2024 NBA Draft – Page 59 – Syndication Server

Ausar Thompson’s awkward reaction after the Pistons fell in the draft lottery is so relatable for Detroit fans

The Pistons’ future is still so bleak.

Look, this year’s NBA Draft doesn’t have a prospect of the caliber of someone like Victor Wembanayama. So, the stakes of losing out on the No. 1 pick or falling in the draft order aren’t necessarily as grand, even though there are plenty of potentially awesome rotational players available.

Even still, you have to feel bad for the Detroit Pistons and their poor fans after Sunday afternoon’s demoralizing result in the NBA Draft Lottery.

Despite finishing with the NBA’s worst record in each of the last two seasons, the Pistons earned just … the No. 5 pick in both drafts. They literally won 31 total games in two years and still couldn’t crack the top three on either occasion. That is just brutal. There’s no other reasonable way of putting it.

Now, again, losing out on Wembanyama hurt a lot more than this instance. But if you’re young guard Ausar Thompson, you still would’ve liked to see the pinballs go in your team’s favor for a higher pick, at least once.

His awkward reaction after the Pistons’ latest poor stroke of luck says it all:

Ausar Thompson's reaction to the Pistons' getting the fifth pick 😮 pic.twitter.com/zsf4Pivqfv

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 12, 2024

The Pistons have some nice pieces, but for the time being, they don’t seem to fit together all that well. It would’ve been nice to have a chance at a better player with a higher pick, but it appears that the basketball gods have different plans for Detroit.

NBA Draft Lottery: Spurs land 4th and 8th picks in 2024 NBA Draft

The San Antonio Spurs will have the fourth and eighth picks in the 2024 NBA Draft.

The NBA Draft Lottery was on Saturday afternoon, and the San Antonio Spurs landed the fourth and eighth picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. The eighth selection is owed to them via the Jakob Poeltl trade with the Toronto Raptors, as it was top-six-protected and landed outside the top six. Meanwhile, the fourth pick is their own.

They earned the eighth pick because it dropped from six to eight. Meanwhile, their own selection jumped into the top four. They were slated as the fifth pick but had a 42.1% chance to jump into the top four and a 10.5% chance to get the first pick in the draft.

Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham has been heavily linked to the Spurs, so he seems like a likely selection at four.

As for the eighth overall pick, players such as forward Matas Buzelis, UConn center Donovan Clingan, and Colorado forward Cody Williams could be available for them to consider.

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NBA Draft Lottery: Bulls land 11th pick in 2024 NBA Draft

The Chicago Bulls will be picking 11th in the 2024 NBA Draft.

The NBA Draft Lottery went down on Sunday afternoon, and the Chicago Bulls landed the 11th overall pick. That is where their selection was projected to be based on the odds. They did not end up jumping into the top four, but nobody behind them jumped up, either, meaning they stuck in place. Chicago had a 9.4% chance to get into the top four and a 2.0% chance to land the first pick.

Prospects like Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht, Providence guard Devin Carter, Baylor guard Ja’Kobe Walter, and G League Ignite forward Ron Holland could potentially be available for the Bulls at pick 11.

Last year, the Bulls did not make a first-round pick, as they owed their selection to the Orlando Magic from the Nikola Vucevic trade.

As they look to shake up the roster this summer and plan for the future, nailing their pick in the 2024 NBA Draft will be a crucial step in the process.

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2024 NBA draft lottery: OKC Thunder land No. 12 pick via Rockets

2024 NBA draft lottery: OKC Thunder lands No. 12 pick via Rockets.

The rich grew richer on Sunday: The first-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder gained a free lottery pick via the 2024 NBA draft lottery.

The top-four protection on the Houston Rockets pick did not come into play. The pick remained at the No. 12 spot, which means it conveyed to the Thunder. This was the most likely outcome: The pick had an 86% chance of being sent to OKC.

The Thunder received the 2024 top-four protected first-round pick from their 2019 trade that sent Russell Westbrook to the Rockets in exchange for Chris Paul and a package of draft picks.

The Thunder will get a chance to add cheap and young talent to their core. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren round out one of the best trios in the league.

The Thunder are in the middle of their second-round series against the Dallas Mavericks. They are down 2-1 in the series following a Game 3 loss. OKC became the youngest top seed in league history this season.

The Thunder have a deep bench filled with players still on their rookie deals. Adding another one of those will fortify their depth. OKC can add a quality role player in this draft who can likely contribute right away.

The full lottery results can be read below:

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NBA lottery odds 2024: The full list ahead of the draw on Sunday

The full list of 2024 NBA Draft lottery odds ahead of the event in June.

For a bunch of woeful NBA teams, the path toward improvement and hope starts now.

The 2023-24 season is over, but that means one thing for those franchises out of the play-in games and playoffs: praying that the ping-pong balls fall their way for the top picks in the 2024 NBA Draft.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the strongest of draft classes, but there’s still some talent as we’ve seen in our latest 2024 NBA mock draft from Bryan Kalbrosky. So it’s not like these teams are looking the gift horse in the mouth.

