Tag: 2024 NBA Draft

Nevada’s Jarod Lucas in OKC for presumed predraft workout with Thunder

Nevada’s Jarod Lucas in OKC for presumed 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 Nevada guard Jarod Lucas. He posted on social media he was in OKC for a presumed predraft workout with the Thunder.

The 24-year-old played five college seasons from 2019-24. He spent his first three seasons at Oregon State before transferring to Nevada for his final two seasons.

In 34 games last season, Lucas averaged 17.8 points on 42.1% shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He shot 39.4% from 3 on six attempts. At 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, he has good size for a combo guard.

Lucas will likely be an undrafted free agent target. He has a shot to join the Thunder’s summer league squad and possibly be added to the G League’s OKC Blue for next season if he impresses enough.

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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Could Bulls guard Alex Caruso be on his way to the Rockets or Grizzlies for draft capital?

With rumbles around that the Bulls might be trying to move up in the 2024 NBA draft from their No. 11 overall selection, it could make sense.

Could Chicago Bulls veteran guard Alex Caruso be on his way to the Hoston Rockets or Memphis Grizzlies for draft capital? With rumbles making the rounds that the Bulls might be trying to move up in the 2024 NBA draft from their No. 11 overall selection, it could make sense. And they will need to part with something to do it if that is what is going on here.

But the Bulls could also be looking to add a younger player better aligned with the age curve of the team moving forward — or possibly even to add draft capital AND a younger player to the roster.

Whatever direction Chicago’s front office is taking, it sounds as if Caruso’s future in the Windy City is getting closer to being over.

The hosts of the “Locked On Bulls” podcast, Haize and Pat the Designer, weighed in on the rumbles and how they think it could go down on a recent show. Take a look at the clip embedded below.

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Texas A&M’s Tyrece Radford in OKC for presumed predraft workout with Thunder

Texas A&M’s Tyrece Radford in OKC for presumed 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 Texas A&M guard Tyrece Radford. He posted on social media he was in OKC for a presumed predraft workout with the Thunder.

The 25-year-old played five college seasons from 2019-24. He spent the first two years at Virginia Tech before he transferred to Texas A&M for the final three years.

In 31 games last season, Radford averaged 16.5 points on 41.1% shooting, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He shot 28% from 3 on four attempts. He is a bit of an undersized guard at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds.

Radford will likely be an undrafted free agent target. He has a shot to join the Thunder’s summer league squad and possibly be added to the G League’s OKC Blue roster for next season if he impresses enough.

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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An updated look at Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski on ESPN’s Best Available NBA draft tracker

ESPN’s Best Available tracker for the 2024 NBA draft is live, and the two Blue Devils on the board are near the top 20 with two weeks to go.

The ESPN player rankings for the 2024 NBA draft are here, and former Blue Devils [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] remain firm first-round talents.

McCain ranks as the site’s 15th-ranked player in the class while Filipowski is 21st.

McCain has drawn comparisons to the Curry brothers, four-time NBA champion Steph and Duke alum Seth, for his 41% 3-point shooting. He set social media aflame with his combine performance, showcasing the repeatability and consistency of his shooting form.

Filipowski, a 7-foot All-American, provides a unique combination of 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. A 34.8% 3-point shooter as a sophomore, the two-year starter is the eighth-ranked power forward in the class.

Check out Duke Wire’s five ideal destinations for McCain here and the five best fits for Filipowski here.

Report: Top picks of 2024 NBA draft remain very uncertain

The Ringer’s Ryen Russillo on feedback from NBA sources regarding 2024 draft boards: “You guys are assuming way too much in the media.”

During most of the NBA’s 2024 pre-draft process, mock drafts have placed French forwards Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher in the top-two slots. That would leave the remainder of the class available to the Houston Rockets, who are up next at No. 3 in the first round.

But, are Risacher and Sarr (in some order) truly a lock to go to Atlanta and Washington, and thus be off the board for Houston?

With the June 26 first round approximately two weeks away, there appears to be considerable uncertainty. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported last week that Connecticut center Donovan Clingan could be in top-two consideration by the Hawks and Wizards, and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo said in a newly released podcast that they wouldn’t be shocked if Clingan goes No. 1 overall.

Regarding consensus media draft boards, Russillo said:

There’s this growing momentum of a lot of teams being like, “Man, the buzz is that the mocks are assuming Sarr-Risacher… in this way that’s not even close to the [draft] boards. … You guys are assuming way too much in the media.”

Should Clingan go in the top-two picks, that would leave at least one of Sarr and Risacher available to the Rockets at No. 3 overall.

The complete Simmons-Russillo segment can be viewed below.

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Tristan da Silva tabbed as first-round pick in USA TODAY Sports’ latest NBA mock draft

With only two weeks left until the NBA draft, see where Tristan da Silva landed in USA TODAY Sports’ latest mock

The 2024 NBA draft is only about two weeks away, and it appears likely that three former Colorado men’s basketball players will hear their names called.

Most projections have one-and-done college forward Cody Williams being the first Buff selected, but three-year Colorado starter Tristan da Silva is typically close behind. In USA TODAY Sports’ latest mock draft, the 6-foot-8 forward from Germany went to the Orlando Magic with the 18th overall pick.

