2024 NBA Mock Draft: New Name At Number One As Draft Week Arrives

It’s officially NBA Draft week! The Draft is just two days away from tipping off with the 1st Round set for Wednesday, June 26th. Unlike some years, this 1st Round seems like it could unfold in quite a few different ways. With that in mind, let’s get to another 2024 NBA Mock Draft.

The NBA Draft Lottery threw a curveball! The Atlanta Hawks, despite minimal odds (only 3%), defied expectations and landed the number one pick, shaking up the entire draft landscape. Teams will now be forced to reassess their strategies.

The biggest winner? The Hawks. The biggest loser? The Detroit Pistons. After a brutal season with the league’s worst record, they were primed for the top pick. However, the lottery gods had other plans, leaving them with the fifth selection. This unexpected drop caused the Pistons yet another bad break as they will select fifth overall for the third straight year, and in all three years, they had the best odds to select first overall.

How Does the NBA Draft Lottery Work?

Following the conclusion of the season, the NBA uses a lottery system to decide the first 14 picks in the draft order.

Before we look at the draft order, here’s how the NBA Draft Lottery system works:

Eligible Teams: The 14 teams that do not qualify for the NBA playoffs are eligible to participate in the draft lottery. This includes teams that make the Play-In Tournament but don’t advance past the Play-In Tournament.

NBA Draft Lottery Odds: The teams with the worst records have higher chances of winning a top pick. The teams with the three worst records have the highest chance – 14 percent – while the odds incrementally decrease for teams with better records among the non-playoff teams.

Ping Pong Balls: Fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14 will be placed in a lottery machine. There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14. Before the lottery, 1,000 of those 1,001 combinations are assigned to the 14 participating lottery teams. Those three with the highest odds will be given 140 combinations each – aka the most combinations.

Lottery Drawing: Finally, drawings are conducted for the first four picks of the NBA Draft. The remaining non-playoff teams are then ordered based on their regular-season records, with the team with the worst record picking fifth, followed by the team with the next worst record, and so on.

Also, the NBA shares the footage of the lottery drawing after each draft. You can watch the 2023 procedure here.

Original 2024 NBA Draft Lottery Odds & Order

While we know how the NBA Draft Lottery shook out, it’s fun to take a look at where the odds were and where everyone ended up. Here are what the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery odds for the No. 1 overall pick were via Tankathon.

1. Detroit Pistons (14-68): 14% – Actual Pick: 5th
2. Washington Wizards: (15-67): 14% – Actual Pick: 2nd
3. Charlotte Hornets: (21-61): 13.3% – Actual Pick: 6th
4. Portland Trail Blazers: (21-61): 13.2% – Actual Pick: 7th
5. San Antonio Spurs (22-60): 10.5% – Actual Pick: 4th
6. Toronto Raptors (25-57): 9.0% (Spurs own pick, Top-6 protected) – Actual Pick: 8th
7. Memphis Grizzlies (27-55): 7.5% – Actual Pick: 9th
8. Utah Jazz (31-51): 6.0% (Thunder own pick, Top-10 protected) – Actual Pick: 10th
9. Brooklyn Nets (32-50): 4.5% (Rockets own pick) – Actual Pick: 3rd
10. Atlanta Hawks (36-46): 3.0% – Actual Pick: 1st
11. Chicago Bulls (39-43): 2.0% – Actual Pick: 11th
12. Houston Rockets (41-41): 1.5% (Thunder own pick) Actual Pick – 12th
13. Sacramento Kings (46-36): 0.8% – Actual Pick – 13th
14. Golden State Warriors (46-36): 0.7% (Blazers own pick, Top-4 protected) Actual Pick: 14th

2024 NBA Mock Draft

1. Atlanta Hawks – F Zaccharie Risacher – JL Bourg, France – 18 Years Old – 6’9, 204 lbs

I’ve had Alexandre Sarr here I think in every mock that I’ve done thus far, but as we get to Draft week, Risacher seems to be gaining momentum to go first overall. He’s a bit of a unicorn and has the type of high ceiling that teams at the top of the lottery should take a chance on. Atlanta got lucky grabbing the first pick, they should take a big swing. He’s a typical three-and-D player that any team would want, and his size and frame combined with that skillset might vault him up to the top choice.

2. Washington Wizards – F/C Alexandre Sarr – Perth, France – 18 Years Old – 7’1, 218 lbs

Alexandre Sarr has a lot of similar traits to Victor Wembanyama. To be clear, that is not to say he’s anywhere near the prospect Wemby was – he isn’t – but the playing style and physical traits are similar. He’s over 7 feet tall and has the athleticism to do a little bit of everything on the court. I don’t think he’s by any means out of the running to go first overall, it just seems that Risacher is gaining a bit of momentum toward that spot.

