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Not every pick from the first round is perfect, but these ones sure are.
The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft has come and gone, and it was a night full of surprises. Despite 2024 being a draft class that has been considered weak, there were a bunch of pretty fun players going to interesting spots. The French continued their world domination via basketball, as Frenchmen Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, and Tidjane Salaun all going in the top-6 picks. There were also teammates galore going at the top of the draft, as UConn duo Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan, as well as Kentucky guards Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham each went in the top-10.
However, there are a few teams who truly hit it out the park with their picks. Our NBA Draft analyst Ricky O’Donnell graded every first round pick, and he gave out nine A-grades. Let’s dive in to his favorite selections.
Isaiah Collier to the Utah Jazz at No. 29
This is the best value pick of the draft. I put Collier to the Jazz at No. 10 overall in my “perfect picks” mock draft last month — to get him at No. 29 is almost unbelievable. Collier is a super fast and super strong lead guard who can bully his way into the paint. Collier committed a lot of turnovers to start the season but consistently played more within himself as the season went on. I viewed Collier as one of the highest-upside players in this draft for his shot creation ability. His jump shot isn’t good, but I can’t believe he slipped this far.
I’m surprised Collier lasted as long as he did, because they don’t make a lot of players as physically talented as he is. Utah put together a really solid draft night, and Collier’s ability to get downhill while being a lead guard should help balance out the rest of the Jazz’s roster.
DaRon Holmes II to the Denver Nuggets at No. 22
Holmes was one of the best productive players in the country for Dayton, closer to the top-5 than the top-10 in terms of the best players in college basketball last season. Holmes is really good at playing with force around the rim as a roll man, rebounder, and shot blocker. This past season, he flashed new perimeter skill he didn’t have before. Holmes shot the three well, showed impressive dribbling ability for a big man, and posted by far the highest assist rate of his career. Is he big enough to play center? Can he shoot well enough to play the four? Either way, Holmes is just really good, and should be a nice fit in Denver backing up Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic.
Holmes and the Nuggets are a match made in heaven. He’s a great secondary big man who can shoot really well and play defense, and now he gets to play with the best passing big man ever. Seems like a pretty good deal to me.
Kel’el Ware to the Miami Heat at No. 15
Ware is huge, super athletic, and had 42 percent of his threes at low volume this past year at Indiana. He’s known for being a “low motor” player who could make more hustle plays than he does, and there’s no better landing spot for someone like that than Miami. In the Heat’s development program, Ware will be able to add strength and focus on perfecting his mentality. He’s bubbling with upside as a potential drop coverage shot blocker, lob threat, and spot-up shooter. It will be interesting to see if he can play minutes alongside Bam Adebayo, but if he comes out as a 40 percent three-point shooter, it won’t be an issue.
Am I being a homer? My lawyer advised me not to answer that question, but the Ware pick makes perfect sense for the Heat. The depth at center behind franchise star Bam Adebayo is extremely weak, and Ware’s athleticism, size and shooting potential not only makes him a viable backup 5, but it opens the potential for him to play alongside Adebayo.
Devin Carter to the Sacramento Kings at No. 13
Carter earns high marks here for his tremendous defensive motor, improved shooting ability, and nose for the ball as a rebounder. He feels like something of an odd fit for a Kings team that could use more size, but his defensive potential gives him the ability to play with either De’Aaron Fox or Malik Monk. If the improvement in his shot holds, Carter should have a high floor with his length, elite athleticism, and defensive playmaking.
Carter might be kind of an odd fit with the Kings because of his lack of size, but he more than makes up for it with his tenacity on the perimeter and athleticism at both ends of the floor. He could end up being an instant impact player.
Nikola Topic to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 12
I ranked Topic as the No. 1 player in the class despite the fact that he tore his ACL late in the season and could miss his entire rookie campaign. The Serbian point guard’s talent is worth the wait. Topic has great burst as a ball handler getting to the rim and soft touch as a finisher. He has an excellent feel in the pick-and-roll and knows how to blend his scoring and playmaking with the height to see over the defense at 6’6. This feels like a bit of a strange fit just because Topic has to play with the ball in his hands and the Thunder already have a lot of talented creators, but he’s clearly the best player available to me. His defense and shooting are question marks.
