’s final mock draft had him as a second-round pick by the NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Hall closed out a memorable four-year run at Clemson by averaging 18.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in 2023-24. He started all 36 games and was the fourth leading scorer in the ACC while helping Clemson reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1980.

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It’s official: The Lakers have taken Bronny James with the No. 55 pick

It wasn’t exactly a surprise the Lakers took Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Many expected the Los Angeles Lakers to do so for at least the past 18 months, but on Thursday afternoon, they took Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

The younger James has been arguably the most talked-about player in this year’s draft class. He’s an intriguing prospect, as he recorded a 40.5-inch vertical leap at the draft combine and has a 6-foot-7 wingspan despite standing just 6-foot-1.5.

He struggled mightily with his shooting during his lone season at the University of Southern California, but some feel he will do better in the pros, at least eventually. He has impressed some scouts with his defensive effort and activity, and there is a feeling he has some potential as a secondary or supplementary playmaker.

The elder James will now have the opportunity to accomplish his stated dream of sharing the court and the same locker room with his son, assuming he stays with the Lakers.

The elder James is expected to opt out of his contract and sign a new one in the coming weeks to stay with the Purple and Gold. He has until Saturday to decide whether he will actually opt out of his current deal.

2024 NBA draft: OKC Thunder selects Ajay Mitchell with No. 38 selection

2024 NBA draft: OKC Thunder selects Ajay Mitchell with No. 38 selection.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have drafted UC Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell with the No. 38 pick of the 2024 NBA draft, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. This selection comes after they acquired it from the New York Knicks in exchange for cash considerations.

The Thunder reportedly acquired the No. 40 pick from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for the No. 52 pick, which OKC received from the Golden State Warriors for Lindy Waters III.

The 22-year-old played in three college seasons from 2021-24. He spent all three campaigns at UC Santa Barbara.

In 29 games last season, Mitchell averaged 20 points on 50.4% shooting, four assists and four rebounds. He shot 39.3% from 3 on 2.9 attempts. At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, he’s a bit small for a guard.

Mitchell will likely spend most of his rookie season with the G League’s OKC Blue. There’s a shot he is added in one of the two-way slots.

Mitchell joins Nikola Topic and Dillon Jones as the Thunder’s 2024 rookie class.

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Report: Thunder trade Lindy Waters III to Warriors for No. 52 pick of 2024 NBA draft

Report: Thunder trade Lindy Waters III to Warriors for No. 52 pick of 2024 NBA draft.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded Lindy Waters III to the Golden State Warriors for the No. 52 pick of the 2024 NBA draft, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

This gives the Thunder a shot to add another rookie to their draft class. They selected Nikola Topic with the No. 12 pick and Dillon Jones with the No. 26 pick in the first round.

This marks the end of Waters III’s three-season tenure with the Thunder. He was a two-way player for most of his time at OKC and was converted to a standard deal twice. He has a $2.2 million team option for next season.

The 26-year-old was buried on the depth chart last season and seldom played. He averaged 3.6 points on 47.1% shooting, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists. He shot 43.5% from 3 on 2.2 attempts.

This is cheap depth for the expensive Warriors. Waters III has shown flashes of being a good shooter, which is always a hot commodity in the league.

Meanwhile, OKC flips someone who was likely going to get his option declined for a cheap second-round rookie. There’s a decent chance who they add will be in a two-way slot next season.

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Sam Presti dismisses theory that Nikola Topic is Josh Giddey’s replacement

Sam Presti dismisses theory that Nikola Topic is Josh Giddey’s replacement.

The Oklahoma City Thunder took a swing for the fences with the addition of Nikola Topic, who they drafted with the No. 12 pick of the 2024 NBA draft.

It’ll be a while before it’s known if it was a homer or a foul ball.

The 18-year-old was regarded as one of the best playmakers of the class. He’s a passing savant who dominated overseas, which helped him be a highly-touted prospect.

A partially torn ACL in May plummeted his draft stock. He will be a redshirt and miss all next season as he recovers. Even when he was healthy, a lack of an outside shot and a skinny frame made him a risky selection.

The international prospect has passing chops but must work on his jumper to hit his ceiling as an abnormally large facilitator guard at 6-foot-6. Does that sound familiar to Thunder fans? If it does, it’s within good reason.

