Tag: 2024 NBA Draft

Zach Edey expects to suit up for Canada in 2024 Paris Olympics

Former Purdue center Zach Edey said he expects to play with the Canadian men’s national team in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Former Purdue center Zach Edey said Tuesday that he expects to play with the Canadian men’s national team in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Edey, who was born in Toronto, competed with the team in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He was the lone collegiate player on the roster that featured seven NBA players, averaging 3.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in five appearances as Canada claimed the bronze medal.

The 7-footer said after attending a predraft workout with the Toronto Raptors that he will be with the senior team when training camp begins this month, according to Libaan Osman of the Toronto Star.

Edey is projected to be a first-round pick in the draft after averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and two assists on 62.3% shooting from the field. He became the first player in over 50 years to be named Player of the Year unanimously in consecutive seasons.

The 22-year-old will join his countrymen in training camp after the draft on June 26. The team is expected to soon announce its preliminary roster, which will include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Dwight Powell and Lu Dort, among others.

Canada will open the Olympics in Group A, along with Australia and two teams still to earn berths in qualifying tournaments. The group will play its first game on July 27 and face Australia on July 30 before wrapping up the group phase on Aug. 2.

The team is making its first appearance in the Olympics since 2000.

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Jared McCain, Kyle Filipowski go to Eastern Conference playoff teams in new NBA mock draft

Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski won’t be teammates next year, but if the new Yahoo Sports mock draft is true, they might meet in the playoffs.

Yahoo Sports NBA draft analyst Krysten Peek paired former Duke basketball stars [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] with two Eastern Conference powerhouses in her latest mock draft on Tuesday.

Peek slotted McCain to the Philadelphia 76ers with the 16th pick before giving Filipowski to the New York Knicks at 24th overall.

Both teams made the playoffs this year, actually facing off in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The 76ers, led by 2022-23 MVP Joel Embiid, fell to Jalen Brunson and the Knicks in six games.

Peek praised McCain for his 3-point prowess (41.4% 3-point shooter as a freshman last season), and the pairing with the 7-foot Embiid would create nightmarish floor-spacing problems for Sixers opponents.

Filipowski, the All-American 7-footer who averaged 2.8 assists and shot 34.8% from three last year, would help the Knicks replace center Isaiah Hartenstein, who hits free agency this offseason. Hartenstein may yet stick with the Knicks, but his defensive play and rebounding presence make him one of the top options on the market.

Jared McCain to the Lakers, Filipowksi drops to second round in The Ringer NBA mock draft

Only one of Duke basketball’s two stars went in the top 30 of The Ringer’s latest mock draft, but the one who did went to the biggest stage.

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor released an updated NBA mock draft on Tuesday, and the longtime NBA writer only paired one Duke basketball star with a first-round pick.

[autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag], the sharpshooting freshman, went 17th overall to the Los Angeles Lakers in the projection. The team of four-time NBA champion LeBron James often gets paired with his son, LeBron James Jr., but O’Connor thinks McCain is too great a talent for them to ignore.

McCain shot better than 41% from 3-point range and put together three 30-point games during his one season with the Blue Devils. He’s the seventh-ranked player in the class on O’Connor’s big board, and the writer compares McCain to fellow Duke alum Seth Curry.

“McCain’s shooting prowess and secondary playmaking would make him a great fit with Anthony Davis in the long term,” O’Connor wrote.

[autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag], the sophomore 7-footer who made the Second Team All-American squad last season, has spent much of the pre-draft process as a presumed first-rounder. In this new hypothetical, however, he went to the Toronto Raptors with the first pick of the second round.

With more than 16 points and eight rebounds per game, Filipowski really makes his statement with a 35% 3-point rate and 2.8 assists per game. However, The Ringer writer thinks his rim presence and turnover rate leave something to be desired.

The NBA draft begins on June 26 and the first round will be broadcast on ESPN and ABC.

Projected lottery pick Nikola Topić provides injury update ahead of NBA draft

Nikola Topić said Tuesday at a predraft event that he is still recovering from a knee injury sustained on May 13.

Projected lottery pick Nikola Topić said Tuesday that he is still recovering from a knee injury sustained on May 13 while playing with Crvena zvezda, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Topić suffered the non-contact injury against Partizan in Game 1 of the ABA League Finals and had to be helped off the court by teammates. He missed the remainder of the series and was diagnosed with a left knee sprain by team doctors.

The 18-year-old provided the update at a predraft event for international prospects in Treviso, Italy. He will not be participating in on-court scrimmages but is expected to meet with teams and conduct medical testing in the event.

Topić missed four months after suffering a ligament injury to the same knee earlier this season in January. He returned on April 22 and made four appearances before his latest setback, averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 assists, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals.

The 6-foot-6 guard was named the ABA League Top Prospect after averaging 15 points, 5.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds on 49.8% shooting from the field in 22 games this season. He joined Nikola Jokić, Goga Bitadze and Nikola Jović as previous players to win the award.

Topić is projected to be a high pick after dazzling this season in a limited sample size. He brings great size to the next level and is likely more advanced than other prospects, given his professional experience in Serbia, which started when he was 16.

The 2024 NBA draft will take place June 26-27 in New York City.

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Kyle Filipowski goes to NBA Finals team in latest NBA mock draft from CBS Sports

Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain both went in the first round of CBS Sports’ latest NBA mock draft, with the 7-footer teaming with another former Blue Devil getting ready for the NBA Finals.

CBS Sports’ Colin Ward-Henninger released a new NBA mock draft on Tuesday, and he included two former Duke stars in his first 30 picks.

[autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag], the sharpshooting freshman who put together two 30-point performances in the NCAA Tournament this spring, went 13th overall to the Sacramento Kings.

