2024 NBA Draft First-Round Grades and Immediate Thoughts

With the first-round of the 2024 NBA Draft complete, I want to give my immediate thoughts on all thirty picks that were made on night one. I'm going to give a grade for each pick based on value, fit, and what I believe each team may end up doing with their new player. For example, if a team picks a player who I believe will be very good, but that player doesn't fit their current situation, they will probably get a bad grade. Remember, I'm grading the team and the pick, not the player. I've written multiple big boards and mock drafts that paint the full picture regarding my opinions on these players, and for the most part I found most of these guys to be worth a first-round selection. All of that said, let's get right into it.

1st - Atlanta Hawks - Zaccharie Risacher: C+

Look, this was an incredibly odd situation for both Atlanta and the players in the mix for the top pick. Alex Sarr, the consensus top prospect in this draft, basically bullied the Hawks out of drafting him here for a multitude of reasons. If they decided to draft Sarr they were going to have to address some serious issues post-draft, and I just don't think they were interested in doing that. Instead, they add a three-and-d wing with solid upside in Zaccharie Risacher, who is a relatively safe pick without a ton of risk or ton of reward. I think Risacher is a guy who could fit on just about any team, as he's surely going to be a solid defender and I am of the opinion he will be a good outside shooter. The reason why I'm not grading this pick higher is because he's just not the best player in this class, in fact, I didn't even have him as a top five prospect. I don't think he's going to be some major bust or a player who has to worry about losing his spot in the league, but I think he'll end up being rather forgettable when we look at the bigger picture down the road.

2nd - Washington Wizards - Alexandre Sarr: A+

Washington definitely lucked out in this situation, but to be fair I think they would have gotten a solid big man here even if Sarr had been taken by Atlanta first overall. That said, Sarr is a fantastic fit for this Wizards team. Would I have preferred his fit if they were pairing him with Deni Avdija instead of Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma? 100% That said, they are clearly looking to go in a different direction, potentially a long-term outlook where they build around Sarr. This team has a handful of guys who I'm a big fan of, and a handful who I could not care less about. As long as Washington chooses the right player to prioritize, I think this could end up being the homerun pick of the draft. Sarr is an immensely skilled big man with one of the highest ceilings in the draft, and now he's in a spot where he'll get a ton of touches and developmental opportunities. I think this is a win both for the Wizards and for Sarr himself.

3rd - Houston Rockets - Reed Sheppard: A+

As far as fit is concerned, I think Reed Sheppard was the best prospect in this draft for what Houston needed. This is a team that has added more young talent than they know what to do with, but what they haven't added is a consistent outside shooting presence. Reed Sheppard was the best shooter in this draft by a considerable margin, and now he joins a team that could desperately use that shooting. What really makes this a great fit is that what Reed lacks: size, on-ball defense, and elite athleticism, is what this team already has droves of. The pieces they've already invested in are the perfect players to hide the holes in Sheppard's game. All in all, I think this is a match made in heaven, and it's going to be paying dividends for years to come.

4th - San Antonio Spurs - Stephon Castle: A-

For what it's worth, I think this was probably the best pick the Spurs could have made here. Stephon Castle is going to be a fantastic defender in the league, and when you pair that perimeter defensive acumen with Victor Wembanyama, you create a one-two punch that'll stun opposing offenses for a long time. The issue is that I'm not entirely sold on Castle's offensive talents as of right now, and while I do see the long-term vision, even at his best I'm not sure how well he fits beside Victor. I think shooting will be the most important asset for Wembanyama's future supporting cast, and that's probably the biggest question in Castle's player profile. I think if there were better options here then I would have this pick graded lower based solely on fit, but because I think Castle was the right choice, I'll grade it highly based on him being the best player available. At the end of the day, every player is going to fit next to Victor in some way or another. For Castle, that fit will be primarily based on the defensive end.