Josh Giddey had a similar archetype when he joined OKC in 2021. He only lasted three seasons with the Thunder before he was shipped to the Chicago Bulls last week.

The 21-year-old never developed a proper outside shot, which was a problem this past season. He had his worst career season as opposing defenses dared him to shoot.

The Thunder now get a redo with Topic, who’s projected to be a better driver and finisher around the rim than Giddey was. Despite the similarities, Sam Presti said it’s an unfair comparison.

“I wouldn’t compare him specifically to Josh or any other player in that way,” Presti said. “But like I said earlier, guys that are big for their position, that process the game well, those guys are play pretty much all over the floor, in different combinations.

“So we value those skill sets probably more than trying to, like, replicate a specific role or anything like that.”

Presti discussed how players like Topic, who can move the ball at an elite rate, are valued commodities. The Thunder’s 5-out offense is a perfect scheme for players who can find small passing pockets to their teammates.

“I do think those guys — I don’t think you can have enough people that can make decisions on the court,” Presti said. “And when you combine that with size, it definitely increases the effectiveness or the probabilities of those decisions being good.”

The best-case scenario with Topic is certainly appealing. In an ideal scenario, he joins Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a backcourt partner and can help set his teammates up with quality looks. The shot will likely make or break this pick.

But for now, Topic must turn his focus on his knee rehab. He must fully recover before he can daydream about his fit with the Thunder. It’ll be a while before the fruits of his labor are enjoyed, but OKC affords him the patience to rehab in the background of a title contender.

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Sam Presti comments on Nikola Topic’s health status, sees benefits in redshirt season

Sam Presti comments on Nikola Topic’s health status, sees benefits in redshirt season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have nailed most of their lottery picks in recent years, so it shouldn’t be a shocker to see them take a heat check with the No. 12 pick of the 2024 NBA draft.

The Thunder’s addition of Nikola Topic is a risky move that won’t see the benefits of it for a while. He recently partially tore his ACL and that will knock him out for next season.

Even before the injury, Topic was seen as a high-risk, high-reward prospect. He’s a fantastic playmaker who is a crafty driver but a lack of shot and strength could be detrimental.

The upside for Topic is he’s only 18 years old, which means he has plenty of room to grow both with his frame and skills. It’ll need to be a project start from scratch, but he has the potential to be a decent outside shooter.

Even though ACL tears aren’t a career-altering injury as they were a decade ago, there’s always a degree of uncertainty involved. But it sounds like the Thunder are fully prepared to help Topic’s recovery.

“The league put in some rules this year where everybody has access to the new — to all of the new players that are in the draft,” Sam Presti said. “We’ve seen all of the imaging. Everything that we’ve seen is — I don’t want to say suitable, but we’re comfortable with, I want to say.”

This isn’t new territory for them as Chet Holmgren also had a redshirt year when he suffered a Lisfranc injury in the 2022 offseason. It gave him a chance to slowplay his NBA experience. Safe to say he’s made a full recovery.

“Myself and Donnie Strack, our director of medical, who’s been here for 17 years now, traveled out to visit Nikola,” Presti said. “He examined him in person, was able to spend some time with him.”

Topic will get the same unique chance Holmgren did of learning the ins and outs of the NBA at a slower pace than the usual rookie — who is doing it between games. The Thunder believes that can be beneficial.

“Our experience with Chet and the time that we used with him during his first year was certainly a factor into the way we thought about this opportunity,” Presti said. “And I think we learned some things in that instance.”

Whether or not Topic was the right selection will be a question unanswered for several years. The Thunder preaches patience and that will be tested with Topic as he focuses on his recovery and sharpens his craft.

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Nikola Topic reacts to being selected by Thunder, has message for fans

Nikola Topic reacts to being selected by Thunder, has message for fans.

The Oklahoma City Thunder made the surprising decision to select Nikola Topic with the No. 12 selection of the 2024 NBA draft. While the potential is tantalizing with the 18-year-old, there’s certainly a degree of risk involved.

The 6-foot-6 guard will have a redshirt season as he recovers from a partially torn ACL he suffered in May. This means one less season to prove himself on his rookie deal.

