{"id":71528,"date":"2024-04-01T19:12:50","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T23:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=71528"},"modified":"2024-04-01T19:12:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T23:12:50","slug":"multiple-nba-executives-believe-2024-nba-draft-is-the-worst-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/04\/01\/multiple-nba-executives-believe-2024-nba-draft-is-the-worst-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Multiple NBA Executives Believe 2024 NBA Draft Is The &#8220;Worst Ever&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With only two weeks left in the 2023-24 NBA regular season, many are turning their attention to the 2024 NBA draft. College basketball analyst Jeff Goodman shared a pessimistic report on this year&#8217;s draft class, sharing that multiple NBA executives are calling it &#8220;the worst draft they have ever seen&#8221;.<\/p>\n<h2>Multiple NBA Executives Believe 2024 NBA Draft Is The &#8220;Worst Ever&#8221;<\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Multiple veteran NBA execs say the same thing about this draft.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the worst draft they have ever seen.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GoodmanHoops\/status\/1774838580248006832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 1, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>The 2024 NBA Draft Doesn&#8217;t Compare to 2023<\/h3>\n<p>The 2024 NBA draft class has struggled to receive high praise from pundits. Having drawn the unfortunate yet inevitable comparison to its predecessor, the 2024 draft projects to be significantly weaker. The 2023 draft class was loaded with star talent, both from overseas and the American collegiate basketball scene.<\/p>\n<p>2023 was all about the dazzling talent and physical presence of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wembavi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victor Wembanyama<\/a>, as he was drafted #1 overall by the San Antonio Spurs, to no one&#8217;s surprise.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/millebr02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Miller<\/a> went second overall to the Charlotte Hornets and looks to be a solid partner in crime for LaMelo Ball, provided that the latter is able to stay healthy in the future.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hendesc01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Scoot Henderson<\/a> initially struggled in his first NBA season with the Portland Trail Blazers. The third overall pick in last year&#8217;s draft has flashed signs of improvement, and averaged 14.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.6 rebounds in March.<\/p>\n<h3>Strong Role Players<\/h3>\n<p>Multiple rookies have also emerged as key contributors on already strong rosters.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/livelde01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dereck Lively II<\/a> has assumed the role of starting center for the Dallas Mavericks and his strong connection with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/doncilu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a> figures to be a key piece of Dallas&#8217; game plan moving forward.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jaqueja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaime Jaquez Jr<\/a>.&#8217;s seamless fit on a veteran Miami Heat team has been a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/11\/29\/miami-heat-jaime-jaquez-jr\/\" target=\"_self\">welcome surprise<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wallaca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cason Wallace<\/a> also made an instant impact for the Oklahoma City Thunder as the backup point guard to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/04\/01\/stephen-a-smith-reveals-his-pick-for-the-2024-nba-mvp-award-shai-gilgeous-alexander-oklahoma-city-thunder\/\" target=\"_self\">potential<\/a> 2023-24 MVP, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gilgesh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/podzibr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandin Podziemski<\/a> briefly displaced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompkl01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Klay Thompson<\/a> from the Golden State Warriors starting lineup. His hard-nosed style of play and defensive prowess are invaluable additions to a veteran backcourt featuring the likes of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/curryst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Curry<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/paulch01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Paul<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>2024 NBA Draft Prospects<\/h3>\n<p>After Wembanyama went first in 2023, another Frenchman could claim the top spot in 2024. Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr are the premier prospects of this year&#8217;s draft class.<\/p>\n<p>Just 18 years old, Risacher is a 6&#8217;8 wing plying his trade in the top French division for JL Bourg. Although questions remain over his NBA-readiness, Risacher&#8217;s potential speaks for itself.<\/p>\n<p>Sarr, a 7&#8217;1 center for the NBL&#8217;s Perth Wildcats, is similar to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jacksja02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaren Jackson Jr.<\/a> of the Memphis Grizzlies. His defensive capabilities should immediately translate at the NBA level.<\/p>\n<p>The most hyped American prospect is Ron Holland, the 18 year-old wing for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/21\/nba-officially-shutting-down-popular-g-league-team-ignite\/\" target=\"_self\">soon-to-be-defunct G-League Ignite<\/a>. Standing at 6&#8217;8, Holland averaged 19.5 points in the G-League. Originally projected as the top pick in 2024, Hollands stock has taken a slight hit, due to injuries and questions over his current skillset.<\/p>\n<p>The top college basketball players appear to once again be freshmen. Kentucky&#8217;s Rob Dillingham is a shifty guard that has drawn comparisons to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/maxeyty01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyrese Maxey<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garlada01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Darius Garland<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Colorado&#8217;s Cody Williams, the brother of Oklahoma City star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/willija06.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Williams<\/a>, is still quite a raw prospect, but projects to be as a top-10 pick. Williams&#8217; combination of size, athleticism, and potential could lead to him being the first collegiate player to be selected in the 2024 NBA draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With only two weeks left in the 2023-24 NBA regular season, many are turning their attention to the 2024 NBA draft. College basketball analyst Jeff Goodman shared a pessimistic report on this year&#8217;s draft class, sharing that multiple NBA executives are calling it &#8220;the worst draft they have ever seen&#8221;. Multiple NBA Executives Believe 2024 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4773,"featured_media":71542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,2,556,3],"tags":[49040,98,4669,49147],"class_list":["post-71528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-featured","category-nba-draft","category-news","tag-2024-nba-draft","tag-nba-draft","tag-victor-wembanyama","tag-zaccharie-risacher"],"modified_by":"Adam Echchaibi","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4773"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71528\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}