For much of the NBA’s 2024 pre-draft process, mock drafts have placed French forwards Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher in the top-two slots. That would leave the remainder of the class available to the Houston Rockets, who are up next at No. 3 in the first round.
But, are Sarr and Risacher (in some order) a lock to go to Atlanta and Washington, and thus be off the board for Houston?
Not necessarily, per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. He reported Friday:
University of Connecticut center Donovan Clingan… is in conversation at No. 1 after working out in Atlanta, which is exploring trade-down scenarios. He is also spending time in Washington, which has the No. 2 pick.
Should Clingan go at No. 1 or No. 2, that could leave either Sarr or Risacher on the board for the Rockets. Or, perhaps Houston is one of the teams that Atlanta could potentially trade down with.
Who's rising, falling from the NBA draft? We updated our top 100 rankings with tons of intel with what's going on around the world of the NBA Drafthttps://t.co/2LkCdpa7bt
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 7, 2024
There is recent precedent for a prospect outside of the consensus top two making a late jump to the top. In 2022, Paolo Banchero was widely viewed as behind Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr. during the pre-draft period, yet Orlando decided late in the process to take him at No. 1 (thus pushing Smith to Houston at No. 3).
Maybe there’s a similar dynamic in 2024. Whatever the case, with under three weeks left until the June 26 first round, it feels premature to rule out any option, given the instability at the top.
Clingan and his Connecticut teammate, guard Stephon Castle, are among the most popular mock-draft projections to Houston, as things currently stand. So, too, is Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard.