5th - Detroit Pistons - Ron Holland: B-

I wasn't sure if there was a team that could realistically take Holland that I wouldn't be a fan of. However, in classic Detroit fashion, they found a way to disappoint me. Look, I had Holland as the second-best player on my personal draft board. That said, I am not a fan of his fit in Detroit in the slightest. We've known for several seasons now that the Pistons need to add shooting around supposed franchise player Cade Cunningham. Despite that, they continue to add non-shooters in the draft. Last year they took Ausar Thompson with their top pick, who was arguably the worst shooting wing in the league this year. Now they add Ron Holland, whose biggest flaw is his outside shot. Perhaps the Pistons have plans to not play him and Cade at the same time, but I don't agree with that philosophy long-term. There's a good chance that Holland ends up being their second-best player down the road. Am I supposed to believe they won't play together if that ends up being the case? I just don't see how the fit works here, so unless they plan on moving some pieces soon, I can't grade this pick very highly.

6th - Charlotte Hornets - Tidjane Salaun: D+

You will see the majority of the draft community giving this pick an F, but I won't be that pessimistic. I actually really like Salaun's fit in Charlotte, the issue is that the value here is pretty horrible. He has been a borderline lottery guy for weeks, and up until a couple of days ago it looked more likely that he would fall out of the lottery rather than jump into the top-10. The issue is that the Spurs would have definitely taken him at 8, and if the Hornets really did want to walk away with him, they had to pick him here. The thing is, I think he really does fit in Charlotte. Salaun is an exclusively off-ball player, which works perfectly on a team with LaMelo Ball, who not only has the ball the entire game, but who is also fantastic at setting teammates up. He has one of the higher ceilings in this draft, and while he does also have possibly the lowest floor of anyone in the lottery, Charlotte is focused on upside swings at the moment. If he pans out, they may have struck gold, if he doesn't, they will probably still be fine long-term because they already have several very good players to build around.

7th - Portland Trail Blazers - Donovan Clingan: A-

At first glance this pick doesn't make a ton of sense considering just last off-season the Blazers brought in both Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams to run their center rotation. However, when you look at the rest of the roster, you'll see that Clingan fits alongside Portland's pieces far better than those two centers. Obviously Clingan is a far better defender than Ayton ever has been or ever will be, but what really separates him from Portland's two big men is his screen setting. Ayton is an awful screen setter, and Williams isn't particularly great either, while Clingan is absolutely fantastic at setting strong and sturdy screens. This is perfect for players like Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and now Deni Avdija. That skill alone may be just as valuable on the offensive end as any scoring boost that Ayton may personally put on the table. I think the Blazers will likely move Ayton and keep Williams to see how he comes back from his injury and then move from there. The only reason this isn't an A+ is because it forces the team to make legitimate rotation changes and basically start from scratch on a move that they made barely a year ago.

8th - San Antonio Spurs (traded to Minnesota) - Rob Dillingham: C

This is a C for both the Spurs and the Timberwolves. As far as the Spurs are concerned, they got a 2030 protected first-round pick and a 2031 pick swap in the deal. Why they would ever make a bet that the Wolves will be bad in five to six years when Anthony Edwards will likely still be in town is a question that's yet to be answered. They need to be adding as much young talent next to Wembanyama as possible to see who sticks, and they failed to do that here with a top-10 pick. As far as the Timberwolves are concerned, I'm just not a massive fan of Dillingham in Minnesota. I do think the trade was solid as they really didn't have to give up a premium asset to land their guy, but I question the overall fit. I do like how the Timberwolves roster is currently constructed to hide the defensive flaws of players like Dillingham, but what happens when this roster shakes up? My assumption is that they want Dillingham to be Mike Conley's replacement, but I prefer him as a sixth man. I think a Jordan Clarkson or Malik Monk role is perfect for Dillingham, and it looks like Minnesota wants him to fill a future hole at the starting point. Maybe I look back on this and feel stupid, but I have a ton of questions that the Wolves are going to have to answer.

