2024 NBA Mock Draft: Vendetta Blogger Edition

2024 NBA Mock Draft: Vendetta Blogger Edition

It’s finally here! The 2024 NBA Draft has officially arrived! With that, we did our annual blogger draft with five participants: Karl Heiser, Trey Daubert, Alex Chick III (Chickster), Garrett Burroughs and myself! In case you missed it, here’s the full video:

But without further ado, here are all of our picks plus our rationales behind them!

1. Atlanta Hawks (Trey Daubert): Donovan Clingan , C, UConn

I would absolutely love to trade out of this pick. If there was ever a year to have a magical ping pong go our way this was the wrong year. If I’m stuck here I’m going with the big guy from UConn. His ability to protect the rim feels like the most sure thing in a draft full of not-sure things. Clingan is a two-time champion who feels like he has self-awareness. He’s also someone who won’t build bad habits by the time we get that bum Trae Young out of here. This is probably the move if you can’t get out.

2. Washington Wizards (Karl Heiser): Alexandre Sarr, F/C, Perth (Australia)

The Wizards need an interior presence really badly as they finished dead last in the NBA in opponent paint points per game this season. Alex Sarr may not be an elite interior defender at the moment, but he can get there as he adds strength. He is able to guard 1-5 and has offensive upside to boot, making him a worthy selection for Washington with their first pick of the draft.

3. Houston Rockets (Matt Hanifan): Reed Sheppard , G, Kentucky

The Rockets could very well trade this pick for an established veteran. Instead, I kept it and selected Reed Sheppard –who offers the perfect blend of shotmaking and playmaking that Houston needs in its backcourt. That said, I don’t feel great about Sheppard and Fred VanVleet ‘s lack of size, but the Rockets–who didn’t have many positional needs–were a top-10 defense last year, so I feel comfortable that Dillon Brooks , Amen Thompson , Jabari Smith and Steven Adams (when healthy) is enough to make up for it. Sheppard is one of the best shooting prospects over the last 5-10 years and Houston was a bottom-10 3-point shooting unit in 2023-24. He’ll compete defensively and was a very good playmaker. I think this spot is a good fit for him.

4. San Antonio Spurs (Alex Chick III): Stephon Castle , G, UConn

Spurs get one of the best combo guards in the draft. Although Castle may not have the best jumper, he is tenacious in getting to the rim and is willing to guard the other team’s best player. He will need to develop more offensively but his ability to pass the ball will be beneficial paring him up with Wemby.

5. Detroit Pistons (Garrett Burroughs): Dalton Knecht , G/F, Tennessee

We had made an effort to move up to nab Sheppard or Clingan potentially, but are happy with how the board fell so we could grab a sharpshooter at five. Knecht fills a massive scoring void in our rotation, and should provide relief to Cade Cunningham in terms of having to score.

6. Charlotte Hornets (Daubert): Cody Williams , F, Colorado

We know the deal with this draft. It’s going to be a class full of misses and surprises. If I’m going to swing for the fence on a guy that actually can turn me into a contender it’s the young cat from Colorado. The tools are there and his older brother is already a really good player in the league. I might actually have a two-way wing with plus length over time. In this draft class I’m doing kart wheels.

7. Portland Trail Blazers (Burroughs): Zaccharie Risacher, F, France

If we’re being honest, our war room was shocked he was here at seven. The consensus number one prospect in the class fell into our laps, and we happily took a shot on him. There’s always risk involved with taking the overseas guys with how they’ll develop into NBA players, but we feel his ceiling is so high he can help elevate the other young guys on our roster.

8. San Antonio Spurs (Chickster): Nikola Topic, G, Serbia

Despite having a partially torn ACL, Topic had to be the pick here for the Spurs. While I was going back and forth with taking Topic or Rob Dillingham . The problem with taking Dilly is that he’s undersized and not a good defender, but damn he is dynamic and a great passer. While Topic isn’t the best either defensively, Topic might be the best P&R ball handler in the draft. Him and Wemby running the P&R together could feed families. He can dribble, shoot, and finish at the rim. I wouldn’t even play Topic this year so he can recover from an injury and learn as an 18-year-old. He’s at a good size being 6’6 and 200 pounds for a point guard which creates a nightmare matchup to guard a P&R with him and Wemby the year after.

9. Memphis Grizzlies (Hanifan): Devin Carter , G, Providence

I didn’t love how the board fell to me and I wasn’t able to acquire a low-usage center via a trade, so I went with Devin Carter –who’s reuniting with his dad, Anthony Carter , an assistant on their coaching staff. Devin’s one of the best functional athletes in this class at 6-foot-3 and one of the best defenders, too. I feel comfortable about him guarding three positions and I think his shooting can be real–even though he’s got a funky form/release. Once upon a time, the Grizzlies were a grit-and-grind culture. Carter exudes that kind of player. He’s one of the best shot-blocking guards to come out in a long time and will make life incredibly difficult for players at the point-of-attack. He’s got legit range and has some playmaking chops that will impact a rotation from Day 1.

