SUMMARY
- The Atlanta Hawks own rights to the No.1 overall pick this year.
- Zach Edey, Isaiah Collier, and Donovan Clingan are a few names to look out for.
The 2023-24 NBA season is reaching its final stages as the conference semifinals are currently underway. Things have been quite interesting this season as the biggest teams have all made exits while underdogs seem to be dominating the floor. Amidst it all, the NBA recently conducted the 2024 Draft Lottery and the results were fairly interesting needless to say.
🚨 NBA DRAFT LOTTERY ORDER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/nq0XpM5OI9
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 12, 2024
After a rather frustrating regular season, the Atlanta Hawks own rights to the No.1 overall pick. The Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Detroit Pistons own the next four slots that follow. Right now, Alexandre Starr is the projected No.1 overall pick for the Hawks. Zaccharie Risacher and Reed Sheppard are other names that have stood out recently. But here are a couple of names that might be massive selections during the draft (first and second rounds included).
Zach Edey
Zach Edey put on a stellar 2023-24 season while leading Purdue to the National Championship Game. He has won multiple accolades in college including two consecutive National College Player of the Year titles in 2023 and 2024. Edey led the NCAA in scoring this year and was named Big Ten Player of the Year too. Edey displayed great versatility averaging 25.2 points and 12.2 rebounds with 2.2 shots blocked per game.
Zach Edey movement shooting pic.twitter.com/FkpnRtcjC6
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) May 13, 2024
His versatility is precisely what the NBA wants right now especially with him being listed at 7’4” feet. Edey will be a major standout especially since centers are dominating the league. Not only is Edey highly skilled but he’s stronger than most players were seen in the NBA at his height. He is projected to go 23rd in the draft to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Tyler Kolek
Here is another great candidate in the draft that should be much higher in the projections. Tyler Kolek played three years at Marquette while becoming one of the best point guards the institution has ever accommodated. He led the Golden Eagles to the top spot in the Big East Conference last year and the second seed in their latest campaign. Kolek averaged 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game.
Watching Marquette’s Tyler Kolek getting some shots up in Chicago ahead of the NBA Draft Combine.
The fiery, ultra-competitive two-time consensus All-American floor general projects as a potential late 1st round pick. pic.twitter.com/uDIT6yXObT
— Jon Chepkevich (@JonChep) May 11, 2024
The 23-year-old will excel as a lead facilitator on any team, especially if he gets drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves at No.29 in the draft. Kolek is also a three-point shooting threat as well.
Isaiah Collier
Everybody has got their eyes set on Bronny James right now but a lot of people are forgetting about Isaiah Collier, who is another player from USC who’s participating in this year’s draft. Collier was one of the best players on the Trojans’ roster this season averaging 16.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
Isaiah Collier, fast pic.twitter.com/sxNPgFjcQn
— Matt (@sixringsofsteeI) May 13, 2024
Collier is currently projected to be selected by the Miami Heat as the 15th overall pick. As a guard, the 19-year-old has proven to be an exceptional ball handler with a great ability to be quick and finish at the rim. There are a few concerns regarding shooting and turnover rate which can be fixed over time. He would be a great sixth man on any team to provide a burst on offense.
Donovan Clingan
Donovan Clingan is possibly going to be one of the most dominant forces in this draft class. The 20-year-old sophomore out of UConn is currently being compared to Rudy Gobert, 4x NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Clingan has shown a lot of effort in being the best defensive piece in his team.
Donovan Clingan is by far the highest floor/highest ceiling prospect in this draft. And he’s a two-time NCAA champion. Top 5 minimum. pic.twitter.com/QDTLw31vuM
— Jack (@JackDAnder) May 8, 2024
During the 2023-24 season, he averaged 13 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. He was arguably one of the best-shot blockers in the NCAA as well. He is expected to get drafted ninth overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. It will be interesting to see how the Blazers decide to use him (if he goes to Portland) alongside Deandre Ayton, who just had a strong first season with them.
Matas Buzelis
Amongst all the prospects in the 2024 NBA Draft, Matas Buzelis will have some decent experience having played in the semi-professional space for a while. Generally, G League players have a good sense of how the NBA is going to be. We recently saw Scoot Henderson have a pretty strong year with the Blazers, and he was selected from the G League Ignite as well.
Projected top-5 pick Matas Buzelis in the Pro Lane agility test at the NBA draft combine. pic.twitter.com/xWFuLZ2OTz
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 13, 2024
Once again, versatility is something that will make Matas stand out in this year’s draft. Projected to find a spot in Detroit, the Lithuanian-Amercian can shoot the ball extremely well. This will help the Pistons find more pace on the offensive end while allowing Ausar Thompson to flourish as a defensive specialist.