The 2024 NBA Draft became clearer for teams and fans after the Atlanta Hawks won the Draft Lottery. While there are wild speculations on what the Atlanta Hawks will do after the draft, it’s clear as day to everyone that the team is eager to get a new franchise cornerstone now that they have the first pick in this year’s draft.
While this year’s crop of incoming rookies doesn’t have the same hype as the 2023 class, there are still a lot of talented prospects who can transform the fortunes of the teams that will be fortunate enough to select them.
From March Madness standouts to intriguing international prospects, fans of the top lottery teams are now frantically searching for YouTube highlights that will give them an idea of what their potential superstars would play like.
It may seem at first that teams would have a tough time identifying the top talent in this year’s draft. However, one of ESPN’s top draft analysts has one name as the consensus favorite to be the first overall pick of this year’s class.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony predicts Alex Sarr will be picked first in 2024 NBA Draft
Jonathan Givony, one of the most trusted names in the NBA Draft, gave an initial list of top prospects that will be taken off the board on the first day of the 2024 NBA Draft.
His list gives an intriguing insight on what the league will look like in the future as countries all over the world continue to improve their basketball programs:
First stab at projecting the 2024 NBA Draft now that the order is set. Full 58-pick mock draft at ESPN.
STORY: https://t.co/8dMREZMACY pic.twitter.com/6iSbxtZac4
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 12, 2024
Alex Sarr may be a surprising top selection for some, but The Spun’s Daniel Bates wrote a compelling summary of who the young Frenchman is that makes him such an intriguing prospect:
Sarr comes from a family of basketball players and is viewed as an elite rim protector with defensive anchor potential and an outstanding athletic profile. At 7-foot-1 Sarr can run the floor, put the ball on the deck and has promising jumpshot form.
Given the success of Victor Wembanyama in his debut season, the Hawks will hope for similar levels of success with their potential franchise cornerstone.
Will the 2024 NBA Draft change how blue-chip prospects view the NCAA?
It’s interesting to see that four of the top seven selections Givony provided didn’t play in the NCAA. Sarr plied his trade in Australia. Zaccharie Risacher, the second name in his list, developed in his home country of France.
While Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham take the third and fourth spots, the fifth overall selection is pegged to be G League Ignite’s Matas Buzelis. Donovan Clingan of UConn is number six, and Red Star Belgrade’s Nikola Topic rounds out the top seven.
While the final order can change come draft day, to see so many top prospects come from outside the NCAA may already affect how some blue-chip prospects think. While there’s the NIL money, some of the more ambitious prospects may choose to try their luck abroad and boost their rankings when it’s their turn on the NBA Draft spotlight.
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