Less than two weeks after the conclusion of the 2023-24 NBA campaign, teams and their general managers start all over again with the 2024 NBA Draft from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.  The first step is bringing in young blood to help build towards a brighter future, remain competitive, or defend a championship.

There are several key storylines heading into this year’s draft. Who will be among the top picks? Who will be selected first overall? Can Bronny James play with his father LeBron James as early as next season? Who will Canada’s lone contingent, the Toronto Raptors, select?

Don’t forget to check our NBA odds which are chalk full of draft-related props.

Toronto Raptor Needs and Zach Edey

It says a lot about where the Raptors were at in 2023-24 that the team’s top two scorers were Pascal Siakam (22.2 points per game) and RJ Barrett (21.8 points per game). Siakam was traded away halfway through the season and Barrett arrived via another trade several months into the season. Overall, the club had the 21^stranked attack in the NBA (112.4 points per match) courtesy of mid-level shooting accuracy (47.1 per cent, 16^th) and horrendous firing from beyond the arc (34.7 per cent, 27^th).

The defence, which had been decent in 2022-23, took a massive step backwards last season, finishing 25^th(118.8 points conceded per contest). On the whole, it was a rough start to the Darko Rajakovic era in Toronto. The 25-57 record spoke volumes. As the old saying goes, you are what your record says you are.

The chatter that has Raptors supporters excited is the possibility of acquiring native Torontonian Zach Edey in the first round. The former Purdue center got people’s attention with a fine 2021-22 season in college and then blew up. He averaged 22.3 points and 12.9 boards in 2022-23 and 25.2 points and 12.2 boards in 2023-24. His efforts helped the Boilermakers reach the national championship game where they fell to UConn.

As per ESPN’s prospect reporting, Edey’s name could be called as early as 12^th and as low as 21^st. Toronto selects 19^th. For sentimental reasons a lot of people want this to happen. He’s also a fine young player and the Raptors could use all the help they can get, so why not a local product? The NBA is also a business; the business of winning. Another team won’t pass up on Edey because they agree it would be nice for him to play in Toronto.

The over-under on Edey’s draft position is 15.5.

The Thunder (12^th) and Kings (13^th) probably don’t need him, but the Trail Blazers (14^th) are a mess.

Edey gets picked up by Portland at 14. Take the under.  

Bronny and LeBron with the Lakers

The other big talking point at the draft is the fate of Bronny James, LeBron James’ son. Sports shows, fans, and pundits have been fantasizing for months about the possibility that father and son could be playing together on the same team.

The wrinkle here is recent reports that LeBron will opt out of the final year of his contract with the Lakers, thus paving the way for free agency. That does not mean he won’t be a Laker next year. He’ll cost more (and have a no-trade clause), but there is still an incredibly high probability he will don the purple and gold.

Bronny’s saga has not even begun, yet he is already at the centre of attention for so many reasons. For one, he is the son of one of the game’s greatest players. Two, he experienced a horrific health incident last July. Three, there is the precarious reality that most agree he’s a good player, but not good enough to be a first-round choice. If we rely once again on ESPN’s groundwork, he is predicted to go around the 55^th spot. Funnily enough, the Lakers select 55^th overall.

The over-under on James is 50.5. The Lakers selecting him is priced at -161. The closest competitor is the Phoenix Suns at +700.

Short of a last-minute plot twist, there is a serious possibility that the James’ play together next season. Wild stuff.

Bronny is a Laker next year.

Zaccharie Risacher and Top NBA Prospects

The big names to follow early on are SF Zaccharie Risacher, PF/C Alex Sarr, PG Reed Sheppard, PG/SG Stephon Castle, and SF/PF Matas Buzelis. Most expect that quintet to be selected very high.

Consider that, as Top 5 picks, Sheppard is -555, Castle is -208, and Buzelis is -181.

Risacher, the second Frenchman to be so highly coveted after Victor Wembanyama last year, is priced at -333 to be the number one overall pick. The price tag drops to +700 if he’s chosen second overall.

Sarr is +700 as the number one pick, -715 as the second pick, and +2200 as the third.

Sheppard +1500 to be chosen second, but -200 to be called up in third, then +450 to be welcomed in fourth.

Donovan Clingan in the third spot is interesting at +275, although some predictions have him going as low as seventh to Portland, who have two first round picks (7^th and 14^th). Should he go third, he would immediately bolster a Houston Rockets squad in a “win now” mode. They can almost taste success.

And now 30 NBA fanbases play the waiting game. Here’s to a brilliant crop of new players.