9th - Memphis Grizzlies - Zach Edey: C+

Pretty much the only positive thing with this pick for me is that the Grizzlies needed a center, and now they have a center. At the very least, Edey will be better than what Memphis' situation at the five would have been had they not taken him. That's where the positives end for me, and the negatives begin. First off, let's just start by saying that Edey is not going to be even close to the player he was in college. I think he's an NBA player, but he's not some sort of transcendent big man talent like some think he is. He's going to really struggle with the pace that the Grizzlies play with at times, especially with Morant on the floor. If he does learn how to move at a faster pace (he probably won't) I think his overall endurance will take a hit and he won't be able to play a ton of minutes. He's a really good screener, but he's an awful roller, so forget any meaningful two-man game with Morant. I also don't buy his defense at all. For being as big as he is, he wasn't great at protecting the rim in college, preferring not to risk picking up fouls and allowing easy layups. Obviously, he's not going to cover the perimeter, and he's awful at defending the pick-and-roll. Lane violation rules are going to force him to change his game down low, but to be fair I don't think that'll be the biggest issue. His biggest contribution is going to be his rebounding, and to be honest there were other centers here who could offer that and much more.

10th - Utah Jazz - Cody Williams: B

Let me be clear, I really like Cody Williams as an upside swing here for the Jazz. I just think that that swing is more likely to be a double than a homerun. I really like his defensive upside, and if his shot is actually consistent then I'm a fan of his offensive outlook. I don't think he has all-star upside or really even top-three scoring option upside, but I think he can be an impactful player on a competitive team. I wanted to grade this pick higher, but Utah's current roster construction leaves me with some questions. Where does he fit in on this team that at the moment is absolutely log jammed. If they don't move off of every one of Jordan Clarkson, John Collins, Talen Horton-Tucker, Collin Sexton, and maybe even Lauri Markkanen...where does he fit in? I think he'll be great once more minutes are made available, especially if Lauri is moved and he can actually start at the three, but as of right now he may be in a similar situation that last year's rookies were in for most of the season. The last thing I want to see is what we saw with Brice Sensabaugh last season, where we barely even got to see the guy on the main roster despite this being a rebuilding team.

11th - Chicago Bulls - Matas Buzelis: B

As far as value is concerned, I think this was the correct pick. He was the best player left on my board at this point, and I assume he was the top name on Chicago's board. I think Buzelis has a chance at being a very good player and possibly the best player out of this draft, but I'm not in love with the fit in Chicago. Buzelis is not a proven shooter, and what the Bulls needed out of this draft was a good shooter to play alongside Giddey. The spacing on this team is going to be super odd to say the least, with multiple guys who want the ball but can't shoot the three. I think both Buzelis and Giddey will end up being solid shooters, but as of today they are definitely not solid from beyond the arc. I like this as an opportunity for these young players to develop together, but the Bulls HAVE to get rid of LaVine and Vucevic and let DeRozan walk in free agency. They have to clear up as many minutes as possible for these young prospects, which will not only help them develop, but also help the team tank this season. If they do that, I'm completely fine with this pick.

12th - Oklahoma City Thunder - Nikola Topic: B

Much like the Buzelis selection for Chicago, I'm fine with this pick based on value. The issues arise when you realize that the Thunder just traded Josh Giddey just to draft another player who plays like Josh Giddey. Now, reports said that the Thunder were still big fans of Giddey when they moved him, they just couldn't convince him to come off the bench and run the bench unit. My theory is that they are going to have Topic do that, and basically keep that type of player on their team for a cheaper price who is more willing to play that bench role. That being the case, and with Topic being the best player on the board, I don't mind this pick at all. The bigger issue is that the Thunder really only needed size out of this draft, and they did not get it. The fact that they took two players, neither of which are frontcourt players, is pretty disappointing from a team that should be building to win this season.