3. Houston Rockets – G Reed Sheppard – Kentucky – 19 Years Old – 6’3, 187 lbs

If the Hawks were the biggest winner, the Rockets were probably the second biggest by jumping up six spots to No. 3 overall (via the Nets pick). Houston has one of the most entertaining and talented young cores in the NBA. Sheppard was a lethal three-point shooter at Kentucky, and he has some defensive upside. Drafting a shooter as good as Sheppard and throwing him into the mix with an already young and talented core feels like a really good fit for both parties.

We should keep an eye on this pick as a potential trade piece, however. The Rockets appear adamant about returning to the playoffs sooner rather than later.

4. San Antonio Spurs – SF Matas Buzelis – G League – 19 Years Old – 6’11, 195 lbs

If Risacher doesn’t fall to the Spurs, Buzelis would be a very nice option for them. He has a similar skillset and can do a little bit of everything. The length the Spurs would have on the floor between him and Wemby could create a lot of problems for opposing teams. He is versatile on offense, though his ball handling could be more consistent. Defensively, he’s capable of guarding multiple positions. He won’t be a top option offensively early in his career, but his catch-and-shoot ability gives him quite the upside.

Plus, giving Gregg Popovich the chance to develop Buzelis seems like a great fit.

Matas Buzelis spoke with Bleacher Nation earlier this season …

Matas Buzelis’ Rise Began in Chicago, Where “Basketball is Like a Religion”

5. Detroit Pistons – C Donovan Clingan – UConn – 19 Years Old – 7’2, 265 lbs

Clingan seems like a safe pick for the Pistons here that can fortify their frontcourt. When you have nice prospect pieces in Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey to develop, going with a top-notch big who can protect the rim feels like a safe pick. He can step in right away and learn on the fly with a young core and give them a piece they don’t really have at the moment.

I know the Pistons still have a former lottery pick big man in Jalen Duren on the roster, but that isn’t a good enough reason to pass on Clingan. There are some whispers of Clingan going earlier in the draft than this spot, but I’m not so convinced he does unless someone trades up.

6. Charlotte Hornets – G Stephon Castle – UConn – 19 Years Old – 6’6, 190 lbs

Castle showed throughout the NCAA Tournament just how good he can be. He’s a matchup nightmare defensively for guards. He has very good ball-handling skills and can finish strong at the rim. While there are some questions about his jumper, there is enough there to instill confidence in his ability to become a reliable threat. There’s a lot to like about Castle as a prospect.

Castle would be able to fit in seamlessly in Charlotte and not be asked to do too much early. He can be a secondary scoring option and play hard-nosed defense. It seems like a very solid fit on paper.

7. Portland Trail Blazers – SF Cody Williams – Colorado – 19 Years Old – 6’8, 185 lbs

Brother of OKC’s Jalen Williams, Cody can also do a little bit of everything. Defensively, he can guard just about any position. Offensively, he’s dangerous in transition, a great finisher at the bucket, and a solid catch-and-shoot player.

He’s got a chance to make an immediate impact wherever he ends up. He’s a high-upside player but certainly has some developing to do. A team like Portland in the early stages of a rebuild would be able to afford him that opportunity.

8. San Antonio Spurs (via TOR) – G Rob Dillingham – Kentucky – 19 Years Old – 6’3, 176 lbs

Dillingham can beat you in so many different ways on offense. He can get to the hoop, finish at the rim, find the open man, and get hot shooting the ball. He’s a versatile guard who showed special flashes at Kentucky but might need some development time in the NBA. He’s not an awful defender, but not particularly noteworthy on that end either. He has a very high ceiling and needs time to develop.

The Spurs can afford him that time and allow him to learn on the job alongside a talented young core. They also need a future guard to pair with Wemby!

9. Memphis Grizzlies – Dalton Knecht – Tennessee – 22 Years Old – 6’6, 213 lbs

Knecht had a fantastic season with Tennessee and took the Vols farther than they’ve been able to go in the NCAA Tournament in recent history. He proved he can score in different ways, but his biggest asset is his shot-making. Knecht shot just a tick under 40 percent from three on the year and nearly carried the Vols by Purdue in the Elite Eight with a 37-point performance.

While the Grizzlies had a tough year in 2023-24, most of that was due to injury. They have a very solid, young foundation in place, and adding a shooter like Knecht into the fold as a secondary scoring option could pay off. Memphis would also be a candidate to trade out of this spot.

