The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft had its predictable moments, with French players Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr going as the top two picks. However, it also featured several surprises that elicited audible reactions from the Barclays Center crowd as Commissioner Adam Silver announced the names. From teams in win-now mode selecting developmental prospects to players being picked higher than expected, here are the three most surprising selections from the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
Before Purdue’s impressive run to the national championship game in the NCAA Tournament, the general consensus was that Zach Edey, a 7-foot-4 center, was at best a late first-round prospect. However, a series of double-doubles late in the tournament, including a standout 37-point, 10-rebound performance against UConn, boosted his stock heading into the NBA draft combine. Despite his late rise during the pre-draft process, most mock drafts did not project him as a Top-10 pick due to the need for him to refine and quicken his footwork and improve his offensive game for the NBA.
Carlton ‘Bub’ Carrington, No. 14 to the Washington Wizards (via Portland)
It’s not that Carrington isn’t deserving of a first-round draft pick, it’s that − as a late bloomer − he’s something of an unknown commodity. He’s 18 and was one of the youngest draft-eligible prospects. In fact, he wasn’t really on the NBA draft radar coming out of his freshman year at Pittsburgh before he declared and became a one-and-done. He plays point guard and flashed tremendous vision, but he hit a late growth spurt and will need to continue to figure out how to use his added size. He’s a candidate for at least one season in the G League.
AJ Johnson, No. 23 to the Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks, though they suffered untimely injuries late during their playoff run, needed to add pieces to capitalize on their win-now window. Damian Lillard turns 34 in July. Adding Johnson, a player who has tons of upside but is simply too raw, is dissonant with where Milwaukee sits as a contender. Johnson played just 7.7 minutes per game last year in Australia’s NBL, through the league’s Next Stars program. It’s not just his offensive game he needs to work on; Johnson is just 167 pounds in a 6-foot-4 frame and not suited for NBA play, at least currently.
