ESPN 2024 NBA Mock Draft: Sarr to Hawks, Sheppard to Rockets, Dillingham to Spurs

The 2024 NBA draft order is officially set after the completion of the draft lottery on Sunday, so it's already time to start predicting how things will play out when the first round begins on June 26.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo dropped their newest mock draft on Sunday and predicted that a pair of talented French prospects would be selected at the top, with big man Alex Sarr going No. 1 overall to the Atlanta Hawks and wing Zaccharie Risacher landing with the Washington Wizards with the second pick.

"Coming off a solid year in the NBL, Sarr is the most physically gifted big in this class, and could give Atlanta a much-needed element of size and floor spacing from the frontcourt," Woo stated. "He'll have work to do in expanding his offensive game, sharpening his three-point range, and adjusting to the speed of the NBA, but could be quite valuable as someone who can stretch the floor and protect the rim at both the 4 and 5 spots. If the goal is to build a better defense around Trae Young, Sarr looks like a strong fit due to his versatility on both ends of the floor."

Woo pointed to Risacher's "potential to space the floor, defend at a high level and develop into a quality starter on the wing" as the qualities that make him an attractive pick for the Wizards.

The first college prospect to go off the board was Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard, who was projected to be selected by the Houston Rockets with the No. 3 pick. Givony stated that "the dynamic shot-making versatility of Sheppard -- who made over 50% of his 3s this season -- could be attractive with this pick, along with his feel for the game and defensive instincts."

The selection of Sheppard was followed by another Wildcat, as Kentucky point guard Rob Dillingham landed with the San Antonio Spurs at No. 4. The Spurs are known to have a need for a floor general to pair with 2023-24 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, so landing Dillingham would be "icing on the cake" for San Antonio, as Givony put it.

G League Ignite forward Matas Buzelis going to the Detroit Pistons rounded out the top five. The Pistons, who finished with the worst record in the NBA and fell short of the No. 1 pick for the second straight year, could certainly use a sharpshooter like Buzelis.