10. Utah Jazz – PG Nikola Topic – Red Star, Serbia – 18 Years Old – 6’6, 201 lbs

Thanks to a partially torn ACL, Topic has been falling down draft boards after at one point being considered a potential top 3 pick. is a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. He can overpower smaller defenders and blow by bigger bodies. He struggles on the defensive end of the floor, but his offensive upside is fantastic. He can finish in traffic, he’s a great passer, and he’s a dangerous shooter.

He would be a really nice piece to pair with Lauri Markkanen, but if he slips here it will come down to what the Jazz want in this pick and next season. Do they want to try and get back in the playoff race ASAP, or can they be patient and wait for Topic to heal? With where they’re at, embracing that latter and being patient with Topic’s high ceiling would seem like a smart move.

11. Chicago Bulls – Ron Holland – G League – 18 Years Old – 6’8, 200 lbs

Holland would be a little bit of a project, but the traits are there and would be very tempting for the Bulls if he falls here. He’s a solid ball handler who can get to and score at the rim. He’s also a menace defensively. Holland might be raw and would certainly come with some growing pains, but the Bulls are in a place where they should be looking to embrace those growing pains if it means picking a player with a higher ceiling, and Holland’s ceiling is quite high if he maxes out his potential.

Chicago has also been a team mentioned in trade rumors, so we’ll keep an eye on them obviously in the coming days.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder – C Zach Edey – Purdue – 22 years Old – 7’4, 300 lbs

Edey is a name that a few months ago was projected to be an end of the first round pick, but since the season ended and he’s gone through workouts he’s been rising up draft boards. Oklahoma City feels like a logical fit if the draft dominos fall a certain way. He provides them with some size and strength in the post and would be a great fit as a running mate for Chet Holmgren in the frontcourt. Edey can provide the Thunder with a new element to their offense while also being a monster on the boards.

13. Sacramento Kings – F Tidjane Salaun – Cholet Basket, France – 18 Years Old – 6’9, 203 lbs

Salaun is going to be one of the younger prospects in the draft. He’s developed the ability to score at all three levels, and at his height that’s an enticing trait for any NBA team. He’s shown the ability to create his own shot as well, which again at his size is a big plus. He has to fill out a bit and defensively he needs to make some strides, but he’s got many of the traits that a lottery team could fall in love with.

Sacramento is in more of a ‘ready to win’ mode so a pick like Salaun would be a risk, but if that high-celing comes into play the Kings could be very dangerous.

14. Portland Trail Blazers (via GSW) – PG Devin Carter – Providence – 21 Years Old – 6’3, 195 lbs

After going with a high-ceiling player like Williams earlier, grabbing Carter here makes sense. He can be a solid running mate for Scoot Henderson and provide some defensive prowess to the backcourt that Portland could use. He averaged 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.8 steals in his junior season, so he has the potential to bring a bit of an all-around skillset to whoever drafts him.

15. Miami Heat: Jared McCain – Duke – 19 Years Old – 6’3, 197 lbs

16. Philadelphia 76ers: G Carlton Carrington – Pittsburgh – 18 Years Old – 6’5, 190 lbs

17. Los Angeles Lakers: C Kel’el Ware – Indiana – 20 Years Old – 7’0, 223 lbs

18. Orlando Magic: PG Tyler Kolek – Marquette – 23 Years Old – 6’3, 195 lbs

19. Toronto Raptors (via Pacers): SG Ja’Kobe Walter – Baylor – 19 Years Old – 6’5, 180 lbs

20. Cleveland Cavaliers: F Tristan da Silva – Colorado – 22 Years Old – 6’9, 229 lbs

21. New Orleans Pelicans (via Bucks): C Yves Missi – Baylor – 19 Years Old – 6’10, 235 lbs

22. Phoenix Suns: G Isaiah Collier – USC – 19 Years Old – 6’4, 205 lbs

23. Milwaukee Bucks (via Pelicans): G Terrence Shannon Jr – Illinois – 23 Years Old – 6’6, 220 lbs

24. New York Knicks (via Mavericks): C Kyle Filipowski – Duke – 20 Years Old – 7’0, 230 lbs

25. New York Knicks: F Bobi Klintman – Cairns, Sweden – 20 Years Old – 6’10, 225 lbs

26. Washington Wizards (via Clippers): G Johnny Furphy – Kansas – 19 Years Old – 6’9, 202 lbs

27. Minnesota Timberwolves: F DaRon Holmes II – Dayton – 21 Years Old – 6’10, 221 lbs

28. Denver Nuggets: G KJ Simpson – Colorado – 21 Years Old – 6’0, 187 lbs

29. Utah Jazz (via Thunder): F Ryan Dunn – Virginia – 6’6, 214 lbs

30. Boston Celtics: G Kyshawn George – Miami – 20 Years Old – 6’8, 205 lbs