Despite Skepticism, 2024 NBA Draft Class Deserves Benefit Of Doubt

Alright, look. We need to talk.

We're all guilty of something specific this year, myself very much included.

We've antagonized the 2024 NBA draft class to an extent where we're coming dangerously close to crossing the Mendoza line, if the Mendoza line here is a synonym for "You're going to look stupid for being such a Negative Nancy."

There's no way we aren't going to get a few All-Stars out of this crop. Even the 2000 class produced three of them, and that is probably the weakest we've ever seen.

So today, I'm turning that frown upside down. 

Yes, I maintain my stance that the 2024 class pales in comparison to what we've seen from recent years.

However, we also need to acknowledge that the NBA was on an absolute heater for almost a decade straight. The youth movement in the NBA over the past 10 years has been absolutely incredible, with players making immediate impacts, and even breaking the age-old "all rookies are bad on defense" ideology, which is flat-out not the case anymore.

Perhaps we've simply gotten so used to the idea that we'll find franchise players every single year, that when we don't have an obvious star in sight, we poo-poo the entire ordeal, and look ahead to next year when Cooper Flagg is going to take over the world, without given the 2024 prospects a chance.

And while I do absolutely concede there isn't a Flagg level prospect in this year's draft, I refuse to shut the door on these guys before they've even arrived.

Alexandre Sarr is a shot-swatting, 3-point shooting, agile, lob-threat. He's got All-Star and All-Defensive team upside as-is, at the age of 18. It would defy logic, if he doesn't further improve as he ages.

Nikola Topić may have short arms, and he may not be as tall as reported (he started this season closer to 6-foot-4 than his listed height of 6-foot-7), but he's got arguably the highest playmaking IQ of any guard in the draft - if not the entire draft itself. Far too often have we seen players of his ilk find a way to be major contributors at the NBA level to continue this pattern of skepticism.

Ron Holland is raw, but still managed scoring almost 20 points per game in the G League after barely having turned 18. His 6-foot-8 frame, and ability to find the bottom of the net, usually tends to work out at the NBA level, even if it'll take a few years for his efficiency to catch up.

Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard are both smaller guards, and while that is a concern, their shooting abilities aren't. Even if neither hits an All-Star level, both project as high-end role players who space the court, and act as secondary playmakers. I'd be shocked if these guys won't combine to put in 20 years in the league.

I could go on, but you get the picture.

We've gone too critical. Too negative. Too harsh. We're penalizing an entire class for the lack of a clear number one, because it forces us outside the hive mind.

It's easy when everyone knows who goes first. Then we can always add the follow-up selections later, and argue our case, because we know we'll get the first one right.

This year, we all need to put our heads on the block and, without any sort of safety net, make a call on who WE think goes first. On our own, outside of the sphere of comfortable conformity. Alone. 

So, it's become easier laughing at the class, throwing our hands in the air and go "who cares, this class suck anyway!"

And yes, I've been guilty of this too. Because it is hard to find the right tiers this year. It might be the most difficult draft to get a real read on in over 20 years. 

But it's time to stop pointing fingers at this draft class. If nothing else, 2024 has offered us a tremendous gift.

We have no idea how events will unfold, and that's actually exciting. Instead of knowing the Top 5 three months in advance, we come into draft night empty. Clueless. Naked. Open to being wrong.

So here's my proposal.

Let's all make our Big Boards and Mock Drafts as per usual, and then let's just all laugh at ourselves for how obviously wrong we'll all be. And then let's celebrate the random high school sophomore who got the first eight picks right after 20 minutes of research on Tankathon.

Let's put the joy back into the draft. The players in it deserve nothing less.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

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