The NBA Champion Boston Celtics closed the 1st Round by selecting Baylor Scheierman
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: A
Pre-Draft Rank: 32
School: Creighton
Height: 6′ 7″
Weight: 205
Scheierman’s shot creation and size as a perimeter player is what shot him inside the first round. He’s a four-year player out of Creighton and averaged 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game as a senior.
The first USC player is off the board — not Bronny James — but Isaiah Collier, is headed to the Utah Jazz with the No. 29 pick
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: A-
Pre-Draft Rank: 18
School: USC
Height: 6′ 5″
Weight: 210
The fact that Collier fell so far in the draft after entering this past college season as the No. 1 high school recruit is shocking. The biggest gap in his game is his outside jumper and his turnovers during his one year at USC. Where he does excel is in the open court, and he has great body control around the rim. With the spacing and pace of the NBA game, he could be a steal for the Jazz.
ACC All-Defense selection Ryan Dunn from Virginia is headed to Phoenix with the No. 28 pick
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: B
Pre-Draft Rank: 41
School: Virginia
Height: 6′ 8″
Weight: 216
Dunn was the best perimeter defender in college basketball this season with his length at 6-foot-8 and averaging 2.3 blocks and just under two steals per game during his sophomore season at Virginia. The biggest hole in his game is his 3-point shooting where he made only 20% of his attempts from deep this past season.
Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. headed to Minnesota
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: A
Pre-Draft Rank: 33
School: Illinois
Height: 6′ 6″
Weight: 225
Shannon is a three-level scorer who has improved his 3-point shot over the course of his college career, finishing his senior season at Illinois shooting 36.2% from deep. He’s an older, experienced guard at 23 who can come in right away and contribute for Minnesota.
The No. 26 pick is Dillon Jones out of Weber State (shoutout Dame Time) and he’s headed to Oklahoma City
Pacome Dadiet goest to the Knicks at No. 25, the 4th French player taken in Round 1
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: B+
Pre-Draft Rank: 22
School: France
Height: 6′ 8″
Weight: 210
Dadiet is one of the youngest players in the draft, still just 18 years old, and will be a draft-and-stash development project for the Knicks. His size and strength at 6-foot-8 along the perimeter is what first stands out when he plays, and he’s showing more signs as a poised playmaker off the wing, finishing his season in Germany for Ratiopharm Ulm on a high note.
Kyshawn George goes No. 24 overall and is headed to Washington
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: B+
Pre-Draft Rank: 11
School: Miami (FL)
Height: 6′ 8″
Weight: 205
George hit a late growth spurt two years ago and shot up from 6-foot-3 to 6-8. He still passes like a point guard but is playing more along the perimeter. His 3-point shot is what’s most intriguing, shooting 41% from 3 off the bench during his one year at Miami.
With the No. 23 pick the Bucks selected AJ Johnson
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Johnson’s upside as a 6-foot-5 combo guard is very intriguing and he’s a player who has been in the gym working out with Rockets guard Jalen Green since 8th grade. They have similar mannerisms as playmakers, and Johnson is still so raw as prospect but could end up being one of the best players in this draft two to three years down the road.
After making the No. 22 pick, Phoenix traded the draft rights to DaRon Holmes II to Denver
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: B+
Pre-Draft Rank: 27
School: Dayton
Height: 6′ 10″
Weight: 235
Holmes could be that hybrid big with his polished interior scoring and improvement in his shot selection behind the arc, averaging 38.6% from 3-point range.
Baylor big man Yves Missi is headed to New Orleans
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: B+
Pre-Draft Rank: 23
School: Baylor
Height: 7′ 0″
Weight: 235
Missi still has a ton of room for growth after his one year at Baylor, but the glimpses that he showed defending the block and running the floor well in transition scream upside as a rim-running big in the NBA at 7 feet.
Well travelled Jaylon Tyson from Cal — after transferring from Texas to Texas Tech and then Cal — is headed to Cleveland
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: A-
Pre-Draft Rank: 28
School: California
Height: 6′ 7″
Weight: 215
Tyson was one of the best scorers in the Pac-12 and can do a little bit of everything really well. He’s strong with the ball, cuts well and finishes through contact, but his mobility on defense and ability to keep players in front still needs some work.
Baylor’s 2023-24 leading scorer Ja’Kobe Walter headed to Toronto at No. 19
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: B+
Pre-Draft Rank: 19
School: Baylor
Height: 6′ 5″
Weight: 195
Walter has solid size for a shooting guard at 6-foot-5 and showed more promise off the bounce during his one year at Baylor. His 3-point shot was a little inconsistent over his freshman season at Baylor, but the spacing in the NBA will allow him better looks for higher-percentage shots.
Was it really that long ago? 😬
Colorado’s Tristan da Silva heads to Orlando at No. 18
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: A-
Pre-Draft Rank: 20
School: Colorado
Height: 6′ 9″
Weight: 220
The senior forward shot 40% from 3-point range and has the potential to be that hybrid four in the NBA with his solid inside-out game and how well he gets to his spots out of the pick-and-roll option.
Lakers pick SEC player of the year, sharpshooting Dalton Knecht from Tennessee at No. 17
After a big slide, Dalton Knecht, the breakout star for the 2023-24 college basketball season is headed to Los Angeles to play for the Lakers.
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: A-
Pre-Draft Rank: 8
School: Tennessee
Height: 6′ 6″
Weight: 213
Knecht was the best scorer in the SEC, averaging 21.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game at Tennessee. He’s one of the older players in the first round at 23 but can be a plug-and-play guy right away, contributing with his size and three-level scoring.
Duke star Jared McCain goes No. 16 overall to Philadelphia
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: A
Pre-Draft Rank: 17
School: Duke
Height: 6′ 3″
Weight: 197
McCain is one of the best shooters in this draft, shooting 41.8% from 3-point range and shot lights out at the combine in front of every NBA executive and scout. Even though he’s undersized at 6-foot-3, 197 pounds, Philadelphia knows exactly what it’s getting from him as a reliable shooter who competes at a high level.
Heat grab big body Kel’el Ware from Indiana
Yahoo Sports Commentary
Draft Grade: B+
Pre-Draft Rank: 16
School: Indiana
Height: 7′ 0″
Weight: 242
Ware really made a jump in improvement from his freshman year at Oregon to his sophomore season at Indiana, showing more upside as a pick-and-roll big while putting pressure on the rim. His athleticism helps him guard the perimeter off the switch and he’s improved his ball-handling, starting the break off missed shots.
Bub Carrington out of Pitt is headed to Washington
Carrington hit a late growth spurt and is now closer to 6-foot-5 as a point guard, making him a late riser in the draft. He still has tremendous upside at 18 years old and can come in right away with his quick-twitch pace and decent shot creation off the pick-and-roll.
Krysten Peek goes OFF on the Grizzlies for picking Purdue star Zach Edey at No. 9
