The French domination of the NBA will continue, as the Atlanta Hawks will select French forward, Zaccharie Risacher, one year after the San Antonio Spurs selected French big Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick. Risacher is a 6 '10 forward with a 8' 11 standing reach. His length allows him to guard bigger forwards, and he has great lateral quickness, which allows him to switch onto smaller forwards and even guards. He possesses an ability to be an elite three-point shooter in the future. Risacher has also shown great finisher at the rim. He is good off-the ball, which will make him a great fit playing alongside two of the premier passing guards in the NBA in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. He is not a great shot creator, but his off-ball presence will still excel him offensively in the NBA. Risacher is a great fit for the Hawks as the Hawks play a fast-paced brand of basketball, and Risacher has a pretty good ability to get out in transition.
The French forward will make it back-to-back French players, and the top 2 picks, selected in this years draft due to Risacher going first overall. What puts Sarr over the top as a prospect is his rim protection. With a wingspan of 7 '4, a standing reach of 9' 2, a standing vertical of 30.5’’, and a max vertical of 37’’, Sarr is a great shot blocker. His length allows him to be a massive lob threat, and a great rebounder. Sarr is also a very capable defender on the perimeter as he possesses great mobility. His mobility and length makes a threat in transition. His touch at the rim is inconsistent, but he has the potential to be a great NBA post-player. Although Sarr won’t have a large offensive impact immediately, his defense will have a large impact, which the Wizards desperately need as they were 26th in the league in blocks and allowed the most points last season. Also, the Wizards were one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA last season as they were 29th in rebounds, 28th in offensive rebounds, and allowed their opponents to grab the most amount of rebounds in the league last season. Sarr would massively help the Wizards in terms of rebounding.
Reed Sheppard was probably the best three point shooter in all of college basketball this season. Sheppard shot an astounding 52.1% from beyond the arc on 4.4 attempts per game. He also has a great mid range shot. He is a smart basketball player and rarely forces shots. He is also very smart with his passing. He is a very active defensive player, which is shown by him averaging 2.5 steals per game last season. He is not a great shot creator, but that is not what the Rockets need as they have many shot creating guards and forwards on their roster. The main weakness of Sheppard is his turnovers as he averaged 2 turnovers per game while not being an extremely ball-dominant player. The Rockets were a sub-pair three point shooting team, as they ranked 8th worst in three point percentage, and passing team, as they ranked 6th worst in assists last season, and Reed Sheppard will immediately come in and help the Rockets fix those weaknesses.
The Spurs need a guard to pair alongside their superstar Victory Wembanyama, and Stephon Castle fulfills that need. Castle is extremely versatile as his 6’6, 215 pound frame allows him to play positions 1-3. Castle is a serviceable ball handler with good decision making in terms of passing. He is a very smart defensive player and was sometimes seen guarding the opposing team's best player. Castle’s 215 pound frames allows him to absorb contact at the rim, but he is also quick so he can get downhill. Castle is an incredible rebounder as a guard. The main weakness of Castle’s game is his three point shooting, but he has shown some potential to be a serviceable shooter. Castle can work out of the pick-and-roll, which will make him and Wembanyama a good duo. The Spurs were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA last season, as they were the 7th worst scoring defense, and Stephon Castle brings the Spurs a physical guard that will help improve their defensive weakness.
The Pistons have a glaring hole at one of their forward spots, and Matas Buzelis fills that hole. The 6’10 wing has a lot of versatility. His height allows him to be a natural forward, but he possesses great ball-handling, which could allow him to be a bigger guard. Buzelis a good finisher at the rim and is a good scorer off the dribble. Buzelis is not a great three-point shooter but he has the potential to improve as a shooter at the next level. He has good lateral movement which makes him a good perimeter defender. Buzelis is an incredible rim protector. Buzelis does need to put on weight as he can get bodied by bigger NBA players due to him weighing only 197 pounds. Buzelis fills a massive hole on the Piston’s roster, and he brings good scoring, which will massively help the Pistons as they ranked as the 4th worst scoring offense in the NBA last season.
Going into the season, Holland was a consensus top 3 pick, but he ends up falling to the 6th overall pick. Holland is a great finisher and he is good in transition, which will complement LaMelo Ball nicely. He is a great perimeter defender and has a super high motor. He is a good rim protector for being a 6’8 forward. Although he is not a great shooter, he showed an ability to knock down open three pointers. Holland is an incredible rebounder and he could be a good playmaker for the Hornets, which helps LaMelo Ball. He does turn the ball over, but on the Hornets he will have a less ball-dominant role than what he had on G-League Ignite. The Hornets scored the third least amount of points in the NBA last season, and bringing Holland will help boost the offense’s production. Also, the Hornets were the worst rebounding team in the NBA last season, and Holland’s rebounding skills will help the Hornets improve upon that weakness.