10. Utah Jazz (Heiser): Ron Holland , F, G-League Ignite

There’s a non-zero chance that Ron Holland ends up being the best player in this class. He’s a fantastic athlete with a ton of two-way potential. The shot needs some work, but he’s got far too many tools not to stick. At 18 years old, the Jazz are in a good position to give him the time and reps he needs to become the best version of himself.

11. Chicago Bulls (Daubert): Matas Buzelis , F, G-League Ignite

I have no idea what you do with this team other than burn it to the ground and start over. We’ll take the dart throw on the overseas prospect. I wanted Carter from Providence and kinda got stuck once he wasn’t there.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder (Chickster): Rob Dillingham , G, Oklahoma City Thunder

I know the Thunder have their fair share of guards, especially after acquiring Alex Caruso . However, this team needs more scoring from the guard play outside of Shai. This is just me, but Alex Caruso is overrated in the sense that he plays great defense and is a hustle player. But you can’t give Caruso the ball if you need a bucket. Shai will be the guy to score but Dilly can be a nice option off the bench to be a microwave for this team. Remember when I was talking about his concerns defensively? Yeah, he shouldn’t have to worry about that with the Thunder as they are technically sound defensively. Rob Dillingham has been on record that he would feed Wemby the ball. Well, Chet Holmgren might not be Wembanyama, but dammit you can feed him the ball too.

13. Sacramento Kings (Heiser): Isaiah Collier , G, USC

Collier was once considered one of the top prospects in this class before injuries and inefficiency in his lone year at USC sent his stock tumbling. Sacramento doesn’t have much in terms of on-ball creation outside of De’Aaron Fox, and giving Fox a protege like Collier could really pay dividends down the line. The former Trojan is particularly difficult to guard in transition, and having him create advantages for the Kings’ offensive weapons to exploit could make for a very potent attack.

14. Portland Trail Blazers (Burroughs): Kel’el Ware, C, Indiana

Any chance you get to take a former top-ten prospect coming out of high school, it should be considered a win. With Kel’el Ware, we are excited to get him in the building as he should provide immediate improvement in defense specifically in the paint and his vastly improved 3-point shooting. Yes, the motor we are going to have to work on, as drafting someone who a former coach called lazy isn’t a great look, we are confident our staff can help his conditioning and drive.

15. Miami Heat (Hanifan): Tristan da Silva, F, Colorado

I’m aware that I’m much higher than the consensus on da Silva (an older prospect) and I believe he could be a hand-in-glove fit with Miami. They need functional size, shooting and smart two-way, versatile basketball players. That’s Tristan da Silva, all in one. He’s not the perfect rebounder or the most polished shot-creator. But there aren’t many things that he can’t do well on a basketball court. The Heat, toeing the line of the onerous second apron, are expected to lose Caleb Martin in free agency and potentially Haywood Highsmith . I think da Silva can be an amicable replacement, even if he doesn’t have as much upside as some of his peers.

16. Philadelphia 76ers (Daubert): Jared McCain , G, Duke

I guess we’re still doing this thing with Embiid. Let’s get him the tik toker who can make it splash. He and Maxey just going to fire shots from downtown.

17. Los Angeles Lakers (Chickster): Ja’Kobe Walter, G, Baylor

The Lakers need a guy that can be a true 3&D guy. Not a guy that can shoot 3s and another that plays defense. No. A true 3&D guy who will space the floor and defend the best player on the other team. The Lakers need that in the worst way with LeBron aging and other guys just not fitting that mold. Walter can have an immediate role for the JJ Redick -led Lakers.

18. Denver Nuggets (Burroughs) via trade: Kyle Filipowski , F/C, Duke

Trade Details:

• Nuggets Receive: No. 18 pick
• Orlando Magic Receive: No. 28, Zeke Nnaji , Julian Strawther

We made this move for a few reasons. The championship window is now, so we need to make the most of this roster. There are a ton of chips to move on this team as we are stocked with young prospects, so moving two to nab someone who maybe should have gone in the lottery was a no-brainer. The offense he will bring to our bench unit is too valuable to pass up. Learning the offensive game from Jokic while picking up defensive knowledge from Gordon will be huge for his development. We have two years left on Gordon’s deal as well, and he should serve as a stellar replacement should we choose not to bring Gordon back.

19. Toronto Raptors (Burroughs): Tyler Kolek , G, Raptors

Tyler Kolek is going to bring that old-school style of play to our roster. Leading all of division one in assists per game is something we coveted, as we look to swing the ball more. While you might not be willing to sacrifice speed for IQ and playmaking, that was something we were ok with.

20. Cleveland Cavaliers (Hanifan): Bub Carrington, G, Pittsburgh

I almost went with a wing ( Tyler Smith , Baylor Scheierman ) here, but I didn’t. That’s their biggest positional need and I was really, really close on pulling the trigger. But I also think they’ll re-sign Donovan Mitchell . I also call BS on the report of them not wanting to trade anyone–that’s always going to be said for an organization to maintain leverage, whether they actually feel that way or not. Thus, I think they’ll eventually part with Darius Garland . Carrington, an elite pull-up jump shooter who showed really promising playmaking chops, could be a viable replacement. He’s got really good length and I think he’ll be able to play off-ball with Mitchell. He wasn’t a perfect defender at Pitt, but he’s got size and I’m not ruling out him being at least a league-average defender (with time).

