The 2024 NBA draft begins on June 26, and with less than a week to go, outlets keep dropping mock drafts left and right.
Smoke doesn’t always signal fire at this stage in the process, but if Duke basketball fans want to draw a connection between the USA TODAY Sports and The Athletic mock drafts both released on Thursday, there’s one to draw for [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag].
Both outlets, as well as ESPN and a few other outlets, connected McCain to the Philadelphia 76ers with the 16th overall pick.
Sam Vecenie, who wrote The Athletic’s mock draft, said the Sixers could still move their first-round pick as they try to build around former MVP Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
However, if Philadelphia wants another piece to inch closer to [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] and the Boston Celtics in the East, it’d be hard to go wrong with a 41% 3-point shooter on the perimeter. With Embiid now 30 years old, the Sixers seem ready to make moves for a title in the next few seasons.
Does McCain end up in The City of Brotherly Love? There are still six days to go, but based on the recent noise and projections, that seems to be the leader in the clubhouse.