The national championship winning big man has gained a lot of traction as one of the best players in the draft and for good reason. The 7’2 Clingan with a 9’7 standing reach is an incredible shot blocker. Clingan is also a great rebounder. Additionally, he has shown a great ability to score around the rim. He sets great screens and works very well out of the pick-and-roll, which will make a good fit with Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons. Clingan is a smart player maker from the post. He does possess unideal stamina, but his workload does not need to be insane immediately because the Trail Blazers have Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III. The Trail Blazers were the 9th worst rebounding team in the NBA, had the 4th least amount of blocks, and allowed the 19th most points last season, and the addition of Clingan will surely help the Trail Blazers become a better defensive and rebounding team.
If the Spurs want to be in a win now mode, which is what they should be doing as they have Wembanyama on his rookie deal for at least 3 more seasons, then Knecht is the correct player to be selected here. The SEC Player of the Year from this past season has already shown his NBA level shooting, and at some points it seems like Knecht can’t miss. He is capable of creating his own shot and he can finish at the rim. He is also great without the ball in his hands as he can knock down catch and shoot jumpers with ease. With such a high usage rate at Tennessee (32.2%), Knecht was very good at protecting the ball and not turning it over. He is not a great defender, but the Spurs are bringing him in for his offensive firepower. The Spurs scored the 8th least amount of points and turned the ball over the third most in the NBA last season. Additionally, the Spurs were the third worst three point shooting team in terms of percentage. Knecht will bolster the Spurs offensively while also bringing them a much needed consistent three point shooter.
The younger brother of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s rising star, Jalen Williams, is a 6’7 forward with a 7’1 wingspan. Williams is a very strong ball-handler who is great out in transition. His length allows him to guard small forwards, but he possesses the quickness to guard positions 1 and 2. He is great at creating his own shot, and he can also make space for himself off the ball. He is an extremely strong finisher and loves to attack the rim. He is a very good three point shooter with extremely fluid mechanics. Williams is also a good mid range shooter. Additionally, he is good at spacing the floor. His strong offensive game allowed him to be a very efficient scorer from both inside and outside of the arc last season. He is only 178 pounds so he needs to become stronger in order to keep up with the strength of NBA forwards both offensively and defensively. However, if Williams puts on weight, he has the potential to be a dangerous two-way player, just like his older brother. The Grizzlies were the worst offense in terms of points scored and field goal percentage, and they were the second worst offense in terms of three point percentage, and drafting Cody Williams would help improve the league's worst offense from a season ago.
With Salaun being selected in the top 10, he will be the third French player selected in the top 10. Salaun is the most raw player in the draft, but his potential is hard to pass up on. Salaun is very young as he will be 19 in august, which gives him a long time to develop upon his raw skillset. Salaun is a solid finisher as he uses his length to get past defenders and score at the rim. The Jazz are one of the fastest paced teams in the NBA, and Salaun has shown a great ability to get out in transition, which will bolster the transition offense of the Jazz. His ability to get out in transition will make him a good fit alongside the extremely fast Collin Sexton. Salaun is good off the ball. He is a serviceable three point shooter. Salaun has defensive versatility as he can guard forwards and guards. He is not a great dribbler, passer, and decision maker, but the Jazz do not need him to be ball dominant as they already have some high usage players. Salaun does need to improve as a rebounder, but his role will not be as a rebounder on the Jazz as the Jazz had the 4th most rebounds in the NBA last season. Additionally, the Jazz do not need Salaun to step in and have an immediately large impact, especially offensive. The Jazz allowed the 2nd most points and had the 9th worst three point percentage in the league last season. Salaun could be a good 3 and D player for the Jazz while he works on untapping his potential, which is what the Jazz need.
