A Controversial Mock Draft
The Players Don't Really Separate Themselves Much
The mock draft I’m going to present is going to be drastically different than other popular draft sites and boards.
Mock Draft 2024 Board
I’ll explain myself for each ranking and decision. Keep in mind, I didn’t even rank 60 players. I only ranked 40+, mostly because I think 10-15 players actually make it to their second contracts unless there are unexpected leaps of skills or development fits that aren’t anticipated.
I’ll start with this initial Top 5. Note that when seeing other boards, guys like Ron Holland get ranked mid-late lottery. Collier, I’ve seen late lottery to mid-1st round. But, this is at least a Top 5 I feel confident with my ranking, especially with Holland and Sarr Top 2.
Ron Holland - He’s the player I’ve felt was Top 3 all season long and I just ended up having him #1. Chances are, he’ll be ranked and drafted lower because he’s coming out of the G-League program. The truth is, he was a lone shot creator for his team, got a lot of repetitition there, and at worst, he’s a great wing defender from the wing spot to point of attack. He has great athletic tools, and more importantly, the focus and motor to match. He’s the idea of what I think DeMar DeRozan would be under modern development, but just on a completely different level defensively as a young prospect.
Alex Sarr - I have a few criticisms here. Yes, he flashes perimeter ability and looks to have some comfort shooting midrange shots. The question marks for me are his lack of physicality, which are also linked to his frame. He’s a legit 7’+ and arguably weighs as much as Gabe Vincent. He has defensive instincts along the baseline and is a legit help defender, but he’s a roamer more than individual paint defender. It doesn’t help that in the NBL, he’s still not a strong defensive rebounder either. He’s still too good of an athlete, linked with great length, and has motor to boot. The easy role for him is to be Nic Claxton; attack the offensive glass, play with great energy, and help out defensively. If he just starts rebounding well, he’s an arguable starting 4/5.
Matas Buzelis - I have him #3 for showing legitimate offensive versatility. He looks to proactively create for himself or within the confines of an offense, while having the awareness of drawing a defender and kicking to the open teammate. That’s not a typical quality of someone 6’9”+. It helps that he keeps the ball moving. There are games where the shot isn’t going, and the energy transfer from the feet to the follow through is disjointed; it isn’t always synced well, but it is a relatively easy fix with strength and repetition. Defensively, he does have awareness in terms of rim protection, but it may be more difficult for him to defend guard-oriented wings off the dribble with lower centers of gravity. The floor awareness at both ends of the floor goes a long way.
Isaiah Collier - Are you surprised I have him as the first guard chosen? I usually see that it’s Topic, Dillingham, or even Sheppard. Collier has the qualities I expect of a combo guard learning the point guard spot. He’s a very good athlete with burst, but when he does attack the rim, his posture is upright, and he’s able to absorb contact from defenders and finish with touch around the rim. His free throw rate is .497, and it’s legitimate considering how much pressure he puts on the rim and uses his shoulders and hand fights to attack defensive pressure. If the Lakers have an identity linked to size, athleticism, and rim pressure, with the ability to play situational high pressure defense, that’s Collier. I mean, would you feel bad for drafting someone similar to Ty Lawson?
Stephon Castle - Here’s a player hat lives to the archetype I’d usually go for, but I think his NBA role is actually diftferent. He’s a wing for UConn that played point guard at the HS level. I think very highly of his court awareness and proactive decision-making. His role at UConn was more of a wing connector, working well on-and-off the ball, and making good decisions. He was an opportunistic slasher and shooter, but always to be of mind when it comes to creating the best shot within the offense. Even if he doesn’t shoot, he’ll always be that high level, fundamental defender between 3-through-1. It’ll be situational for point of attack defense, but he’s certainly capable. The rest is about building the shot credibility (aka gravity) with volume and accuracy. If he expands upon a 3-and-D archetype, it wouldn’t surprise me, but for now, he has an easy plug-and-play role for any team.
Needless to say, this is a confusing draft. Personally, it feels like a 2000 draft than the 2013 one. There’s a lot of role player outcomes for the vast majority of prospects, and the threshholds I usually have for a higher end playmaker like Austin Reaves or Jalen Williams in the years past, have been far more challenging to find. The top five listed players are just guys that fit most along with my draft philosophy. Outside of Sarr, all of them are playmakers, whether it’s as a lead initiator (Collier), secondary creator (Castle/Holland), or at least as a passing connector (Buzelis/Sarr). All of them have varying degrees of triple threat skills, but without such a severe deficit that it couldn’t be improved on.
That being said, please follow the Cashiggy YT Channel. I used their video links because I think they do a great job of catching the good with the bad on a game-to-game basis. I know their videos help me when I’m short on time.
Keep in mind, it’s still relatively early in the draft process. I do not have official player measurements. I don’t really keep track of pre-draft athletic test scores because if those results aren’t used in game, it’s useless. After all, I’m pretty sure Jokic would fail all pre-draft athletic combine tests except for the bench press, and he’s the MVP.
Feel free to use this post to keep track of the big board as well. I may make changes, but I will give an explanation for each prospect in regards to each ranking. I do anticipate questions. Please ask on the substack or @Canyondriver on Twitter, since X doesn’t like substack posts.