2024 NBA Draft: Very, Very Early Redraft Edition

With just a year under this Class of 2024's belts, let's do a small redraft based on how things would shake out today.

The first season for the 2024 NBA Draft class is in the books. While the story of what many have already deemed the weakest draft class in at least 2 decades is far from written after less than a year, it’s a good time to revisit it with enough time to start looking ahead. Was it really the worst class in a long time? Will whoever wins Rookie of the Year be the most underwhelming case for the award in modern NBA history?

This past week, Brian and I began to sift through the class of 2024 and do our shortsighted redraft, based on how things would go now. Together, we’ll go through the top 30 picks, highlighting the original selections, and choosing a new player with hindsight.

While we will be re-selecting players based on what we know almost a year later, note that there are a lot of nuances here. Maybe they made the wrong pick and we course-correct with who they should’ve taken. Maybe they made the right pick at the time and we kept it as is. Maybe they made the right pick and we still choose to give them someone else. As with all of our draft content, Brian and I will give some detailed explanations and thoughts on the picks, so take all of these selections with a grain of salt. This exercise will look funny a year from today when we get to Year 2. It’ll be even funnier when it’s time for second contracts to get doled out.

Zach = odds + Cavs pick

Brian = evens + Jazz picks

1. Atlanta Hawks: G, G/F Stephon Castle

Original selection: F Zaccharie Risacher (JL Bourg)

Zach’s Notes: There were two main directions I thought about going here for Atlanta: do I give them the best overall talent on the board, or do I let them stick with Risacher, who has a real case for being among the best talent? I decided to go with the former this time with Castle, who has firmly been at the top of the Rookie of the Year race almost all season since Jared McCain went down. Not counting McCain’s 15.3 points per game from only 23 games, Castle leads all rookies both in points with 14.3. In a class full of relatively average rookies compared to recent years, Castle has been the best one for basically the entire year. Not sure whether that says more about him or the class, but hey, it still counts for something. I’ve been a full-on truther during the entire 2024 draft cycle even before he stepped onto the court for UConn and I’m very excited about what he could be in his prime.

2. Washington Wizards: F/C Alex Sarr

Original selection: F/C Alex Sarr, Perth (NBL)

Zach’s Notes: Brian made the right pick, in my opinion. Sarr is the easy pick to give Washington again and they clearly made the right call. There’s still a lot to be concerned about with Sarr, but the bottom line is that he’s looked excellent in his best moments and he has some of the highest potential in this class. He’s also looking like he deserves to be on the All-Rookie First Team as well and is one of the best 5 rookies of the class. Wizards are happy to run this one back.

3. Houston Rockets: F Zaccharie Risacher

Original selection: G Reed Sheppard, Kentucky

Zach’s Notes: We can’t have Risacher fall out of the top 5, and Houston would love to have him, so here he is. Risacher has stepped up in a big way recently and is now playing his way into the Rookie of the Year conversations. Brian and I were not very high on Risacher in 1st overall pick terms, but in fairness, he’s done everything I expected so far. He is playing like one of the best rookies in the class and I have to acknowledge that. He’s shooting just a hair under 40% (39.9%) from 3 since January 1st and will be a key piece next to Trae Young for the long haul. I still have questions about the long-term upside, but he fits in well with Houston and would likely still do all the same stuff he is now on a contender.

4. San Antonio Spurs: G Reed Sheppard

Original selection: G Stephon Castle, UConn

Zach’s Notes: We could be reactionary and say that Sheppard may not even make the top 10 with certain redraft parameters, but we have to trust our instincts and consider why Brian and I both viewed Sheppard as a surefire top 3 prospect. I didn’t expect he would light the world on fire for the Rockets as they’ve begun winning big and I don’t think most people are surprised by this so far. He’s still going early in any redraft considering what we knew about him pre-draft mixed with what we have seen in the best moments (which are extremely exciting).

5. Detroit Pistons: G Jared McCain

Original selection: F Ron Holland, G League Ignite

Zach’s Notes: No way McCain was falling past here. If you told me McCain would be the unanimous Rookie of the Year had he stayed healthy, I would’ve 100% believed you after the amazing and historic start to his career. McCain is a special, special talent and what we know about him now and next to Cade Cunningham is ridiculously exciting. I can’t wait to see him back on the court next year.

6. Charlotte Hornets: F Matas Buzelis

Original selection: F Tidjane Salaun, Cholet

Zach’s Notes: The concept of this pick is simple: we’re course-correcting the Hornets, who may have ended up going so, so, so wrong with Tidjane Salaun based on Year 1 returns. Salaun has been comfortably one of the worst rookies in this class relative to his draft position through his first year. I wanted Charlotte to take Buzelis at the time anyway, and I’m sure they wish they did now. So, here they go. Buzelis has been on a tear since the trade deadline with the Bulls finally succumbing to the Josh Giddey-Coby White-Buzelis core, and I’m liking what I’ve seen from them so far. He has a lot more upside to tap into and we could easily look back and see him as the clear best guy in the class.

