X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2024 NBA Draft Night: First Round Losers

Zach Edey - CBB DFS Picks, NCAA Daily College Fantasy Basketball

Thunder Dan explains why he thinks these teams failed to meet their offseason objectives through the 2024 NBA Draft.

The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft is in the books, and as we expected, there were plenty of unexpected picks in what most analysts consider the worst draft in terms of overall talent in recent years.

Some teams like Washington, Minnesota, and Utah were able to secure multiple players and are being lauded for their picks. Others, like the Lakers and Sixers, who had only one pick, had players who fit their teams' needs fall to them in the middle of the draft and can be viewed as winners.

But if we have winners, then there must surely be losers, too, right? Here are the teams that I feel botched their picks and may feel the wrath of their fanbases after making some questionable decisions on draft night.

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 30% off using code NEW! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

1. Charlotte Hornets

Selected Tidjane Salaun at No. 6 overall

Saluan was the third French player taken in the draft with Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr going 1-2 to Atlanta and Washington. Sarr is the most NBA-ready of the three and was at the top of my board, while Salaun is arguably the most raw of the three.

I'm not going to deny that the 19-year-old has a ton of raw talent, but he falls very much into the category of a "work in progress" or a "project" rather than a guy who can step in and help the franchise in his first or even second season.

He's a tweener with the size to play the four but more of the skillset of an NBA 3-man. He's been compared to Michael Porter Jr. but is nowhere close to as good of a shooter yet and he will need to pack on some muscle if he's going to compete for boards in the paint.

A few other comps that have been thrown out are Al-Farouq Aminu and Jonas Jerebko, who both had solid careers as rotational players but nowhere close to being stars. It feels like Charlotte, who lacks any star power other than the oft-injured LaMelo Ball, could have gone after another playmaker or scorer here, as plenty of them were still available this high in the draft.

 

2. Brooklyn Nets

Have zero first or second-round picks in this draft

The James Harden trade continues to haunt this franchise. This year's first-round pick that was sent to Houston back in 2021 ended up becoming the third overall pick that the Rockets used to take Reed Sheppard - a player who some have ranked as the best guard prospect in the draft.

Now the Nets did just land a boatload of picks from the Knicks in the Mikal Bridges deal, which will help them rebuild in the future. But for now, we are looking at a team that is going to struggle without Bridges and wants to sign Nicolas Claxton to a big extension. I'm sorry, Nets fans, but a team built around Cam Thomas, Ben Simmons, and Claxton doesn't really move the needle for me.

It feels like things are going to get uglier in Brooklyn before they get better, and the Nets dug their own grave when they attempted to go all-in for a title with the big three of Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving.

 

3. Milwaukee Bucks

Selected AJ Johnson at No. 23 overall

I'm certainly not the only one puzzled by this pick. The general reaction to Johnson, a 19-year-old guard who averaged just two points a game playing in Australia last season, going to the Bucks was one of confusion.

The Bucks have been in "win-now" mode for several seasons as they are trying to get back to the NBA Finals again while Giannis Antetokounmpo is in his prime and under contract. I understand that sometimes good teams feel like they can draft for depth, but the Bucks had an underwhelming season this year and a quick exit in the playoffs, which exposed their roster surrounding Giannis quite a bit.

Terrence Shannon Jr. - a 23-year-old shooting guard out of Illinois, was available, as was Isaiah Collier - a six-foot-three freshman point guard from USC. I think either player would be ready to contribute more quickly, while a big man like Kyle Filipkowski out of Duke would also have made sense to help the frontcourt, as Bobby Portis is likely going to depart in free agency.

 

4. Memphis Grizzlies

Selected Zach Edey at No. 9 overall

This is probably the most polarizing pick of the draft. I suppose it all comes down to whether or not you are a believer in Edey and whether his skills will transfer over to the NBA game.

I will admit that I saw major improvement from him from his junior to senior seasons at Purdue, but if you watched this year's tournament, he was still exposed at times by quicker defenders and his lack of perimeter shooting.

Reports are that he had really good workouts and that's what caused him to move up multiple teams' draft boards. Memphis badly wanted a center to help replace the loss of Steven Adams on the interior and was rumored to be interested in moving up to get Donovan Clingan.

Instead, they stayed put and took Edey a good 5-6 picks ahead of where most experts expected him to go. The fact that Edey went from a guy who some thought was a second-round pick to a top-ten pick tells you a lot about his perception among NBA scouts, and it also is a testament to how shallow the talent pool is in this draft.

