Jalen Duren: #6
Depending on what you value, Duren could be viewed as the second or third best big man in the 2024 NBA Draft when compared to Sarr and Donovan Clingan. Both Sarr and Clingan are better rim protectors, and given what we’ve seen with Holmgren and Wemby, teams are going to value rim protection over efficient offense in a big man.
Big wings like Zaccharie Risacher and Matas Buzelis could certainly get the nod over Duren and depending on who had the picks, one or more of the guards (Sheppard, Knecht, Castle, Topic) may go ahead of Duren. But there is no way Duren would fall to 13th as he did in the 2022 NBA Draft and it’s likely he’d be in the top five or six.
Jaden Ivey: #2, possibly #1
Many people are ready to write off Jaden Ivey, which I understand given his lack of progress this season, but I also think it’s far to put this in context, as there is a chance Ivey would be the number one pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, so if you are excited about that pick, you should still have some excitement for what Ivey can become.
Whether Ivey would go first in this draft really depends on who had the pick, but there aren’t as many dynamic athletes with his kind of speed in this draft. You could see a team taking Sarr or one of the big wings over him, but would you take Ivey over Castle? Over Sheppard? Over Topic? There’s definitely an argument.