Tag: 2024 NBA Draft

NBA mock draft projects Cody Williams to join brother in Oklahoma City

Could we see Cody Williams join his brother in Oklahoma City?

USA TODAY Sports’ updated 2024 NBA mock draft has former Colorado men’s basketball forward Cody Williams headed to an intriguing destination.

Draft analysts Jeff Zillgitt and Scooby Axson currently project the Oklahoma City Thunder to select the one-and-done college player with the 12th overall pick, setting up a reunion between Williams and his older brother Jalen. The elder Williams averaged 19.1 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game as a second-year player with the Thunder in 2023-24.

Oklahoma City finished the regular season with 57 wins before falling to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals.

During an injury-riddled true freshman season with the Buffs, Cody Williams averaged 11.9 points while shooting 55.2% from the field. In part due to Williams’ strong perimeter defense, Zillgitt and Axson also see a world in which Colorado’s star forward goes top-10:

Williams’ perimeter defense and scoring ability make him a prime candidate for a top-10 pick. Can get to the rim with ease, and finishes with power although listed at 6-6, 178 pounds. Has 3-point range, and his mid-range game is solid at the college level.

The first round of the 2024 NBA draft is set for June 26.

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Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski to playoff teams in latest USA TODAY Sports NBA mock draft

Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski both went to teams who reached the a recent NBA Finals in a new USA TODAY Sports mock draft.

USA TODAY Sports released a new NBA mock draft on Tuesday morning with Jeff Zillgitt and Scooby Axson pairing prospects with their professional destinations. The duo included both Blue Devils on the draft board and even assigned them both to recently successful playoff teams.

[autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] went 15th overall to the Miami Heat and [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] went 22nd overall to the Phoenix Suns.

McCain, the freshman who shot better than 40% from 3-point range last season, averaged 14.3 points per game in his debut collegiate season. At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, he’s marginally undersized, but his ability with the ball in his hands makes him a potent weapon anyway.

The projection paired him with Miami stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, and the Heat won the Eastern Conference in both 2020 and 2023.

Filipowski, the 7-foot sophomore who made the Second Team All-American squad last season, averaged 16.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He also offers some offensive versatility with 2.8 assists and a 34.8% clip from long range.

“A low-post big who uses his size, strength and athleticism,” Zillgitt and Axson wrote. “He can step outside and hit 3s and go to the bucket for dunks and layups.”

The Suns made the Finals in 2021 and have since added future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant and three-time All-Star Bradley Beal.

Both respective fits were listed as one of Duke Wire’s ideal destinations for the duo. McCain’s five best fits can be found here while Filipowski’s can be read here.

Report: G League Ignite’s Tyler Smith conducted predraft workout with Thunder

Report: G League Ignite’s Tyler Smith conducted predraft workout with Thunder.

The calendar has flipped to June, which means NBA teams are intensifying their predraft process and hosting players for workouts and visits. The 2024 NBA draft will take place from June 26-27.

The Oklahoma City Thunder enter this year’s class with a sole draft pick of the No. 12 selection. OKC was gifted the free lottery pick via the Houston Rockets.

The Thunder will host several meetings with draft prospects in the coming weeks. This includes players outside the lottery range as OKC will likely seek to add undrafted free agents or even buy back into the second round if it likes someone enough.

One possibility is G League Ignite forward Tyler Smith. He reportedly had a predraft workout with the Thunder, per HoopsHype. The 19-year-old was part of the last Ignite squad before the program was discontinued this past season.

In 43 games, Smith averaged 13.7 points on 47.4% shooting, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He shot 36% from 3 on 3.7 attempts. At 6-foot-11, 224 pounds, he has the ideal size to be a wing and small center tweener.

If the Thunder like him enough, he’ll likely be available at the 12th spot. It’ll be a bit of a reach but that’s around the range Smith will go. He’s seen as a project with great tools. He also spent time with the Overtime Elite program before he joined the G League.

A full list of 2024 NBA draft prospects that have worked out or visited the Thunder in the predraft process can be viewed here.