The Bulls are projected to be starting a major rebuild this offseason. Bulls point guard, Lonzo Ball, has been out with a knee injury for the past two seasons, and the Bulls recently traded guard Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Bulls need a guard and the 2024 Big East Player of the Year fills that need. Alex Caruso was an incredible defender, and by drafting Devin Carter, the Bulls would nicely replace the defensive presence of Caruso. Carter is a very physical defender. Carter is a very intense defender and he has an extremely high motor. Carter will not give up on a play defensively, and he fights and recovers from contact and screens.While only standing at 6 '2, Carter possesses a maximum vertical leap of 42 inches, which was the highest measured at the 2024 NBA combine. His insane vertical allows him to be very successful at contesting shots, especially in the paint. Carter also uses his physicality and high vertical to be a great rebounder. Carter’s talent is not just defensively, as he is a pretty good offensive player. He is a pretty good three point shooter. He can also score inside the paint as well due to his speed; Carter is very fast, and he had the best three quarter sprint time, at 2.87 seconds, in the 2024 NBA combine. Carter is also very good in transition, and he is very hard to stop in the open court. Also, Carter plays very well out of the pick and roll. Carter is not a great ball handler or passer, but that will not be his role on the Bulls as they have Josh Giddey and Coby White, so Devin Carter will not be very ball dominant. The loss of Alex Caruso will hurt the Bulls defense, but adding Carter will help the Bulls replace that loss. Additionally, the Bulls were a subpar offensive team last season, and the addition of Devin Carter will help add a little more offensive power to the Bulls.
The Thunder had the best record in the Western Conference last season, but they lost in the Western Conference Semifinals to the Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder want to make a push to the NBA finals next season and they need more depth in the front court to make this push. Filipowski can bring some frontcourt depth to the Thunder, and play alongside Jaylin Williams. Williams is a very defense oriented player, and adding Filipowski would add a strong front court offensive presence to the Thunder. Filipowski is a very good scorer; he is a very good scorer in the paint, as he has a good array of post-moves, especially his spin move and having good ability to finish at the rim and through contact, and he is a good three point shooter for being 6 '11. He is very good in both the pick and roll and the pick and pop. He is a good playmaker and ball-handler for a big man. Filipowski does lack explosiveness at some points, which could limit his offensive ability on the perimeter. His defense is alright, but does possess good shot-blocking ability and lateral quickness. He is a good rebounder, which would add a good secondary rebounder, to Jaylin Williams, to the Thunder. The Thunder ranked as the 4th worst team in rebounds last season, and this is somewhat due to the Thunder’s lack of depth in the front court, and drafting Filipowski would strengthen the Thunder’s rebounding. Filipowski would add some much needed frontcourt depth to the Thunder.
After missing out on the playoffs last season, the Kings want to insert themselves back into the playoff picture. The Kings offense is pretty good, but the addition of Rob Dillingham would put their offense over the top. Dillingham is super shifty and he has an incredible ball-handling ability. He is also very explosive and fast, which makes him a very tough matchup defensively. His offensive bag is so deep and he is so unpredictable with his moves when he has the ball. He can create space for himself very easily. He is a very good three point shooter, and he is a solid mid range shooter. He sometimes has a very questionable shot selection, but he was relatively efficient at Kentucky last season. He is very good out of the pick-and-roll, which will make him a good combination with Domantas Sabonis. He is a pretty good playmaker. His defense needs work, him weighing only 164.2 pounds does not help his lackluster defense. However, if Dillingham could put on weight, he could become better defensively. Dillingham always has a high motor and he plays with high effort. The Kings were below average in three point shooting, and Dillingham could help the Kings become a better three point shooting team. Dillingham would be making one of the best offensive bench duos in the league alongside Malik Monk. Additionally, it would be a challenge, defensively, for teams to guard De’Aaron Fox and Rob Dillingham when they are on the court together, as both of them have blistering speed.
Nikola Topic was a consensus top 5 pick in the draft as of late 2023 and early 2024, but he suffered multiple knee injuries this season including a partially torn ACL, and his draft has plummeted. Topic is still a very good player, however. The 6’6 guard is a good, and efficient, scorer because he can score at all three levels and create shots for himself. He is not a great three point shooter. He can also play off the ball. He is very good out of the pick-and-roll, which will make him a good fit with the who the Trail Blazers select at 7, Donovan Clingan. He is very good at finishing at the rim. He is an incredible passer and pretty good ball-handler. He has a very high motor on defense and puts in a lot of effort, but he is not an incredible defender. Topic is a very advanced basketball player for being only 18 years old, and he still has a lot of time to develop. Topic’s offensive efficiency could help the Trail Blazers, as the Blazers ranked as the 2nd worst team in field goal percentage in the league last season. Also, the Blazers ranked as the 2nd worst team in points last season, and Topic could help bolster the Blazers’ offense. Topic is way to go of value to pass up on at the back end of the lottery for the Trail Blazers, especially because of the Blazers lackluster offense last season and need for more depth.