What happened in the 2024 NBA Draft: Full recap and analysis of every pick

Shocker of shockers! Bronny James is going to the Lakers! Who could have foreseen such a thing? LeBron James gets to be on the same team as his son, which would be the first time in NBA history this has happened, and the Lakers presumably eliminate any residual risk of James walking as a free agent his summer.

I didn't expect Watson to get drafted, but this is a defensible late pick because he's a good defender who can play the 4. Watson could potentially soak up some of the minutes filled by Oshae Brissett this season, as the latter opted out of his deal for the coming season to become a free agent.

The Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James, the eldest son of Lakers star LeBron James, with the No. 55 pick.

The Athletic NBA Draft analyst Sam Vecenie on James: We need to be upfront about this: We would not be talking about James as an NBA prospect if not for his father. He is nowhere near ready for the NBA. He’s at least two years away if every single thing goes right with his development in the next couple of seasons. For him to get the development he needs on the ball and to iron out his consistency as a shooter, he must spend the next two years in the G League. To me, that’s not a worthwhile investment given that his upside is something in the ballpark of a rotational 3-and-D guard. That upside is littered with potential landmines.

I couldn’t rank him outside of the top 75 on my board because he’s young, athletic and clearly has excellent basketball IQ in addition to a great motor on the defensive end at 19. If this goes right, you can see an outcome that is similar to Devin Carter. Still, he is outside of the range of players whom I have two-way grades on in this class. I have an Exhibit 10 grade on Bronny and think he would have been much better served heading back to school to get the reps he needs offensively.

The Boston Celtics selected 23-year-old Gonzaga wing Anton Watson with the No. 54 pick.

The Athletic NBA Draft analyst Sam Vecenie on Watson: Anton Watson is one of my sneaky favorites in this class, and I have a two-way grade on him. I think he can defend within an NBA scheme right away and has potential to add a lot of value on that end of the court if his offense improves enough to keep him on the floor. He’s switchable and long, plus has great strength and good hip flexibility to stay on-balance in space. His help defense is sharp, and he is a good scramble defender. Offensively, I don’t love his skill package, even if he maintains his ability to cut and finish around the rim. Shooting is the key for me. There are some signs of Watson becoming a capable shooter, as he made 41 percent on limited attempts this year. But it’s hard to buy into his jumper becoming a consistent NBA weapon given that he turns 24 this year and has always been a low-volume attempter.

If he can improve his shooting to the point where he consistently hits corner 3s, his defense may be valuable enough to stick in the NBA. That will take some time for his jumper to come around. Still, I’d be willing to bet a two-way deal on expediting that process, because if it does, Watson has some value in the NBA.

Cam Spencer is tough and can shoot, but he's another very old player and is badly undersized for an NBA wing. The Grizzlies need to add shooting, especially if they decline Luke Kennard's team option, and Spencer likely can give it to them cheaply on a 2-way.

First player that I'm legitimately surprised to see drafted, as I thought Quinten Post would be a summer league guy. He is big and skilled and had to carry the offense for a poor Boston College team, but he's already 24 and his lack of athleticism and rim protection is a glaring weakness in the modern NBA. Note that his Dutch passport could also make him a stash pick.

The Memphis Grizzlies selected 24-year-old UConn guard Cam Spencer with the No. 53 pick.

The Athletic NBA Draft analyst Sam Vecenie on Spencer: I believe in Cam Spencer. I get his limitations, but I tend to buy into guys who have elite character, competitiveness and approach to the game. Spencer doesn’t just get nice reviews from the Connecticut coaching staff on the intentional, strategic way he goes about his development and game; he gets raves. He was a professional playing college basketball this season, and that allowed him to get the most out of his potential while helping his team to a national title.

On top of that, he’s an all-situations shooter who I believe will knock down shots from any angle at anytime from anywhere on the court. That’s a serious skill to bring to the table in the spacing-conscious NBA. For me, he’s on the border of deserving a guaranteed deal or a two-way contract. If some of my other targets were gone and I had roster space, I’d be more than happy to give Spencer a couple of guaranteed years to figure it out and see what happens.