21. New Orleans Pelicans (Daubert): Tidjane Salaun, F, France

I was hoping for Filipowski as a stretch big next to Zion. Garrett pulled off a trade-up in front of me. Probably knowing I was a fan after I did his profile . The French guy really dropped in the draft based on rankings so we went there as the backup plan.

22. Phoenix Suns (Chickster): Terrence Shannon Jr., G, Illinois

Kevin Durant , Devin Booker , and Bradley Beal . Everyone else is a bunch of bums, yes including you Jursuf Nurkic Jr.. the biggest thing that the Suns were missing was defense, literally anywhere. KD, Booker, and Beal should be able to handle scoring, but they need guys to play defense. Enter Shannon, an explosive wing that will guard anyone if asked. He can still be persistent to get the rim but he will absolutely defend his ass off on a team that needs it. He’ll still score here and there to fill in the blanks left by Beal, Book, and KD but he has a more massive role playing defense for this team.

23. Milwaukee Bucks (Burroughs): Baylor Scheierman , G/F, Creighton

Who needs to play defense anyway? This roster needed an infusion of scorers, and Scheierman can fill it up in spades. Hopefully, we can get Lillard back in better shape next season. BS averaged almost 19 per game last season, but what impressed us more was nine rebounds per game. His flexibility to score the ball but fight for rebounds will be pivotal to our bench play.

24. New York Knicks (Hanifan): DaRon Holmes II, F/C, Dayton

I think there’s a nonzero chance that at least one of Isaiah Hartenstein or Mitchell Robinson isn’t on the roster next season. Hartenstein’s a free agent, and Robinson’s the antithesis modern-day big who’s dealt with myriad lower-body injuries and is entering the penultimate year of his contract. Who better to fill that than DaRon Holmes , a capable floor-spacer that defends exceptionally well. He won’t need to start right away, but he could impact a rotation with shooting–which he dramatically improved over his three years at Dayton–shot-blocking and rim running. He’s a little stiff in the hips and will need to pack on more muscle, but he’s got the skillset to be a impactful modern-day big. Getting at No. 24 is a good value.

25. New York Knicks (Hanifan): Jaylon Tyson , G/F, Cal

I don’t think the Knicks are going to keep both of these picks, but why take a dart throw at Jaylon Tyson ? He’s a dynamic shotmaker with playmaking upside. He’s not polished defensively and I wonder how much of that was due to his on-ball usage at Cal. But he’s a player who can score at multiple levels plus would add creation juice and functional size to a Knicks bench unit that could use every bit of it.

26. Washington Wizards (Heiser): Dillon Jones , F, Weber State

Let’s face it, the Wizards could use help in almost every conceivable area. Enter Dillon Jones , who is pretty good at just about everything. He put together a monster season for Weber State, averaging 20.8 points, 9.8 boards, and 5.2 assists per game. He’s not a perfect prospect by any means, but he does enough things well to find his niche on a lackluster Wizards squad.

27. Minnesota Timberwolves (Chickster): Cam Christie , G, Minnesota

Everyone’s favorite pick to flame at the moment. However, what more do the Wolves need? Another Center? God no. More defense? No, no they have enough of that. They need spacing for Gobert or in general. Christie can shoot and score. He may not be ready year 1 but he’s an 18-year-old sharpshooter who will be helpful when the time comes to the Wolves. The Wolves have the defense to cover his lack of defense. But, as evident in their playoff series against the Mavs, they struggled to score. Edwards had a bad series and no one else could pick up the slack. Christie gives them an option as a pure shooter to develop on an NBA team. For God’s sake, y’all better hope he is as bad as you say because revenge is always sweeter for a petty person like me.

28. Orlando Magic (Heiser): Johnny Furphy , G, Kansas

Trade Down from 18 rationale: I didn’t love how the board had shaped up with respect to Orlando’s options, but figured there would still be shooters available at the back of the first round. Adding Strawther, even at the expense of the Nnaji contract, felt like a worthwhile move to add two shooters for the price of one.

Furphy is a little bit of a mystery, but he’s 6’9” and can shoot the rock. Considering Orlando was fifth from the bottom in 3PT% this season, he’s a guy they should consider. The Kansas product is more of a play finisher than a play creator, but no one is drafting him to be the focal point of an offense. Assuming development, Furphy will fit nicely alongside Orlando’s versatile collection of wings.

29. Utah Jazz (Heiser): Kevin McCullar , F, Kansas

McCullar has seen his stock slip into the second round due to age, injury history, and lack of shotmaking. However, I think he can still return value here. In terms of mature connective playmakers, it’s hard to do much better than McCullar at this point. Plus, he’s an excellent defender who will help improve that side of things for a Jazz squad that had the worst defensive rating in the NBA this season.

30. Boston Celtics (Daubert): Zach Edey , C, Purdue

Send that puppy in. The champs get the most dominant college basketball player in the country at pick 30? This pick works based on karma alone. We get a better version of Luke Kornet to play 12 minutes a night as the third big. How do you complain?

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