Even before the injury, Topic was seen as a risky addition. He’s an elite playmaker who can score downhill, but his lack of an outside shot and small frame meant he’ll be a work in progress.

Topic also has a limited sample size of being a productive player. Sure, he was dominant when he played overseas, but that’s on a sample size of less than 20 games.

Nevertheless, Topic was excited to join the Thunder. He had a chance to hug his new teammate Jalen Williams — who was at the draft to support his brother Cody being drafted by the Utah Jazz with the No. 10 selection.

The 18-year-old discussed being on the Thunder and said he’s excited to meet his teammates and staff.

“Every organization that I’ve been to, I met some really nice people. That is with Oklahoma, also,” Topic said. “Very, very nice coach. GMs, everybody, I’m just excited to meet them in person and talk to them.”

The Thunder had the rare opportunity to afford patience with Topic’s recovery. They’re fresh off a first-seed finish with their young core.

Considering how deep their roster is and the amount of cap space they have, OKC didn’t necessarily need its lottery pick to be an immediate contributor. Now, it must practice patience as Topic will wait over a year before he gets a chance to suit up for the Thunder.

If everything breaks right, the Thunder took advantage of his draft stock’s plummet and could’ve added an elite playmaker with serious size. He can be a high-end starter in the long-term future.

“I’ll give 150 percent of myself for every ball, every possession, every (time on) defense,” Topic said.

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2024 NBA draft: How to watch, broadcast info for second round

2024 NBA draft: How to watch, broadcast info for second round.

The 2024 NBA draft has arrived and if you’re wondering how you can watch the event live, you’ve come to the right place.

The first round is in the books, which means the second round will play out on Thursday to finish the inaugural two-day draft. The second round will consist of selections 31-58.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the draft:

  • Date: Thursday, June 27
  • Time: 3 p.m. CT
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Live Stream: Fubo (watch for free)

The Oklahoma City Thunder have already drafted a pair of rookies in the first round. They added Nikola Topic with the No. 12 selection and traded back into the first round to add Dillon Jones with the No. 26 selection.

The Thunder enter the second round without a single draft pick, but that can obviously change with trades.

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2024 NBA draft: Thunder trade for No. 26 pick, add Weber State’s Dillon Jones

2024 NBA draft: Thunder trade for No. 26 pick, add Weber State’s Dillon Jones.

The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Weber State’s Dillon Jones with the No. 26 pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft. This comes after the Thunder acquired the draft pick from the New York Knicks.

The Thunder ship five second-round draft picks from 2025-27 to the Knicks, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The 22-year-old played four college seasons from 2021-24 at Weber State. He was a starter in his last three seasons with the Wildcats.

In 31 games last season, Jones averaged 20.8 points on 48.9% shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and two steals. He shot 32.4% from 3 on 3.4 attempts. At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, he has good size for a forward.

Jones joins Nikola Topic as the Thunder’s first-round haul. He was selected with the No. 12 selection.

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Lakers select wing Dalton Knecht with No. 17 pick in 2024 NBA Draft

The Lakers’ pick is in, and it seems to be a promising one — Dalton Knecht.

There was a lot of talk about what the Los Angeles Lakers would do with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft over the last few weeks.

Would they trade it, possibly along with additional trade capital, to land a third star? Would they trade it in order to secure a higher pick in this year’s draft? Or would they keep it?

Of course, there was also plenty of talk about who they could take at No. 17 if they ended up keeping the pick.

That pick remained in L.A.’s possession, and they used it on Dalton Knecht, a wing out of the University of Tennessee.

Knecht stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 213 pounds, and he is a natural outside shooter, something the Lakers need more of. In three years of Division I college basketball, he showed steady improvement with his 3-point accuracy.

After high school, the Colorado native (he was born in North Dakota) spent two years at Northeastern Junior College in Colorado. He then moved on to the University of Northern Colorado before transferring to the University of Tennessee for the 2023-24 season.

He’s a natural scorer, and he won the SEC Player of the Year award for this season.

Knecht is also rather athletic, and at the draft combine, he showed off his impressive leaping ability.

He isn’t a good defender, but scouts feel he has the raw tools to excel enough in that category if the will and desire to do so are there.