Tag: 2024 NBA Draft

Reacting to the San Antonio Spurs landing the Nos. 4 and 8 picks in the 2024 NBA draft

Should they use both picks to take players to surround Wemby with, or combine them to move up for a player with a higher ceiling?

The San Antonio Spurs now know where they will be picking in the NBA’s 2024 draft, with this year’s draft lottery having been done on Sunday (May 12) afternoon. As the Spurs look to surround star French forward phenom Victor Wembanyama with the right players to maximize his otherworldly abilities, they will do so armed with the Nos. 4 and 8 picks in the draft.

Should they use both picks to take players to surround Wemby with, or combine them to move up in the draft for a player with a higher ceiling? Or might it make more sense to use one or both to land the sort of player San Antonio needs via trade?

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, sat down with San Antonio Sports Star’s James Pledger to discuss the Spurs landing picks No. 4 and 8 in the coming NBA draft.

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

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Duke stars Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski ruled top-25 NBA prospects by Bleacher Report

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman released ranking of his top 50 NBA draft prospects before the combine, and both Blue Devils made the top 25.

Bleacher Report’s NBA draft analyst Jonathan Wasserman released a ranking of his top 50 prospects ahead of this week’s NBA Draft Combine, and former Duke stars Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski seem like prized options.

Filipowski, the sophomore 7-footer who earned Second Team All-American honors in 2023-24, came in as the 21st overall player on the board. The tall forward averaged more than 16 points and eight rebounds per game, but his ball-handling skills offer him an extra dimension than other titanic forwards. He averaged 2.8 assists per game last season.

McCain, the 6-foot-3 freshman who shot 41% from 3-point range, came in even higher. Wasserman thinks he’s the seventh-best prospect in the draft. His sharp shooting moved him up on the board, but the Bleacher Report writer credited another aspect of his game for his spot in the single digits.

“McCain checks in at top 10 due to the adjustments he made as a pick-and-roll creator and finisher,” Wasserman wrote. “I didn’t expect him to be as effective as he was manipulating in ball-screens, getting to spots and converting around the basket.”

The NBA Draft Combine takes place from May 12-19 in Chicago.

Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski both go top 15 in NBA mock draft from CBS Sports

A CBS Sports writer released an updated NBA mock draft after the lottery, and former Duke stars Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski went in a three-pick span.

CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone released an NBA mock draft on Sunday after the lottery results were finalized, and he slotted both available Blue Devils into his top 15.

Jared McCain went 12th overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Kyle Filipowski went two picks later to the Portland Trail Blazers with the 14th pick.

McCain, who slotted in with the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference this season, earns praise for his shooting ability. The 6-foot-3 guard made more than 41% of his 3-point attempts, averaging more than 14 points per game. He put up three 30-point games, including two during March Madness.

Filipowski, the 7-foot forward, was the Trail Blazers’ second pick of the draft. The team started with Kentucky shooter Reed Sheppard with the seventh pick. Boone thought the two complimented each other well.

“First Portland adds shooting in Reed Sheppard,” he wrote. “[N]ow it adds size + shooting in Filipowski, a 7-footer with real talent as a floor-spacer and offensive hub….a dynamic big who can do a little of everything.”

Filipowski averaged nearly three assists per game in 2023-24 despite his size and role as a forward.

The NBA draft begins on June 26.

How to watch former Buffs in the NBA draft combine

Parts of this week’s NBA draft combine, which features four former Colorado players, will be televised

This week, four former Colorado men’s basketball players — Cody Williams, KJ Simpson, Tristan da Silva and Nique Clifford — will compete in the 2024 NBA draft combine.

With 78 total prospects invited, the combined began Sunday and is scheduled through May 19 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Every invited player is required to attend in order to become eligible for next month’s NBA draft.

The Buffs are projected to have two former players selected in the first round, according to USA TODAY Sports’ latest mock draft. Analysts Scooby Axson and Jeff Zillgitt have Williams going No. 10 overall to the Chicago Bulls and da Silva going No. 17 to the Los Angeles Lakers.

ESPN2 is scheduled to televise the combine on Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. MT to 3 p.m. MT. You can stream the action on fuboTV (try it free).

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

The Ringer moves Jared McCain inside top 10 of 2024 NBA Draft Big Board

According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, Jared McCain is one of the 10 best prospects in the upcoming NBA draft.

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor updated his 2024 NBA draft player rankings earlier this week, and he thinks Duke star Jared McCain is the ninth-best player available.

McCain, a 6-foot-3 guard, averaged 14.3 points and shot 41.4% from 3-point range last season. At just 197 pounds, he still averaged 5.0 rebounds and ended the season with four double-doubles.

O’Connor described McCain as a “sharpshooter with a savvy sense for playmaking” and compared him to former Blue Devil Seth Curry.

The California native played 36 games during his freshman campaign, and he scored at least 20 points nine times. In fact, he ended the season with three 30-point games, two of which came in the NCAA Tournament. He tied the school freshman record for points in a game (35 against Florida State) and points in a March Madness game (32 against NC State).

Teammate Kyle Filipowski, a Second Team All-American who averaged more than 16 points and eight rebounds per game, slotted in as the 26th-ranked player on the board.

In his first mock draft after Sunday’s lottery, O’Connor projected McCain as the 15th overall pick to the Miami Heat and Filipowski as the 28th pick to the Denver Nuggets.

Where did Jared McCain, Kyle Filipowski go in The Ringer’s post-lottery NBA mock draft?

See where Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski ended up in The Ringer’s first NBA mock draft after the lottery.