The Kings have been a popular pre-draft pairing for McCain, who is from Sacramento. Ward-Henninger said the 41% 3-point shooter would be an easy fit alongside Domantas Sabonis, the Kings’ All-NBA Third Team forward who finished last season with 19.4 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 8.2 assists this past season.

The fit for [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] will likely intrigue Duke basketball fans more. The sophomore 7-footer nearly slid out of the first round after Ward-Henninger questioned his ability as a rim protector and a perimeter weapon.

However, the CBS Sports writer still fit him into the first round with the Boston Celtics at 30th overall.

“He does have good touch around the basket and can move his feet defensively,” Ward-Henninger wrote about Filipowski. “So getting into a system like Boston’s would likely do wonders for his development.”

The selection would put the All-American on the same team as former Duke basketball star Jayson Tatum, who just made his third consecutive All-NBA First Team squad while leading the Celtics to their second Finals appearance in three years.

2024 NBA draft: OKC Thunder predraft visit and workout tracker for prospects

2024 NBA draft: OKC Thunder predraft visit and workout tracker for prospects.

The 2024 NBA draft is set to 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. Outside of lottery-projected players, expect OKC to meet with players who could be second-round or undrafted targets.

This article will be periodically updated to show who has met with OKC. It’s important to note that this won’t be the entirety of draft prospects who met with the Thunder as some players keep their meetings private.

To read other teams’ draft prospect visit lists, click here. Below are the draft prospects that have publicly made it known they’ve visited with the Thunder:

(Editor’s note: This article was last updated on June 14)

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Devin Carter is rumored to have received a draft promise in the lottery

Former Providence guard Devin Carter has reportedly received a draft promise from a team in the lottery.

Former Providence guard Devin Carter has reportedly received a promise from a team to be selected in the 2024 NBA draft lottery, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.

Carter was named the Big East Player of the Year after averaging 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals on 47.3% shooting from the field in 33 games. He led the conference in scoring and finished 10th in the country in defensive rebounds (253).

The 22-year-old began his college career at South Carolina, averaging nine points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists as a freshman. He transferred to Providence and saw steady growth in his game while playing two seasons with the Friars.

Carter, the son of former 13-year NBA veteran Anthony Carter, began the year viewed as a potential second-round pick. He has since improved his draft stock following a strong junior campaign and could now reportedly be selected in the lottery, given his ability as a defender.

The 6-foot-3 guard was considered one of the top defenders in the country and was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watchlist in February. He ranked 10th in the country in defensive win shares (2.7) and 14th in defensive box plus-minus (plus-4.9).

Carter expanded his offensive game this past season by improving his 3-point percentage from 29.9% to 37.7% on 6.8 attempts per game. He projects to fill several needs for teams in the first half of the draft and could develop into an impactful player at the next level.

The 2024 NBA draft will occur June 26-27 in New York City.

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Making the case for the San Antonio Spurs to draft Kentucky floor general Reed Sheppard

While we are partial to drafting a larger prospect like University of Connecticut guard Stephon Castle, we’d be happy with Sheppard as well.

Making the case for the San Antonio Spurs to use one of their lottery picks at Nos. 4 and 8 on University of Kentucky floor general Reed Sheppard is not hard to do. The 6-foot-3, 19-year-old point guard has been compared to Kirk Hinrich, and has shot at a sizzling 50.0 from beyond the arc at volume.

If that does not convince you to take a risk that his hot shooting will continue at the next level, Bleacher Report’s NBA draft expert Jonathan Wasserman writes that the UK guard has shown “enough burst and floater touch for NBA teams to consider the possibility that he can be effective for stretches in a lead-guard role.”

And while we are partial to drafting a larger prospect like University of Connecticut guard Stephon Castle, we’d be happy with Sheppard as well.

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, sat down with Jack Thompson, formerly with San Antonio Sports Star, to put into context Sheppard on the Spurs. Check it out above!

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Cleveland State’s Tristian Enaruna to have predraft workout with Thunder

Cleveland State’s Tristian Enaruna 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.

This means the Thunder will host several meetings with draft prospects in the coming weeks. Cleveland State’s Tristan Enaruna revealed he has a predraft workout scheduled with the Thunder.

The 22-year-old wrapped up a five-season college career last season. He spent his first two seasons at Kansas before transferring to Iowa State for the 2021-22 campaign. He spent the last two years at Cleveland State.

In 35 games last season, Enaruna averaged 19.6 points on 49.8% shooting, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He shot 32.2% from 3 on 2.5 attempts. The forward is listed as 6-foot-8, 220 pounds.

Enaruna will likely be an option for the Thunder in undrafted free agency. If OKC likes him enough, it can easily buy back into the late second round to select him.

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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Who are the point guard prospects in the 2024 NBA draft that the San Antonio Spurs ought to be keeping an eye on?

Could it make sense to take University of Connecticut guard Stephon Castle?

Who are the point guard prospects in the 2024 NBA draft that the San Antonio Spurs ought to be keeping an eye on? Armed with a pair of lottery picks at Nos. 4 and 8 plus two additional second round draft picks, the Spurs should be able to get their man in the draft if they elect to upgrade their floor general position via the draft instead of free agency or a trade.

Could it make sense to take University of Connecticut guard Stephon Castle? University of Kentucky guards Reed Sheppard or Rob Dillingham? And what about other point guards who pop in the range of the lottery?

To try to wrap their heads around the possibilities on the table for San Antonio in this summer’s draft, the folks behind the “SSPN: A San Antonio Spurs Podcast” YouTube channel put together a big board of all the point guard prospects the Spurs ought to be monitoring.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear who they have in mind for the Spurs.

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