7. Portland Trail Blazers: C Donovan Clingan

Original selection: C Donovan Clingan, UConn

Zach’s Notes: I don’t really have a ton to say about Clingan sticking with Portland. I think, for all of his blemishes and early growing pains, the right pick was made and I’m confident in Clingan’s upside as he keeps improving on both sides of the ball. In his best moments, Clingan looks like a great disruptor, rim protector, and a hellacious rebounder. At his worst, you question what he ultimately is and how he manages to stay on the court with his foul troubles and need for better feel and habits. I’m sure the Blazers wouldn’t have this any other way and expected all of this from the jump.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves (via San Antonio Spurs): G Bub Carrington

Original selection: G Rob Dillingham, Kentucky

Zach’s Notes: Now, THIS I loved from Brian. Carrington, while inefficient and not without his share of red flags emerging so far, has had some incredible moments with Washington where he looks like a budding fan favorite in Year 2 of the rebuild. He would be a stellar addition to Minnesota, who traded into the 8th overall pick to take Dillingham. The jury’s still out on Dillingham, of course, but I think this is a no-brainer to give them the guy with more proven results so far with only a season to judge.

9. Memphis Grizzlies: C Zach Edey

Original selection: C Zach Edey, Purdue

Zach’s Notes: Yep, Edey’s staying put here. Edey’s looked like a quality add all year, but I think his best work this year is happening now with former HC Taylor Jenkins gone and new HC Tuomas Iisalo being a big Edey proponent. I’ve been proven very wrong about him so far and I look forward to seeing what his future looks like with this Memphis group.

10. Utah Jazz: G/F Jaylen Wells

Original selection: G/F Cody Williams, Colorado

Jaylen Wells dropped a bit out of favor recently in Memphis at the end of the season and will presumably miss the playoffs due to a scary fall that resulted in a broken wrist. Still, we have to appreciate how much he’s run with his role and found a place to succeed in Memphis. He’s not the most exciting of this class by any means. He’s mostly a 3&D wing and projects to be on the lower end of usage and opportunities of any unit he’s playing in, but he’s succeeding on what we thought was one of the deepest teams in the NBA. That matters a lot. What would happen here if the Jazz took him instead of Cody Williams? Well… I guess they’d be slightly better off? I dunno. We’re interested to see if Wells can take another big step with Desmond Bane gone now.

11. Chicago Bulls: C Kel’el Ware

Original selection: F Matas Buzelis, G League Ignite

Zach’s Notes: Unfortunately, The Bulls don’t get their hometown guy and crucial rebuild building block, but they will get a pretty solid consolation prize in Kel’el Ware. I liked Ware pre-draft, but like most people, I had some real concerns about how he would hold up defensively, how his motor would look as he developed, and what the fit with Bam Adebayo would entail. Clearly, I was overthinking it on all 3 fronts, considering the incredibly good highs all season. Ware has a pretty intriguing future with Miami and it seems they’re intending to shape him into a really important piece in the post-Butler squad. To be clear: he would be much higher if this was a dynasty redraft.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder: G/F Ryan Dunn

Original selection: G Nikola Topic, KK Craven Zvezda

Zach’s Notes: There’s been a notable drop from the last pick to now, and that’s no disrespect to Dunn. Brian’s selection makes a lot of sense for what OKC is looking for and I would imagine Dunn would be as successful here, if not more, as he is in Phoenix. Dunn’s still got plenty of growing to do, but his defense is translating well when he gets the minutes and his offense has been better than anticipated from Summer League to now. I think the fantasy potential is enticing and with Chip Engelland, Dunn could develop more as a shooter in time.

13. Sacramento Kings: G Nikola Topic

Original selection: G Devin Carter, Providence

Zach’s Notes: Here, the Kings grab Topic instead of Devin Carter. Ideally, considering Fox is now gone and we know what we do about Carter, they probably would prefer this one with respect and patience given to each one. Topic was looking sharp before going down with an ACL tear and will likely make his NBA-level debut for this upcoming Summer League. He won’t turn 20 until August and he has some interesting ranges of outcome as a lead ball handler as his team aims to improve the shooting and overall consistency.

14. Washington Wizards: F Ron Holland

Original selection: G Bub Carrington, Pitt

Zach’s Notes: Washington will miss out on Bub, the current main piece of the Deni Avdija trade, but I like the consolation with Holland a lot here. Holland has really shined in his big moments and has a lot to like as he keeps improving the shooting and overall scalability in his role. Granted, the shooting is still far away, but I think the fact that he’s taking them even in limited minutes and that he has maybe the best shooting coach in the world with Fred Vinson matters a lot. Above all else, he remains this high because I still trust in his high-level upside and much of what I saw with the Ignite that enticed me is still here and able to be scaled effectively. I think somewhere like Washington would be a fantastic fit.