13th - Sacramento Kings - Devin Carter: A

To put it simply, Devin Carter is a very good player. He immediately leap frogs players like Davion Mitchell and Keon Ellis in the Sacramento backcourt rotation. He gives the Kings a ton of flexibility as far as roster construction is concerned, as they can move Mitchell and probably Kevin Huerter without costing them any wins in the process. He's capable of starting at the two next to Fox, and he's capable of running the bench unit if the Kings would rather start Ellis. He's going to make a major impact on both sides of the floor, and at the end of the day he's going to better this team. At this point, the Kings are some frontcourt depth away from being a very good team in the Western Conference, and there's a world where they're one of the top-four teams in the West this season. Getting a guy who raises your ceiling like that at the 13th pick is incredible value.

14th - Portland Trail Blazers (traded to Washington) - "Bub" Carrington: A

I did not have Carrington this high on my personal big board, that said, I think he's an excellent pick for the Wizards. He has one of the higher ceilings in this draft, and definitely one of the higher ceilings among the available guards. If he comes in and proves that he's the guy a lot of us think he can be, it allows them to easily move off of guys like Jordan Poole, Malcolm Brogdon, Landry Shamet, and maybe even Tyus Jones. I expect a couple of those guys to be sent out this off-season anyway, but the addition of Carrington makes it even easier. I like his fit next to Bilal Coulibaly, as I foresee Carrington being an offensive powerhouse while Bilal will be a defensive gamechanger. I was not a big fan of them letting go of Deni Avdija and think they could've gotten this pick without sending him out, but as far as the pick itself is concerned, I'm a big fan.

15th - Miami Heat - Kel'el Ware: B+

I had Kel'el Ware as the guy who I thought would sneak into the lottery on draft night, and I was very close to being correct in that prediction. Instead, he goes to Miami, where I think he will blossom into a very good player. The Heat desperately needed a backup big behind Bam Adebayo, and they got one who has one of the highest ceilings in this draft. I think there's an argument that Ware has the second highest ceiling of any big in this draft, only behind Alex Sarr. The only reason why I'm grading this pick a B+ and not an A is because I'm not sure a backup big was Miami's biggest need in this draft. Everyone knew going into this draft that the Heat needed to address their point guard issue, and they decided to go in a different direction. I really don't like Terry Rozier running their point, and I especially don't like that they didn't even add someone to back him up. I think they could have traded into another pick for Ware if they really wanted him while still keeping 15 and taking a point guard. Ware is going to fit really well, but I'm not positive it was the best move if they're still moving forward with the Jimmy Butler era.

16th - Philadelphia 76ers - Jared McCain: B-

The 76ers really couldn't go wrong with this pick because of how many holes they have in their current rotation. No matter who they selected they would be addressing a pressing issue. Here they fill their hole at the shooting guard position and their backup point guard spot, adding a great shooter and allowing them to move off of Kyle Lowry. The issue there is that I think a rotation of De'Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, and Cam Payne is probably a fine supporting cast around rising star Tyrese Maxey. I'm not sure they needed to add any more backcourt pieces. What I am sure of is that they definitely need someone to replace Tobias Harris or play the backup five behind Joel Embiid. I would have loved to see them take DaRon Holmes here, as I believe he's just the guy who's flexible enough to give them options at the four and five while still being a win-now player. They could have even swapped with Miami at 15, taken Ware, and let Miami take McCain to solve their backcourt issues. I like McCain as a player and think he will carve out an effective role in Philadelphia, but I think there were better fit-based options here.

17th - Los Angeles Lakers - Dalton Knecht: A+

The fall of Dalton Knecht out of the lottery was the best possible situation for the Lakers. Reports say that every single Laker scout had him as a top-10 prospect, and they were able to sit still and scoop him up at 17. For a team who is in a very limited win-now championship-or-bust window, they were able to snag THE win-now prospect in this draft. He was the most dynamic offensive option in all of college basketball last year at Tennessee, and he's basically a for-sure bet to be, at the very least, a good scorer in the league. I'm pretty confident he will be a better offensive option than all of these players the second he steps on the floor: Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, Rui Hachimura, Taurean Prince, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie, and Jalen Hood-Schifino. Not to say he'll be an immediately better impact player than all of those guys, but as far as his scoring ouput is concerned, I think he's basically a lock to be very good. He can play on and off-ball, and is a great shooter. These skills fit perfectly next to LeBron. His biggest weakness is his defense, but the Lakers are a solid enough defensive team to hide him for the most part. This was an absolute steal for the Lakers, and they should be very excited to have him heading into next season.