With the 2024 NBA draft order now set, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor released his first post-lottery mock draft on Sunday.

In his first projection with the 30-team order fully set, O’Connor projected sharpshooting freshman sensation Jared McCain as the 15th pick to the Miami Heat and All-American 7-footer Kyle Filipowski as the 28th pick to the Denver Nuggets.

McCain would join last year’s Eastern Conference champions, and O’Connor’s scouting report compared the Blue Devil to Seth Curry, another Duke star. The California native shot 41.4% from 3-point range last season and put together two 30-point games in the NCAA Tournament.

Filipowski, if the projection holds, would join last year’s NBA Finals champion. After being named a Second Team All-American as a sophomore in 2023-24, averaging 16.4 points and 8.3 rebounds, he’d have the chance to play alongside and learn from three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

The prediction moved Filipowski a lot lower than he had been for much of the pre-draft process. Most player rankings consider both Blue Devils prospects top-20 picks.

Why the Spurs were the biggest winners of the 2024 NBA draft lottery (yet again)

San Antonio can have multiple young players to play alongside Wemby.

For the second year in a row, the San Antonio Spurs were the biggest winners of the NBA Draft Lottery.

While the Hawks (and not the Pistons) shockingly won the lottery this year, San Antonio came away from the lottery with the best possible outcome. After the lotto, the Spurs will officially have picks No. 4 and No. 8 (via the Toronto Raptors) in the 2024 NBA Draft next month.

RELATED: A look at where every team is picking after the 2024 lottery

The Spurs landed the No. 8 pick because the Toronto pick landed between No. 7 and No. 14 in the lottery. Otherwise, the Raptors would have kept their protected pick sent to San Antonio in exchange for Jakob Poeltl.

Here is what Spurs general manager Brian Wright said after the results:

“Two lottery picks gives us a great opportunity to add two young players to our young core or also see what else is out there,” said Wright. “Like we do with everything, we will evaluate all options.”

The Spurs will have an opportunity to potentially combine their picks to either move up in the 2024 NBA Draft or trade out of it entirely to try to land a win-now player to play alongside Victor Wembanyama.

San Antonio can also take multiple bites at the apple and have two lottery picks, potentially adding more than one young player to surround with the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Plus, without getting the No. 1 pick again this year, they can have two slightly cheaper options on rookie scale contracts rather than paying a higher rate on their salaries.

We don’t know what the Spurs will decide but perhaps they find their point guard of the future because of this lottery.  Until then, however, check out our latest post-lottery NBA mock draft.

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2024 NBA draft order set, which teams are in range for Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain?

Former Blue Devils Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain are projected to be selected between 10th and 20th overall in the 2024 NBA draft. After Sunday’s lottery, which teams are in that range?

The 2024 NBA draft lottery happened on Sunday, putting the non-playoff teams in order for June’s selection process.

The Atlanta Hawks won the rights to the No. 1 pick, opening the entire selection of eligible players up to their disposal. However, which teams will end up with former Duke stars Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain?

According to ESPN’s Best Available tracker (and almost every other draft board), the two former Blue Devils will go between the 10th and 20th pick in the draft. After Sunday’s lottery, here’s what that range looks like.

10. Utah Jazz

11. Chicago Bulls

12. Oklahoma City Thunder

13. Sacramento Kings

14. Portland Trail Blazers

15. Miami Heat

16. Philadelphia 76ers

17. Los Angeles Lakers

18. Orlando Magic

19. Toronto Raptors

20. Cleveland Cavaliers

Fans will need to wait until the draft is closer before knowing which teams seem smitten with the two former Blue Devils, but Filipowski to the Thunder and McCain to the Heat have been some popular pairings from NBA writers and analysts.

See the moment the Hawks shockingly found out they won the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft

Atlanta only had a 3.0 percent chance of getting the top pick!

The Hawks (and not the Pistons) shockingly won the 2024 NBA Draft lottery and will have the top selection in the draft next months.

Atlanta came into the day with just a 3.0 percent chance of getting the top pick this year. But now, after making the play-in tournament but missing the playoffs, the Hawks will have an opportunity to add whatever prospect they would like in this class.

Atlanta will have several options when they are on the clock and may even consider trading the pick, but as of right now, 19-year-old big man Alex Sarr is the most likely candidate to hear his name called.

RELATED: The top 9 candidates for the Hawks’ No. 1 pick in the NBA draft

Here is a video of the moment when Hawks general manager Landry Fields found out live on ABC that his team will have the top choice in the draft next month.

Fields clearly knows he will have plenty of paths to consider during the pre-draft process.

RELATED: A look at where every team is picking after the 2024 lottery

Atlanta could add a talented young player to complement Trae Young, they can trade Young and fully embrace a rebuild, or they can choose something somewhere in the middle.

Until then, however, check out our latest post-lottery NBA mock draft.

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Dillon Jones: NBA draft scouting report and intel

2001 | 6’6 | 6’11 WS | 235 LBS Team: Weber State Agent: Sam Permut (Roc Nation) Best aggregate mock draft rank: 14 / Worst rank: N/A 2023-24 stats: In 2023-24, Jones averaged 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 0.1 blocks, and 2.0 steals per …

2001 | 6’6 | 6’11 WS | 235 LBS

Team: Weber State

Agent: Sam Permut (Roc Nation)

Best aggregate mock draft rank: 14 / Worst rank: N/A

2023-24 stats:

In 2023-24, Jones averaged 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 0.1 blocks, and 2.0 steals per game. He shot 48.9 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from three, and 85.7 percent from the foul line.