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NBA draft first round: Zach Edey, Spurs, France big winners; Trail Blazers (too) loaded

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NBA draft first round: Zach Edey, Spurs, France big winners; Trail Blazers (too) loaded

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BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The first round of the 2024 NBA draft wrapped up late Wednesday night, and though there’s still one more round — comprising 28 selections — left, it’s not too early to break down the implications from the night.

The biggest winner, arguably, wasn’t a team or player or executive, but a country. France has had an unprecedented run of success in getting players drafted in the first round. No team made more selections than the Washington Wizards, who came into the night with two but aggressively added another in the middle of the round, and now they appear to have infused talent onto a roster that badly needed it.

Here are the winners and losers from the first round of the 2024 NBA draft:

WINNERS

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs

The No. 4 overall selection was all about the Spurs giving last year’s top overall pick, Victor Wembanyama, help. But taking that one step further, one of the biggest frustrations Spurs fans had last season was watching Wembanyama fighting to get position in the post, or slipping through the paint only for the team’s ball handlers to totally miss Wembanyama — as difficult as it may be to miss a 7-foot-4 player streaking down the floor.

Stephon Castle played both guard positions at UConn, but he’s most comfortable with the ball in his hands, creating for others. He has excellent size for the position at 6-foot-6 and perhaps what will endear him most to coach Gregg Popovich is his effort and willingness to embrace the challenge of defending the other team’s top guard.

Zach Edey

Edey, the two-time college player of the year at Purdue, went from a late first-round pick to fringe lottery pick to the No. 9 pick by the Memphis Grizzlies. Yes, he still has to prove there’s room for a massive 7-4 big in today’s NBA, but he impressed executives and scouts with his strength, low-post play and ability to pass out of double teams. He also gives Memphis versatility for different styles based on opponent lineups. And he heads into a favorable situation. Before injuries and off-court problems sidelined Ja Morant, the Grizzlies were one of the ascending teams in the West, winning 51 games in 2022-23 and 56 in 2021-22.

OPINION: Zaccharie Risacher doesn’t have to be a savior for Hawks. He just needs to be good.

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UConn

Huskies coach Dan Hurley may have turned down overtures from the Lakers, but his team still had a massive imprint on the draft, in particular early on. Connecticut had two players selected in the lottery for the first time since 2012, when Andre Drummond (ninth) and Jeremy Lamb (12th) were drafted. This time, the Huskies actually had two players picked in the top 10, with Stephon Castle going to the Spurs at No. 4 and Donovan Clingan going to the Trail Blazers at No. 7.

France

Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr went 1-2 in the draft, marking the first time two French players were selected with the first two picks. Tidjane Salaun was drafted sixth, marking the first time three players from a country other than the U.S. were selected in the top 10. New York took another Frenchman, Pacôme Dadiet, at No. 25 in Wednesday’s first round. There’s a French renaissance happening in the NBA right now with rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and impressive rookie Bilal Coulibaly of the Washington Wizards. This draft marks the third consecutive year that at least four French players were drafted.

Washington Wizards

Washington started the night with two first-round picks — No. 2 and No. 26. But an aggressive front office, led by president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins, made a trade with Portland to get another lottery pick at No. 14. The Wizards selected Alex Sarr second, Carlton “Bub” Carrington 14th and Miami’s Kyshawn George at No. 24 after a minor trade with the New York Knicks. Now, the Wizards need those picks to work, but it’s clear the Wizards spent considerable time investing in this draft as part of the franchie’s major rebuilding effort.

LOSERS

Brooklyn Nets

The first round of the draft was at the Brooklyn Nets’ Barclays Center, and the Nets did not have a first-round pick. They also don’t have a second-round pick Thursday, however, they could trade into the second round. The Nets traded their 2024 first-round pick to Houston as part of the deal that sent James Harden from Houston to Brooklyn in 2021. That 2024 pick Houston received in the deal ended up being the No. 3 pick, and the Rockets selected Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard. 

G League Ignite

The G League Ignite had two players selected in the lottery (Ron Holland at No. 5 and Matas Buzelis at No. 11) and last season, the Ignite’s Scoot Henderson went No. 3. However, the 2023-24 season was the last season for the Ignite which served as a place for players who weren’t interested in college or playing internationally to develop and make money. However, NIL rules altered the college landscape and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver decided to shutter the Ignite. “We got to the point now with Team Ignite where frankly we felt it didn’t make sense to compete against these top college programs, where in many cases have better facilities, top-notch coaching, charter aircraft, et cetera,” Silver said at the start of the NBA Finals on June 6.

Too many bigs for the Portland Trail Blazers

This isn’t about the selection as much as it’s about roster construction. Former UConn center Donovan Clingan should be an instant rim protector, and all signs are that his offensive game should continue to improve at the next level. He’s 7-foot-2 and 282 pounds and averaged 2.5 blocks in his two seasons with the Huskies, both of which resulted in national championships. The issue is that Portland is on the hook for another 7-footer, Deandre Ayton, for nearly $70 million over the next two seasons, according to Spotrac.com.

While Ayton’s offensive game is more refined than Clingan’s at least at this stage, their style of play is rather similar, almost making the Clingan pick redundant. Plus, as NBA teams increasingly turn to speed and athleticism to push pace in the name of scoring, having two bigs like Clingan and Ayton may make the Blazers offense a touch deliberate and plodding.

Too many guards for the Sacramento Kings

Like the note about the Blazers above, this is all about roster construction. Devin Carter may actually end up as one of the better picks of this draft, going to the Kings at No. 13, but it creates a massive logjam in the backcourt. Sacramento has star point guard De’Aaron Fox and shooting guard Kevin Heurter starting, with Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Malik Monk, Keon Ellis and Davion Mitchell all on the bench.

Ellis stepped into the starting role down the stretch and played well after Heurter (shoulder) and Monk (right knee) were sidelined with injuries. The odd man out would appear to be Heurter, who is under contract for the next two seasons at nearly $35 million, per Spotrac.com. Now, Kings general manager Monte McNair has to juggle. Even then, the most likely outcome is for one or more of these talented guards to waste away on the bench, barring injuries.

Winner and loser

Dalton Knecht

Tennessee shooting guard Dalton Knecht was a projected lottery pick — even top 10 in some mock drafts — but fell to No. 17. He also “fell” into a good position with the Los Angeles Lakers. He gets to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and for new Lakers coach J.J. Redick, who embraces the modern NBA and 3-point shooting. That should work well for Knecht.

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