18th - Orlando Magic - Tristan da Silva: A-

I think I'm a bigger fan of this pick than some people, but I really don't see the downside here. The Magic already have their two franchise cornerstones who are only going to get better, so it's important that they add pieces who help those two players reach their ceilings. Da Silva is a player who maintains Orlando's philosophy on taking massive wings, but he adds fantastic shooting upside to a team that needs shooting more than anything. This is a player who is going to be good in the league, and fits perfectly in Orlando. I saw an idea where the Magic start letting Paolo handle the ball, allowing them to only start one guard. This would allow them to play Paolo, Franz, and da Silva together. Not only would that be a wildly massive lineup that would give opposing teams a ton of matchup issues, but it would be super well-rounded now that they've added shooting. I like this pick a lot for Orlando, and if they can continue to add pieces that fit around their two all-stars, this is a team that will be competing in a few years.

19th - Toronto Raptors - Ja'Kobe Walter: B

I get what the Raptors are doing here, and the pick makes sense, I'm just not the biggest fan of Ja'Kobe Walter. The idea is to draft as much shooting around Scottie Barnes as possible, hence taking Gradey Dick last year and Walter this year. I think this is the correct strategy, and I'm high enough on Scottie to know that when you put spacing around a guy like that, you're going to see long-term success. For that reason, I completely understand the pick and don't think it was a bad move by any means. However, if they really were looking for shooting here, I think there were other options that I believe will simply be better shooters in the NBA than Ja'Kobe Walter. I think both Baylor Scheierman and Johnny Furphy will be better beyond the arc in their NBA careers than Walter. I actually would have preferred Furphy over both Baylor and Ja'Kobe, as I think he has just as much overall upside as Walter does with a higher shooting ceiling. That said, the Raptors have the 31st pick tonight, and I expect them to select Furphy with that pick. If that's the case, and they walk away with both Walter and Furphy, I will retroactively upgrade this grade to a B+.

20th - Cleveland Cavaliers - Jaylon Tyson: A

Here's another pick that I absolutely love that I've seen some serious backlash on. I'm a huge Jaylon Tyson fan, and I'm confident that he's going to be a good pro. I'm especially confident that he not only fits in Cleveland, but also gives the Cavs some options that they didn't have before. I think he fits perfectly beside either Donovan Mitchell or Darius Garland if they do indeed decide to part ways with one of those guys. I also think he could replace Caris LeVert and take some money off of the books, allowing the front office to make some win-now moves. This past season he was an offensive animal with the ball in his hands, but before this season he was viewed as an off-ball guy who played solid defense. We've seen him flourish in both roles, giving Cleveland wiggle room with how they want to use him. I think he ends up being an off-ball scorer who is able to really lock in on the defensive end for them. If that's the case, and if they keep both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, they're going to have a very solid defensive foundation surrounding one of Garland or Mitchell. I think this was the correct pick for the Cavaliers at this spot.

21st - New Orleans Pelicans - Yves Missi: C+

The Pelicans correctly picked a backup center here, which is what they needed to get out of this draft, I just think they picked the wrong guy. The Pelicans are definitely in win-now mode, and I'm just not certain that Yves Missi is a win-now player. He's going to have to sit behind Valanciunas and seriously develop on both ends of the floor before he's able to impact winning at the NBA level. I like him as a long-term prospect, but I'm not the biggest fan of him as a guy who will likely have to play meaningful playoff minutes as soon as this season. I think the much better pick here would have been DaRon Holmes, who I believe is more than ready to play meaningful minutes for a competitive team. Not only would he have been an excellent backup for Valanciunas, but he could also play some minutes at the four behind Zion. This would have given New Orleans so much more lineup flexibility and insurance if Zion ends up hurt again come playoff time. Maybe Missi proves me wrong and has a great year, but I think he's probably a couple of seasons away.

