First Round gets Underway Tonight
The NBA heads to Barclays Center tonight for the opening round of the 2024 NBA Draft. This year’s version will take place over two days, with the second round on Thursday. While the consensus among talent evaluators is that this draft is relatively weak, there are plenty of storylines to follow.
At the top of that list is the fate of Bronny James, son of LeBron. Much has been made of LeBron’s desire to play alongside his son, although recent reports suggest that he has moved off the idea of forcing the pick. The Lakers have the 17th and 55th selections. While using a first-round pick on Bronny might be a huge reach, he may not fall past Los Angeles’ late second-round pick. Intriguingly, a series of franchises may consider it a worthwhile risk to call LeBron’s bluff and select Bronny to gain leverage over the Lakers. The champion Boston Celtics hold pick No. 54, which could become a valuable slot.
NCAA men’s basketball player of the year Zach Edey has shown up all over mock draft boards. The Purdue standout is projected to go anywhere from No. 7 to somewhere late in the first round. Without a consensus top pick, this year’s draft could be a particularly wild one. UConn’s Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle both could sneak to the top of the board. Also, on the heels of the Mikal Bridges trade between the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, the uncertainty of this year’s lottery may create an environment for hectic trade activity throughout the two-day draft.