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Chicago Bulls seen as among worst lottery landing spots for Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht

“He can’t fix what they need, and they can’t provide the defensive protection that would really benefit him,” writes the dissenting author.

In a recent analysis by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, the Chicago Bulls were seen as among the worst lottery landing spots for University of Tennessee small forward Dalton Knecht. The 3-and-D specialist could realistically slip to the Bulls’ range with Chicago armed with the No. 11 overall selection of the 2024 NBA draft, but Buckley is all the way out on a Knecht era in the Windy City.

“The Bulls have a standing need for shooting, plus a stubborn commitment to this win-now core that actually doesn’t have what it needs to win now,” writes the B/R league analyst on the prospect of the Vol alum in Chi-town.

“It feels very possible that the Bulls could talk themselves into taking Knecht if he’s still on the board at No. 11.”

“He can’t fix what they need, and they can’t provide the defensive protection that would really benefit him,” he adds.

“And since the Bulls’ top scorers are also their best ball-handlers—Coby White, Zach LaVine (if he isn’t traded), DeMar DeRozan (if he re-signs)—they may not seek out catch-and-fire attempts for Knecht the way a more traditional table-setter would.”

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ESPN says Jared McCain is the best prospect in the NBA draft for this category

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo handed out some NBA draft superlatives on Monday. Which category did they honor Jared McCain in?

Longtime ESPN draft analysts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released an article handing out 20 superlative awards among the NBA draft prospects on Monday and Duke star [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] earned a nomination in one category.

Givony and Woo said McCain holds the ‘Best intangibles’ in the draft class because of his work ethic.

The 41% 3-point shooter already proved he can elevate himself on the biggest stages with two 30-point games in the NCAA Tournament while leading Duke to the Elite Eight. Givony said people in the sport only respect the former Blue Devil more.

“(McCain) has been revered behind the scenes at Duke and elsewhere for his work ethic,” Woo wrote. “While notorious to an extent for his huge following on social media, McCain’s actions when the cameras are off back up the notion that he’ll get the most out of his talent in the long term.”

The article also said that Duke head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] called the one-year star the most disciplined worker he’d seen with the Blue Devils.

McCain gets to discover his NBA destination when the draft begins on June 26.

Former Duke basketball star Jared McCain reportedly works out with Milwaukee Bucks

The one-year star for the Blue Devils adds to his list of suitors with the NBA draft just two weeks away.

[autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] continues to add to his list of potential suitors with the NBA draft just two weeks away.

According to a Monday social media post from sports writer Gery Woelfel, the Milwaukee Bucks worked out with McCain in advance of the selections.

A 41.4% 3-point shooter who averaged 14.3 points per game with the Blue Devils, a potential union with the Bucks would pair him with two Hall of Fame talents. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and point guard Damian Lillard, who joined Milwaukee last season after a long stint in Portland, helped the Bucks to a 49-33 record and the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference last season. However, an Antetokounmpo injury near the end of the season derailed their playoff effort in the first round.

Obviously, multiple Hall of Fame teammates help any rookie, but McCain’s skillset as a secondary creator and perimeter nightmare would excel around the two. Lillard can operate as a primary ballhandler while an additional 40% threat from deep would open up the inside for Antetokounmpo.

However, the Bucks have the 23rd pick in the draft, which is usually below the range McCain is expected to be taken. Most mock drafts have him between 12th and 20th.

The NBA draft begins on June 26.

Nikola Djurisic: ‘I would say I’m like a less athletic, taller Anthony Edwards’

This year’s international player riding a wave of hype as we near the NBA Draft is Nikola Djurisic, who plays for Mega Basket, a Serbian powerhouse that has produced several NBA players. Born into an athletic family, his father is former pro …

This year’s international player riding a wave of hype as we near the NBA Draft is Nikola Djurisic, who plays for Mega Basket, a Serbian powerhouse that has produced several NBA players. Born into an athletic family, his father is former pro footballer Duško Djurisic, and his mother is former Olympian and pro volleyball player Vesna Čitaković.