22nd - Phoenix Suns (traded to Denver) - DaRon Holmes: A+

It's been known for a while now that Denver was the team that gave DaRon Holmes his first-round draft promise. The issue was that I didn't expect him to still be sitting on the board at 28, where Denver was originally supposed to pick. Obviously, Denver felt the same way, so they moved up to get their guy. I've mentioned Holmes a few times already in this write-up, but I think he's the perfect big out of this draft to go to a competitive team. Denver is a team who found out the hard way that they needed to upgrade their backup center position, and that's just what they did when they selected Holmes. Holmes is going to come in and be the best backup center that Denver has had throughout the Jokic era. Not only that, but his versatility and ability to play the four is going to give them even more options as far as lineups are concerned. The rich get richer in this situation, and every other team should be punching themselves that they let Denver get exactly who they wanted.

23rd - Milwaukee Bucks - AJ Johnson: F

This was by far the worst pick of the first-round, unsurprisingly made by a Milwaukee front office who is historically bad in the draft. I don't mind AJ Johnson as a prospect, but it must be said that he is purely hypothetical. This is a guy who did not even average three points last year and who weighs 170lbs on a good day. He's a fantastic athlete who has shown flashes, but that's really where the scouting report ends. Taking a guy like that in the first-round when you should desperately be looking to add win-now pieces is preposterously dumb. I don't care if they stash him and he ends up being a solid player in five years, this is a team with a very tight championship window who just made a move that won't help them in the slightest during the Giannis and Lillard era. I'm completely puzzled by their thought process here, and I think this is a move that should make ownership seriously consider some front office changes.

24th - New York Knicks (traded to Washington) - Kyshawn George: D

Similar to the Ja'Kobe Walter pick at 19 (but definitely worse) is taking Kyshawn George here at 24. Washington drafted incredibly well at both 2 and 14, so maybe they wanted to take a guy they weren't too sure about here at 24, but George shouldn't have been the name. For a team looking to take upside swings, an older freshman who has never been very productive probably shouldn't have been the guy. Players like Pacome Dadiet, Johnny Furphy, Kyle Filipowski, Tyler Smith, and more would have all been better selections for them here. I don't think George will likely ever be more than a decent off-the-bench shooter, and while that isn't the worst-case scenario for a 24th pick, the guys I just mentioned have far higher ceilings. Again, not entirely sure what the thought process was here, and I think they may have just gotten lazy after drafting well in the lottery.

25th - New York Knicks - Pacome Dadiet: C

I really like Pacome Dadiet as a player and as a prospect, but I have no idea why the Knicks would draft him. This is a team who just made two huge win-now moves by trading for Mikal Bridges and resigning OG Anunoby, and now they draft a player who is purely an upside swing. Maybe they think they'll be able to package him and Randle for a solid player, but that would probably be the case for whoever they drafted here. At least take a guy that if you're unable to trade him you can find a role for him in your rotation. I don't see Dadiet being too excited to be stuck in the G-League all year after playing in a high-level professional league in Europe either. I think this is a pretty bad situation for Dadiet himself, who needs NBA reps in order to develop into the player we think he can be. For his sake I hope they move him to a rebuilding team. For the third straight pick, I'm just not sure what they were thinking here when they made this decision.

26th - Washington Wizards (traded to Thunder) - Dillon Jones: C+

Again, just an overall really weird pick. I can at least see some sort of reasoning behind this one, which is why it earned a C+ instead of just a C, but I just don't think he was the best option available. I am a Dillon Jones fan, and I do think he will be a solid NBA player, but I question his fit on this Thunder team. This is a team with a very solid wing rotation, and I'm just not sure where Jones fits in that. I don't even think he'd be above Ousmane Dieng in the pecking order, and he's a guy who was almost exclusively seen in the G-League last year. The only thing I think he brings to the table for them that they may have been missing is rebounding, but even if that's true I'm pretty positive he's not making up for the rebounding they would've gotten had they taken a big. That brings me to the real crux of the issue, why in the world did they not take Kyle Filipowski here? He likely would have been an immediate rotation player behind Chet who offers not only the size they need, but also the shooting they like to have from their bigs. He wasn't even drafted after them, so they could have even traded down to get him. It's just a confusing situation, and I wish Dillon Jones luck because I'm not sure when we'll see him dress for this Thunder team.