15. Miami Heat: G/F Kyshawn George

Original selection: C Kel’el Ware, Indiana

Zach’s Notes: In place of Ware, the Heat take the guy who would be the most Heat-ish left on the board: Kyshawn George. Man, I love George and have been happy to see him playing really well. There’s clearly a lot of upside here and even though the shooting has been rough (37.1% FG and 32.1% 3PT), his confidence to shoot and the plus skills he’s showing as a secondary passer, handling the ball, and as a defender are all popping. Moreover, I see the overall offensive game and the percentages coming around next season, as he’s been over 40% from the field since February 1st. When we have a few more years to evaluate, I think George is going to be high up in another redraft.

16. Philadelphia 76ers: C Yves Missi

Original selection: G Jared McCain, Duke

Zach’s Notes: Man, Missi has been really good. Going 16th really doesn’t reflect just how good he’s been. I expected him to struggle early and would need some time before really getting to regular starter status, but he’s really overcome a lot of our rawness expectations. Granted, he’s still got plenty to work on over time, but this pick already looks like a hit for New Orleans and he’s been one of their few bright spots. It would be interesting to make him the heir apparent to Joel Embiid considering what we know now and what Adem Bona has been doing.

17. Los Angeles Lakers: G Rob Dillingham

Original selection: G Dalton Knecht, Tennessee

Zach’s Notes: Maybe the Luka trade and Austin Reaves being as good as he is negates a lot of the need for Dillingham, but high-end talent is talent nonethless, and Dillingham falls to them here. Dillingham has came in and out of the Timberwolves’ rotation with some great bright spots here and there. I’m still a believer and was high on him pre-draft, consistently being in my top 10. He’s small and has shown the struggle areas, but the offensive talent cannot be denied.

18. Orlando Magic: F Tristan Da Silva

Original selection: F Tristan Da Silva, Colorado

Zach’s Notes: If there’s one thing we can say about Orlando and the way they draft, it’s easy to telegraph their type of guy. Everything about Tristan Da Silva screams Orlando, and well, they’re getting him again here. His stats don’t really pop out at you all that much (7.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.2 blocks, 0.8 turnovers, 41.2% FG, 33% 3PT, 86.9% FT), but he has logged the 9th most minutes in this class to date (1, 542 MP). He’s been a crucial part of holding the Magic’s bench down, and while none of it is sexy, it has clearly worked so far. Da Silva already looks like an experienced role player with an 8-10+ year NBA career on the way.

19. Toronto Raptors: G Isaiah Collier

Original selection: G/F Ja’Kobe Walter, Baylor

Zach’s Notes: Kind of criminal that Collier fell here despite what he’s done, but considering what we knew about him then to now mixed with his early success and teams picking, I think it makes some sense. Now, Collier is still a long way from even being an average shooter and it remains to be seen whether he truly gets there. That doesn’t negate how awesome he’s been as a passer and scoring on 2s when he’s gotten the minutes. He’s sharp at getting downhill and successful finishing at the rim, and his skills as a playmaker are already among perhaps the best in the class. Still, we need to see what he becomes over time and how he fits into the Jazz with Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr. in the mix,

20. Cleveland Cavaliers: G/F Justin Edwards

Original selection: G/F Jaylon Tyson, California

Zach’s Notes: Justin Edwards is so much fun to root for. One of the most interesting storylines through this draft class was how Justin Edwards went from one of the best high school prospects in the class to being the first top-3 ranked player among consensus high school rankings to go undrafted in NBA history (or at least since 247 and ESPN started making these lists). Yet, he took it in stride, grinded in the G League after signing a two-way contract with the 76ers, and played his way into a guaranteed contract and a full-time rotation spot with stellar play down the stretch. He’s been undeniably good, and I’m thrilled to give him to my Cavs at 20 here. Considering they also took a wing in Jaylon Tyson, I have to believe Edwards would shine all the same on a contender if he had the opportunity. You don’t see many guys land on their feet after such a dramatic turn in a calendar year and I think that matters a lot for re-evaluation in context of soft skills.

21. New Orleans Pelicans: G/F Jaylon Tyson

Original Selection: C Yves Missi, Baylor

Zach’s Notes: The Pelicans have had a horrific season from start to finish. Unfortunately, we have to take away one of their few bright spots with Missi. Instead, we’ll give them Jaylon Tyson for their troubles. We’ve not seen much of Tyson this season outside of sparse minutes and a few starts and high-minute appearances, but he’s looking like a very interesting piece for the Cavs long-term. He’s flashed his array of shooting, defense and passing at times and clearly has more to build on as he works on his jumper and develops more overall consistency. I was a fan pre-draft and I stand by my belief that his upside may be higher than we think. He’d make a lot of sense knowing what we know now about the Pelicans.