Djurisic is a 6-foot-8 swingman who can handle the rock and effectively run the pick-and-roll as both a passer and a scorer from all three levels. Throughout the pre-draft process, Djurisic has showcased his playmaking abilities as a passer and scorer, while demonstrating he has more than enough athleticism to keep up with NBA-level prospects.

Djurisic sat down with HoopsHype, on behalf of adidas Eurocamp, to discuss his journey so far, how this year’s pre-draft compares to last, his GOAT, and more.

Mississippi State’s D.J. Jeffries to have predraft workout with Thunder

Mississippi State’s D.J. Jeffries to have predraft workout with Thunder.

The calendar has flipped to June, which means NBA teams are intensifying their predraft process and hosting players for workouts and visits. The 2024 NBA draft will take place from June 26-27.

The Oklahoma City Thunder enter this year’s class with a sole draft pick of the No. 12 selection. OKC was gifted the free lottery pick via the Houston Rockets.

The Thunder will host several meetings with draft prospects in the coming weeks. This includes players outside the lottery range as OKC will likely seek to add undrafted free agents or even buy back into the second round if it likes someone enough.

One possibility is Mississippi State forward D.J. Jeffries, who is set to have a predraft workout with the Thunder.

The 24-year-old finished a five-year college career last season that spanned from 2019 to 2024. He spent the first two seasons at Memphis before transferring to Mississippi State for his final three years.

In 33 games, Jeffries averaged 6.5 points on 41.1% shooting, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He shot 27.8% from 3 on 2.9 attempts. At 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, he has decent size for a wing.

Jeffries is likely an undrafted free agent target. He’ll be someone the Thunder could add and take a flyer on for their summer league squad. If he impresses enough there, he could earn a spot on the G League’s OKC Blue for next year.

A full list of 2024 NBA draft prospects that have worked out or visited the Thunder in the predraft process can be viewed here.

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What sort of star would you want to see the San Antonio Spurs go all-in for via trade?

San Antonio may elect to trade one or both of their lottery picks for an established player.

A whole lot of attention is being paid toward what the San Antonio Spurs will do with their Nos. 4 and 8 picks in the 2024 NBA draft, and rightly so. The moves they make with those picks could one day affect whether star French forward Victor Wembanyama wins a title with the players who end up on the Spurs roster from those selections.

But it’s important to keep in mind that San Antonio may elect to trade one or both of those picks for an established player instead. What sort of star would you want to see the Spurs go all-in for?

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, took some time on a recent episode with San Antonio Sports Star’s James Pledger, who came on the show to talk about which player the Spurs should go all-in for: Darius Garland or Lauri Markkanen.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

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San Antonio Spurs floated as G League Ignite forward Matas Buzelis best draft fit

The 6-foot-10 swingman has been mocked more or less in the Spurs range in the lottery.

The San Antonio Spurs have been recently floated as G League Ignite small forward draft prospect Matas Buzelis‘ best fit in the list of potential landing spots in the 2024 NBA draft lottery. The 6-foot-10 swingman has been mocked more or less in the Spurs range in the lottery, with San Antonio controlling both the No. 4 and 8 picks of the draft.

“Any prospect should be excited at the idea of linking up with Victor Wembanyama, but Buzelis’ fit with the big fella could be better than most,” writes Bleacher Report league analyst Zach Buckley of the Ignite forward’s optimal landing spot this summer.

“If his shooting comes alive at this level—he’d be in great hands with San Antonio’s developmental staff—he could allow the Spurs to play enormous without sacrificing spacing, creation or open-floor athleticism,” he adds.

“Even in Buzelis’ best-case scenarios, he’s still filling a complementary role, meaning he has a chance to really shine alongside a mega-talent like Wembanyama,” suggests Buckley.

“Buzelis is a smart mover off the basketball, so he could punish teams for paying too much attention to (Wemby). In return, Wembanyama’s supreme paint protection would alleviate concerns with Buzelis’ ability to contain dribble penetration.”

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