Here are the lottery odds for the teams out of the postseason:

Detroit Pistons (14-68): 14.0 percent

Washington Wizards (15-67): 14.0%

Charlotte Hornets (21-61): 13.3%

Portland Trail Blazers (21-61): 13.2%

San Antonio Spurs (22-60): 10.5%

Toronto Raptors (25-57): 9.0%

Memphis Grizzlies (27-55): 7.5%

Utah Jazz (31-51): 6.0%

Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn Nets, 32-50): 4.5%

Atlanta Hawks (36-46): 3.0%

Chicago Bulls (39-43): 2.0%

Houston Rockets (41-41): 1.5%

Sacramento Kings (46-36): 0.8%

Golden State Warriors (46-36): 0.7%

2024 NBA Draft Lottery: How to watch, lottery odds, broadcast info

2024 NBA Draft Lottery: How to watch, lottery odds, broadcast info.

The 2024 NBA draft lottery will take place on Sunday, May 12. It will be televised on ABC at 2 p.m. CT. The Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards enter the lottery tied for the best odds (14%) to end up with the No. 1 pick.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are no longer in the lottery after three straight years participating in it amid their rebuild. As the Western Conference’s first seed, OKC still has an interest in how it plays out.

The Thunder own two protected first-round picks. They own the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick and the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick.

The Jazz will keep their pick. It only has a 0.4% chance of landing outside of the first 10 selections.

The Rockets, on the other hand, will likely gift the Thunder a free lottery pick. They have an 86.1% chance of staying at the No. 12 spot.

If the Thunder land an extra lottery pick, that’ll be an embarrassment of riches for them. They have one of the best young cores in the league and another lottery talent will add depth to their roster.

The full lottery odds can be viewed below:

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How would Rob Dillingham fit in with the San Antonio Spurs future?

How would Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham fit in with the San Antonio Spurs’ future?

The San Antonio Spurs have a chance to add another elite young talent next to Victor Wembanyama this summer, as they will have a top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, while there are plenty of options to choose from, one guy has stood out among the pack – Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham.

Recent reports have indicated that Dillingham wants to be drafted by the Spurs, and no matter where San Antonio ends up picking, Dillingham would be their preferred choice. The guard is a great shot-creator and would immediately improve the Spurs’ ball-handling unit, joining Tre Jones, Malaki Branham, and others.

The Spurs Dynasty YouTube channel recently discussed how Dillingham would fit in with the rest of the Spurs’ young core moving forward into the future with Wembanyama.

This pick will be a crucial one for the Spurs, as it could help define what the Wembanyama era will look like. Dillingham looks like a solid choice.

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Creighton senior Ryan Kalkbrenner withdraws from NBA draft, combine

Creighton senior Ryan Kalkbrenner has withdrawn from the 2024 NBA draft and will not attend the draft combine in Chicago.

Creighton senior Ryan Kalkbrenner has withdrawn from the 2024 NBA draft and will not attend the draft combine in Chicago, Illinois, the league announced on Saturday.

Kalkbrenner declared for the draft this year while maintaining his college eligibility. He was still expected to test the predraft process after announcing on May 1 that he would utilize his fifth year of college and return to Creighton for the 2024-25 season.

The 7-footer, who also tested the draft last year, was among the 78 prospects invited to the combine this week. He will instead skip the event and be replaced by Washington State junior Jaylen Wells.

DRAFT COMBINE UPDATE: Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton) has withdrawn from the 2024 NBA Draft and will not attend the 2024 NBA Draft Combine.

Jaylen Wells (Washington State) has been invited to the Combine.

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 11, 2024

Kalkbrenner was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year for a third straight season, averaging 17.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 blocks and 1.3 assists on 64.6% shooting from the field. He ranked second in the country in blocks per game and seventh in field-goal percentage.

He became the third Big East player to win the award at least three times, joining Patrick Ewing (four times; 1982-1985) and Alonzo Mourning (three times; 1989-1990, 1992). He became the first Creighton player since 1985 to have at least 100 blocks in a season (107).

With their defensive anchor back, the Bluejays add No. 38 prospect Jackson McAndrew and No. 64 prospect Larry Johnson to the roster for the upcoming season. The program also signed Ty Davis, the 25th-ranked combo guard in the class.

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Melvin Ajinca: NBA draft scouting report and intel

2004 | 6’7 | 220 LBS Team: Saint-Quentin (France) Agent: Bouna Ndiaye Best aggregate mock draft rank: 19 / Worst rank: N/A 2023-24 stats: In 2023-24, Ajinca averaged 10.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.5 steals per game. He shot 40.9 percent from the …

2004 | 6’7 | 220 LBS

Team: Saint-Quentin (France)

Agent: Bouna Ndiaye

Best aggregate mock draft rank: 19 / Worst rank: N/A

2023-24 stats:

In 2023-24, Ajinca averaged 10.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.5 steals per game. He shot 40.9 percent from the field and 86.7 percent from the foul line.

San Antonio Spurs draft prospect preview: Alexandre Sarr

As a rim-protecting stretch big, he’d fit well next to Wemby in what would immediately be one of the most imposing frontcourts in the NBA.

Should the San Antonio Spurs consider drafting overseas big man prospect Alexandre Sarr? The 7-foot-1 combo big is currently playing in Australia for the NBL’s Perth Wildcats after a season playing for Overtime Elite, and looks to be among the top projected picks of the 2024 NBA draft.

As a rim-protecting stretch big, he would fit well next to star French forward Victor Wembanyama in what would immediately be one of the most imposing frontcourts in the league. And he is seen as a potential No. 1 overall pick, with few recent mock drafts projecting the French center lower than in the top five.

He is a true two-way player able to score and defend at a high level, but still needs to get stronger, and his 3-point jumper needs work.

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, sat down with Jack Thompson, formerly with San Antonio Sports Star, to discuss Sarr’s fit in San Antonio. Check it out above!

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