27th - Minnesota Timberwolves - Terrence Shannon Jr: A

This pick for Minnesota makes way more sense to me than them picking up Dillingham earlier in this draft. Not because they need another wing or big guard, but because I think he's a better win-now option for this win-now team. He was a better offensive piece than Dillingham in college, and I expect that to be the case for at least a few seasons in the league. That means he's going to make a much more notable immediate impact for a Timberwolves team that is in their championship window. This is a team that really struggled on offense at times, and now they've added two guys who are absolute offensive firecrackers. What separates Shannon Jr is that he has an NBA ready build, has played way more meaningful basketball throughout his college career where he was the top guy on his team, and I like his defensive upside. He's going to be a guy who sticks in their rotation throughout the regular season and playoffs this year, which I'm not positive I can say for Dillingham. Luckily for them, they got both just to make sure.

28th - Denver Nuggets (traded to Phoenix) - Ryan Dunn: A-

I've been mocking Ryan Dunn to the Suns at 22 for a while now, so I was right about the player and wrong about the draft spot. Seeing that they are bought into their current core of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal it makes sense that they would take a player like Dunn. I believe that Dunn is the best defender in this draft class, and now he's heading to a team that was basically void of defense this season. He's basically void of offensive abilities himself at the moment, and now he's heading to a team with three historically good offensive players. I think the fit is perfect, and I foresee him making a major impact for the Suns this season. This is a guy who will be able to defend elite NBA players the day he enters the league, he's that good. Now, once Durant and Beal are out of town in a few seasons, how will he fit? We can't be sure. However, for a team that believes they can contend right now, this is just the type of player they should be targeting.

29th - Utah Jazz - Isaiah Collier: A+

The biggest steal of the draft, only rivaled by Knecht at 17. The Jazz somehow scooped up Isaiah Collier at the end of the first-round. This is a player who was projected to be in the conversation for the top pick in the draft only a year ago. Then, throughout the process, he was regularly mocked to go in the lottery or just outside of it. He had by far the biggest fall in the first-round, and he just so happened to go to a team that needed a young playmaker. Collier will come in and should start right away if the Jazz trade off their veterans as they should. He and Keyonte George will form Utah's backcourt of the future, and they will be paired with Utah's young core, one that's coming together nicely. This was the best player available and it's a fantastic fit, so of course this pick earned an A+ grade the moment it happened.

30th - Boston Celtics - Baylor Scheierman: A

I actually didn't know if there was a player in this draft that would be good enough on day one to play for the Celtics this year that would also be available at pick-30. That was until I realized that Baylor Scheierman would still be on the board at this point in the draft. Scheierman is one of the best shooters in this draft, but he's also a solid all-around scorer and secondary playmaker. He's incredibly similar to Sam Hauser, a player who has been very successful coming off the bench for Boston. I actually think that Baylor is more talented offensively than Hauser, while Hauser is, at least at the moment, sturdier on defense. All in all, Baylor is a player who is not only good enough to play for the reigning champion Celtics this year, but he's also a great fit for the team. I have a hard time believing they were considering any other player at this point in the draft, and I think that was the correct mindset for the Boston front office to have.

There it is, those are my grades and immediate thoughts regarding the first-round of the 2024 NBA Draft. There's a very good chance that my thoughts change after the second-round is over, as we currently can't see the full picture for these teams. That said, I'm fairly comfortable with these opinions as of right now. At the end of the day, I'm a Utah Jazz fan, and they had a fantastic first day, so I'm a happy camper no matter how things play out.

Also, a huge thanks to No Ceilings and Swish, who made the vast majority of the videos I used in this article. Both of those channels put out a ton of great basketball content throughout the year.