The Atlanta Hawks are preparing for one of the biggest decisions in their organization's recent history, choosing which prospect to select at No. 1 in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Zaccharie Risacher, Donovan Clingan, and Alex Sarr are the consensus top-3 prospects, but according to one NBA scout, the absence of a "surefire" top pick is negatively altering the public's view of the class.
"I know everybody says this is a bad draft, and the only reason why they say that is there is no surefire No. 1 pick, and so the narrative becomes that," said an NBA scout who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "I also feel like some of that is put out there by the NBA GMs so they can get people listening to the noise and fall for it."
The lack of consistency in mock drafts speaks to the depth of the class, with All-Star talent ranging all over the board. Although the scout has some confidence in the prospects available, he noted the lack of all-time talent.
"If it was me, I would look at length. I like [Alex] Sarr out of all of them," the scout said. "I think he's the most complete in this draft, but here's the thing: I don't see a Hall of Fame player out of this draft right now. The sad part is that the most interesting draft choice is a young man that averaged 4 points a game, Bronny James, and right or wrong, thats just the nature of the beast."
James is expected to go off the board somewhere in the second round, on what could be a record-setting second day of the NBA Draft.