Ajinça is the fifth French player selected in this year's draft, and is likely a stash pick for a win-now Mavs team that doesn't need to clog its roster with developmental players. Ajinca is a big wing who can shoot but might not have the handle or athleticism to succeed at the NBA level.

The Dallas Mavericks selected 20-year-old Saint-Quentin wing Melvin Ajinça with the No. 51 pick.

The Athletic NBA Draft analyst Sam Vecenie on Ajinça: Melvin Ajinça is not my kind of player. I understand the idea of what he can be as a movement shooter with athleticism and strength. I also love the activity he shows. Considering where he already is as a shooter at 19, I buy that he’ll be able to knock down shots at a consistent enough level, even if his percentages aren’t incredible now. His shot diet is difficult for a professional teenager. However, there are too many holes in his game outside of that for me to fall in love with his upside. He’s not a great rebounder or a particularly impactful defender now, although I think he has the potential to become those things. Offensively, I didn’t like his game outside of the movement shooting, as I worry about his passing, decision-making and overall feel.

The closest comparable player to Ajinça is Gary Trent Jr., but he became a good offensive NBA player by improving drastically off the bounce and becoming more capable of creating shots on the interior. I also think Trent was ahead of Ajinça as a shooter at their ages. Ajinça is far enough away from his level that I have him as more of a draft-and-stash as opposed to a priority two-way.

Enrique Freeman might be the best story in the draft, a smart, engaging young man who went to Akron on an academic scholarship, picked up his MBA while he did a fifth year with the basketball team, and now is headed to the NBA. An energy forward with a developing outside shot, he'll likely start out on a 2-way.

The Indiana Pacers selected 23-year-old Akron forward Enrique Freeman with the No. 50 pick.

The Athletic NBA Draft analyst Sam Vecenie on Freeman: If Enrique Freeman will make it, it’s going to be as an outlier. He’s one of those players whose tape in college doesn’t tell the whole story of everything that he’s capable of despite his immense production. Betting on outliers coming through is generally a bad idea. Still, I think he has potential to be one. Paul Millsap’s statistical profile at Louisiana Tech was a bit better given his age, but he was a similarly incredible rebounder who started to show a touch more perimeter skill as his career went on in college. He was drafted in the second round based almost entirely off being one of the most productive players in college hoops. Freeman’s measurements are similar to Millsap’s, as Millsap came in at about 6-6 1/4 with a 7-1 1/2 wingspan, compared to Freeman being an inch taller and having arms that were a half-inch longer.

Having said that, there are a lot of players who have tried to be that next Millsap and come up short. Freeman’s continued improvement and year-over-year development — along with his four-time All-Defense status in the MAC — make him an intriguing candidate. But it’s going to take a lot of work over the next few years to keep developing his perimeter game. Freeman is an awesome two-way bet, but I probably would want him as a drafted two-way as opposed to a guy on a guaranteed contract from day one, given the role uncertainty to start his career.

Note that this deal can't be completed until after the moratorium ends next week IF the Hornets complete it with cap space. In that event, the Hornets may need to waive one or more non-guaranteed contracts (Seth Curry, Aleksej Pokusveski, JT Thor and/or Bryce McGowens) in order to accommodate the Jackson contract. However, thanks to the new CBA, the Hornets could also use their non-taxpayer midlevel exception as a trade exception and take in Jackson's salary that way, which would let them operate as an "over the cap team" and still preserve roughly $7 million in spending money on their MLE. If so, the Hornets would be the first team to take advantage of this new rule. Ironically, Jackson was briefly a Hornet before joining Denver as well — he had been bought out by Charlotte after the Clippers set him in there in the Mason Plumlee trade in February of 2023.

With five more picks to go until the No. 55 selection, ESPN's Bob Myers said it would be "the biggest shock of the draft" if Bronny James is not the Lakers' selection.

LeBron + his son appears to be close.

Back to back second-round picks for the Pacers here, and they use the first one on Tristen Newton. The Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four for national champion UConn will have to improve his outside shooting to stick as a pro, but he's a smart guard who rebounds and can get an offense organized.