Topic is a bit weird considering he’s kinda similar to the player the Thunder just traded to Chicago, but because he won’t be playing until next year the fit on the roster might iron itself out by then. Topic has a great feel for the game and can be another ball handler in their offense.
Rob Dillingham to the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 8
Dillingham is one of the most electric offensive players in the draft. He’s a dynamic shooter on- and off-the-ball who can splash three-pointers on pull-ups, off movement, and by relocating quickly off the ball. The Kentucky freshman is also a shifty ball handler, and has awesome vision as a passe. Dillingham is just extremely tiny, with his 164-pound frame making him the lightest player in the NBA next season. It would have been so much fun to see Dillingham play with Victor Wembanyama, but this pick is reportedly going to the Timberwolves. Dillingham’s shot creation and shooting is a nice fit for the NBA’s No. 1 defense. The Spurs pick up future picks in this move:
Dillingham is an awesome playmaker who might be the best one-on-one player in the entire class. His shooting ability off the dribble and creation with the ball in his hands should really help Minnesota, who sorely need a secondary playmaker.
Ron Holland to the Detroit Pistons at No. 5
A year ago, Holland was the leading candidate to go No. 1 overall. A week ago, he was supposed to slip out of the lottery. Holland struggled with his efficiency as a member of the G League Ignite, but he still scored nearly 20 points per game and showed impressive rebounding and better playmaking than expected. He can’t shoot at all from the outside, and that makes him an especially strange pick for the Pistons. Detroit drafted another super athletic wing who can’t shoot last year in Ausar Thompson. The Pistons have badly needed spacing around Cade Cunningham, and they keep going the other way, although it’s worth noting that the team has a brand new front office led by Trajan Langdon. Still, I believe Holland is one of the best players in this draft for his athleticism, slashing, transition scoring, and defensive motor. Playing hard is a skill, and no one plays harder in this class than Holland. Weird fit, but the player is undeniably talented. Read my feature on Holland here.
Don’t think about the lack of spacing and shooting right now, because whew boy with Holland on the team the Pistons are going to be bouncy and athletic. His intensity driving the lane and creation as an attacker will help give the Pistons an offensive boost.
Reed Sheppard to the Houston Rockets at No. 3
Sheppard might be the best shooter in the draft after hitting 52 percent of his threes as a freshman at Kentucky. He has incredibly strong hands defensively, able to rip the ball away from opponents with steals and blocks. Sheppard is only an average athlete and he’s very small — measuring under 6’2 barefoot with a 6’3 wingspan — but he found a perfect landing place in Houston. Sheppard can space the floor for Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun, and help players like Jalen Green, Tari Eason, and Cam Whitmore get out in transition. This is a great fit for the player and team.
Despite being fairly tiny, Sheppard is the best shooter entering the draft and his shooting in addition to playmaking will really help an offense that doesn’t have that right now. He’ll also be masked defensively by the athletes the Rockets have.
Alex Sarr to the Washington Wizards at No. 2
Sarr is a super athletic big man with a terrifying combination of length and mobility. At 7’1 with a 7’4+ wingspan, Sarr projects as a switchable defender who can also put on a lid on the rim as a shot blocker. Sarr’s offensive impact is less certain, but he’s shown some tantalizing flashes as a shooter and ball handler in the open floor. Sarr will need to learn to play with more force around the rim to reach his ceiling as a play finisher. His physical tools give him a tremendous long-term ceiling, and he’ll get every opportunity to push the boundaries of his game on a rebuilding Wizards team.
Sarr has the highest upside of the entire class, being capable of becoming a world-shifting talent. His size, ball handling and wingspan help him to be an instant starter, but the runway for growth is massive.