The Magic, led by former CU hooper Jamahl Mosley, is coming off its winningest season in 13 years and could benefit from the upside da Silva owns. In his fourth and final season with the Buffs, da Silva averaged 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 34 games played.

Here’s what USA TODAY Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt and Scooby Axson wrote on da Silva:

Displays a versatile and savvy skillset offensively, including ability to shoot 3s, cut to the rim, post up and run the offense. He played well in the tournament, making 9 of 16 3s.

Williams went 12th overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder in that same first-round mock draft. Former Colorado star point guard KJ Simpson was not mentioned, but many are projecting him as an early second-round pick.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

SB Nation assigns Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski to ‘perfect’ fits in new mock draft

See which squads took Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski in the new SB Nation mock draft, detailing the ‘perfect’ prospects for each team, here.

SB Nation released a new mock draft on Monday with writer Ricky O’Donnell taking a slightly different approach. Instead of detailing which picks he thinks each NBA team will make, O’Donnell said he went for which player he would take in each position.

The Duke basketball team has two players in the draft pool this year, and both went in the top 21 selections of O’Donnell’s ideal draft.

[autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] went 18th overall to the Orlando Magic. The No. 5 seed in last year’s Eastern Conference playoffs is led by another former Duke basketball player in [autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag], and McCain’s 41% 3-point shooting clip can help space the floor.

“While he’s not a natural shot creator off the dribble, he could play well off Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and provide them with floor spacing,” O’Donnell wrote.

[autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] went three picks later to the New Orleans Pelicans led by former Duke basketball players [autotag]Brandon Ingram[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Williamson[/autotag].

O’Donnell even said Filipowski might go higher than 21st due to his combination of height (7 feet tall) and ball-handling (2.8 assists per game last season).

“Duke’s sophomore center is one of the most skilled big men in the class: a great decision-maker as a passer, a capable three-point shooter, and a tough interior scorer,” the SB Nation writer said.

The NBA draft kicks off on Wednesday, June 26.

Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski both paired with recent MVPs in new CBS Sports mock draft

CBS Sports released a new NBA mock draft on Monday, and Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski got paired with some all-time new teammates.

CBS Sports released a new NBA mock draft on Monday, and writer Cameron Salerno paired former Duke basketball stars [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] with some of the best teammates in the sport.

McCain went first out of the two, the 16th overall pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in the projection. A 41.4% 3-point shooter with three 30-point performances as a freshman, Salerno said the Sacramento native is arguably the best marksman in the class.

“McCain projects as more of an off-ball guard at the next level, but his strong rebounding skills make him equipped to thrive at the next level,” Salerno wrote.

The projection, should it come true, puts McCain on the same team as 2022-23 NBA MVP Joel Embiid.

Filipowski, his All-American teammate from last year, would also play with a former MVP. Salerno slotted the 7-footer in as the 23rd pick to the Milwaukee Bucks alongside two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

With 2.8 assists last season, the former Blue Devil’s ability to facilitate from the inside-out makes him an enticing option.

“Filipowski is probably the most skilled player offensively his size in this class,” Salerno wrote. “(He) is more of a four than a five at the next level, but his archetype is what NBA teams are looking for.”

The NBA draft gets underway on June 26.

Duke’s Jared McCain in OKC for presumed predraft workout with Thunder

Duke’s Jared McCain in OKC for presumed 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 Duke guard Jared McCain. He was spotted at the OKC airport for a presumed predraft workout with the Thunder, per The Athletic’s Andrew Schlecht.

In 36 games, McCain averaged 14.3 points on 46.2% shooting, five rebounds and 1.9 assists. He shot 41.4% from 3 on 5.8 attempts. He’s a bit undersized as a guard at 6-foot-2, 197 pounds.

The 20-year-old is the classic one-and-done prospect. He’ll be an option for the Thunder at the 12th spot. McCain is expected to go in the lottery range.

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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New ESPN mock draft discusses the best value for Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski

ESPN analysts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released an in-depth NBA mock draft debating team needs and value on Tuesday. Where were Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski?

The NBA has become a league increasingly built around a team’s best player going head to head with his best opponent, but professional basketball teams can’t ignore value and team needs in the team-building process.

ESPN analysts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released an in-depth mock draft on Tuesday morning, breaking down the best fit and best value pick for each of the 30 first-round selections.

The two agreed on [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag], considering him the best fit and the best value for the Sacramento Kings at 13th overall. McCain, a Sacramento native, offers a 41% perimeter shooter to pair with All-NBA Third Teamer Domantas Sabonis.

“McCain has an easy niche he can fill in the NBA with his scoring versatility, basketball instincts, competitiveness and smarts,” Givony wrote.

The two were more divided about [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag], however. Givony said he fit best for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who hold the 20th pick in the draft, despite Cleveland already having multiple starting power forwards on the roster. The Duke product’s 2.8 assists per game make him an alluring prospect as a forward or center.

“Filipowski’s ability to handle, pass and shoot is difficult to come by at 7-foot,” Givony wrote.

Woo said the best value for the All-American came with the New York Knicks at 24th overall, again praising Filipowski’s ability with the ball in his hands.

The NBA draft gets underway on June 26.