Reed Shepard is one of the few players whose lives will change at Wednesday’s NBA draft.
NEW YORK – By the time you read this, we are within 24 hours of the 2024 NBA Draft going down in Round 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Lives are about to change. For the young people who will walk on stage, and the fans who will support them for the coming seasons. In a Draft class that seems to focus on role-playing floors rather than superstar ceilings, the app seems to outshine the potential on most Draft boards. A consensus seems to be forming on which players will land in the lottery, if not necessarily where they will hit the hardwood.
On Tuesday afternoon at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, 24 prospects shuffled through a gilded conference room in groups of eight, facing members of the media hungry for sound bites they could throw at the Draft-hungry hordes. With their NBA dreams close to being realized – they were a team invited to be here after all – there was an appreciation for the moment and a confidence that they’re ready for it.
Here are 3 things you need to know before Round 1:
The French connection
With Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher looking like a top 5, if not top 2, this could be the second year in a row that a Frenchman tops the first round. And further down the board, Tidjane Salaun and Melvin Ajinca are expected to join them.
“We’re growing as a (basketball) nation,” Risacher said, drawing inspiration from the recent examples of 2023 lottery picks Victor Wembanyama (No. 1) and Bilal Coulibaly (No. 7). “I’m looking forward to seeing more French players enter the Draft. It’s special to see.”
Salaun called it a big moment for France, one that will only be amplified when the 2024 Olympics open in Paris. Sarr, who coached at Real Madrid and Overtime Elite before joining Perth in Australia’s NBL, has played with Risacher on national youth teams – they met aged 13 – and acknowledges they are in contention for the No.1 overall pick choice, even if they don’t discuss it much.
“If you told us last summer that we’d be in this position,” he said, “we probably wouldn’t have believed it.”
family first
This is a Draft surprisingly deep in second-generation basketball talent, from expected lottery pick Reed Sheppard (father Jeff was the 1998 NCAA Final Four MVP at Kentucky, while mother Stacey scored more than 1,400 points for the Wildcats) to the likely pick Bronny James, Providence’s Devin Carter (Anthony was a 13-year NBA vet) and France’s Rysacker (Stefan played two decades in Europe, winning a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics).
“I understand his love, first of all off the field,” Risacher said. “Then when I got older and basketball started to get serious, he taught me a lot.
“But the strength we had as a family, the relationship we had was basketball. We always talked about basketball. It came naturally to us. It was helpful to be serious without feeling like work, because when you’re at home you don’t want to work.”
Shepard says his father kept his on-field exploits out of the conversation, though he heard plenty from Kentucky fans after following in his parents’ footsteps to play for the Wildcats.
Big brothers abound: Colorado’s Cody Williams can challenge rising Thunder star Jalen Williams, while Sarr has Olivier (also with Oklahoma City, albeit on a two-way contract). And traditional college bands have provided multiple sets of teammates with support systems through the arduous Draft process.
“It’s amazing to have people who have been through it,” Duke guard Jared McCain said. “Coach (Jon) Scheyer has been through this process for himself. He helps me a lot, calls me a lot. And I’m thankful to have my boyfriend Flip (Kyle Filipowski) with me to give me some comfort.”
And sometimes, found family brings the closest ties.
Georgia natives Stephon Castle (Covington) and Isaiah Collier (Marietta) have been battling alongside or against each other since the second grade — AAU, high school, college — and now likely at the NBA level.
“I’m proud of (Stephon),” Collier said. “I love him. He’s my brother, basically. It’s exciting, for sure, just to see where we are now. I told him, ‘It’s crazy, it’s all going to happen.’ We work hard, we sweat, and it’s paying off.”
Castle, who immediately called Collier “his brother” in a way that clearly ran deep, was happy the pair were able to align their Draft journeys, calling it a full-circle moment. And he’s excited to be expected to join the growing legion of Georgia players producing big league results.
“Maybe it’s something in the water down there in the water in Georgia that produced some dogs,” Castle said. “Shout out to JB (Jaylen Brown), he just won an NBA Finals. Georgia produces many winners, many great players. I’m just excited to see what me and ‘Zay’ can do.
Earned trust is key
However, the way they got here, there’s no question it was work, whether it’s for a championship program in Connecticut (Castro, Donovan Clingan) or someone dealing with growing pains like USC (Isaiah Collier). Matas Bouzelis managed to keep hitting for G League Ignite, even though the team was struggling at 6-44.
“I think confidence comes from being in the gym all day,” she said. “I don’t think anyone works harder than me. I’m always in the gym. I’m here in the media, but I still go out at night to play basketball. I’m confident, but I respect everyone who plays.”
Serbian Nikola Topic, who suffered a partial ACL tear as the draft approached, had to rely on the mindset given his physical limitations to make his case. He’s tried to stay positive about basketball and the overall journey, staying true to himself as he interviews and reviews film with interested teams.
“I’m only speaking for myself,” Topic said. “I don’t make up stories. I talk about what I can do and if they don’t like it, that’s it. They do not like it. I can’t change that. And that’s me. I can’t change myself for someone.”
Clingan says the Huskies’ two-year run to the top of the NCAA world has been surreal, and that while his growth took individual effort, he wouldn’t be here without teammates and coaches pulling and pushing him forward.
“It’s crazy,” the Klingon said. “You’re 24 hours away from finding out where you’re going to live for the next four years of your life. You have no idea, so you’re kind of worried. But I’m ready.”
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