22. Denver Nuggets (via Phoenix Suns): G Ajay Mitchell

Original selection: F/C DaRon Holmes, Dayton

Zach’s Notes: I absolutely love Ajay Mitchell and I love this pick for Denver. While we still haven’t seen a healthy Holmes and I firmly believe he would’ve been a strong difference-maker on their squad this year, I think Mitchell has had some standout moments with OKC before missing a big chunk of this season (and is now healthy again). He went lower than he should’ve in the draft and there’s a genuine chance this is the lowest we ever see him go in a redraft of this class. Heck, there’s a chance he ends up having the better career between him, Nikola Topic, and Dillon Jones. Just saying!

23. Milwaukee Bucks: G/F Dalton Knecht

Original selection: G AJ Johnson, Illawarra (NBL)

Zach’s Notes: Yep, I’m sure the Bucks would love to have this one back, or at least not have traded AJ Johnson this early. Nonetheless, Knecht does at least let them rewrite the record by adding a shooter that would bolster their 2nd unit. Knecht had some high highs and low lows, but it’s to be expected in his role as a momentum shooter. I don’t really buy a lot of high upside out of Knecht at this point, unfortunately, but he’ll still around the league for a while.

24. Washington Wizards (via New York Knicks): F/C Kyle Filipowski

Original selection: G/F Kyshawn George, Miami

Zach’s Notes: This just feels way too low for Filipowski, and for the record, I probably would’ve taken him a lot higher if I weighed what he’s done recently and relative to my expectations. He has a real claim at being the Jazz’s best rookie from the class of 2024 to date and I think a season where it’s possible we see Walker Kessler on the move, Filipowski could break out in a big way.

25. New York Knicks: F/C DaRon Holmes II

Original selection: F Pacome Dadiet, Ratiopharm Ulm

Zach’s Notes: It’s a shame we never got to see Holmes in action. Just a few minutes into his first appearance in Summer League, Holmes tore his Achilles and should hopefully make his return this summer. That being said, I’m firmly of the opinion he would’ve had a very good season had he played, and I also was a strong believer in his potential pre-draft. I’m happy to still take him here and I think he’d fit right in on the Knicks, who originally took Pacome Dadiet.

26. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Washington Wizards): G/F Cody Williams

Original selection: F Dillon Jones, Weber State

Zach’s Notes: We just barely fit Jalen Williams’ brother into the 1st round. I know a lot of people might criticize his inclusion at all considering he’s had a very, very bad rookie season. I don’t disagree, BUT I do think some of the rawness and passivity was not going to go away overnight and he still has a chance to figure it out. OKC would not pass on him this late at all. I’m willing to give him one more year.

27. Minnesota Timberwolves: G Devin Carter

Original selection: G Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois

Zach’s Notes: I’m not willing to give up on Devin Carter just yet. I know we didn’t see much of him after missing extensive time due to shoulder surgery that resulted in no real rookie offseason, and he struggled on NBA courts whenever he did get the minutes. I still think he has time to be a really good player and I’m hopeful Minnesota gets him and turns him into a solid piece for the near future.

28. Phoenix Suns (via Denver Nuggets): F/C Quinten Post

Original selection: G/F Ryan Dunn, Virginia

Zach’s Notes: Extremely weird to have Quentin Post on this list, but that’s just how things went here. Post was selected 52nd overall by the Golden State Warriors and came to life in the back half of the season. It’s crazy that he legitimately shot 40.8% from 3 on a pretty good sample size (4.3 attempts per game) as a 7-footer. I think my initial read that he might’ve just been a Steve Kerr Flavor of the Month at center was wrong and he might be a dude.

29. Utah Jazz: F Tidjane Salaun

Original selection: G Isaiah Collier, USC

Zach’s Notes: Like Williams above, Salaun just barely makes it in after his bad rookie season. Salaun certainly has some upside, but much like many, many raw players of his archetype over the years, we’re about 2 years away from being 2 years away. Still, we’ve had some positive flashes and we can be hopeful that Salaun has much more to show by next year if the Hornets can genuinely push forward.

30. Boston Celtics: G Jamal Shead

Original selection: G/F Baylor Scheierman, Creighton

Zach’s Notes: I had a ton of players I wanted to fit in here with my last pick. I gave some serious consideration to Jonathan Mogbo, Adem Bona, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Terrance Shannon Jr. In the end, I went with Shead, who has not only surpassed all expectations I had for his NBA career to date but also played a real role in Toronto despite his limitations. As we close out the season, Shead was 13th overall in total regular season minutes (1,467 MP). He’s more than deserving of this spot and what he’s been able to do from the very beginning of the season to the end. He’s been quite consistent in that regard and that matters.