Edey could easily be a solid rotational player for Memphis, but I don't see him as a starting center in this league. His lack of athleticism is going to be hard to hide on defense, and I see Memphis choosing to play small to close out games and push the pace.

Time will tell if I'm wrong or if Memphis was right, but to me, it seemed like a reach to take Edey that high.

Let's see what happens tonight in the second round, where there are still some big names like Kyle Filipkowski available. Thanks for reading!



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Pittsburgh Steelers12 mins ago

Steelers In Play To Draft A Running Back
Tobias Myers27 mins ago

To Make First Rehab Start On Tuesday
Aaron Civale40 mins ago

To Throw Off A Mound On Saturday
Miami Marlins42 mins ago

Maximo Acosta Stellar In First Taste Of Triple-A
Christian Yelich49 mins ago

Out Wednesday Against Lefty
Bryan Reynolds56 mins ago

Dealing With Triceps Soreness
Luinder Avila58 mins ago

Strikes Out 11 In Second Triple-A Start
Alexis Díaz1 hour ago

Alexis Diaz To Begin Rehab Assignment This Weekend
Andrew Abbott1 hour ago

To Make Another Rehab Start On Sunday
James Triantos1 hour ago

Productive At The Start Of Triple-A Regular Season
Christian Encarnacion-Strand1 hour ago

Back In Reds Lineup
Jakob Marsee1 hour ago

Showing Elite Speed At Triple-A
Corey Seager1 hour ago

Out Wednesday As He Continues To Manage Calf Issue
Will Benson1 hour ago

Swinging A Hot Bat In Minor Leagues
Rece Hinds2 hours ago

Flashing Power At Triple-A
Green Bay Packers2 hours ago

Packers Not Ruling Out Jaire Alexander Returning
Tennessee Titans2 hours ago

No. 1 Overall Pick Might Not Be For Sale
Kenny Pickett3 hours ago

Browns Feel Good About QB Situation, Kenny Pickett
Cleveland Browns3 hours ago

Browns Unlikely To Trade Up To No. 1 Overall For Cam Ward
Cincinnati Bengals3 hours ago

Bengals Still Working On Contract Extension With Trey Hendrickson
Dyami Brown3 hours ago

Jaguars Intrigued By Dyami Brown's Potential
Harrison Bader3 hours ago

Scorches Pinch-Hit Home Run
Kyle Brnovich3 hours ago

Strikes Out Seven In Season Debut
Jordan Walker3 hours ago

Posts Two More Hits
Pittsburgh Steelers4 hours ago

All Options On The Table For Steelers At Quarterback
Tim Tawa4 hours ago

Homers In Third Straight Contest
Riley Greene4 hours ago

Blasts Another Homer
Jordan Mason4 hours ago

To Factor Into Short-Yardage, Goal-Line Situations
Cody Freeman4 hours ago

Goes Deep Twice On Tuesday
Bennedict Mathurin4 hours ago

Iffy For Wednesday
Joe Milton III4 hours ago

Patriots Have Received Multiple Trade Inquiries For Joe Milton III
Jimmy Crooks4 hours ago

Enjoying Strong Start At Triple-A
Myles Turner4 hours ago

May Miss Another Game Wednesday
Al Horford4 hours ago

Considered Doubtful Wednesday
Jrue Holiday4 hours ago

Questionable For Wednesday's Game
Kristaps Porzingis4 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Wednesday
Jaylen Brown5 hours ago

Could Remain On The Shelf Wednesday
Cade Cunningham5 hours ago

Likely Out For Fifth Straight Game
Anthony Davis5 hours ago

Probable Wednesday
Evan Bouchard6 hours ago

Tallies Two Assists In Victory
Jake Guentzel6 hours ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Victory
Kirill Marchenko7 hours ago

Scores Hat Trick On Tuesday
Tage Thompson7 hours ago

Stays Hot On The Scoresheet
Lane Hutson7 hours ago

Dishes Out Three Helpers In Overtime Victory
Alex Ovechkin7 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Victory
Cameron Young11 hours ago

A Player To Avoid At Valero Texas Open
Kurt Kitayama12 hours ago

In Search Of Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim12 hours ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Valero Texas Open
Evan Engram13 hours ago

Sean Payton Excited About Evan Engram In Joker Role
Caleb Williams14 hours ago

To Spend More Time Working Under Center
Tom Hoge14 hours ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Daniel Jones14 hours ago

Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Split First-Team Reps This Offseason
Terry McLaurin14 hours ago

Commanders Interested In Extending Terry McLaurin
Rashee Rice14 hours ago

Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Garrett Wilson14 hours ago

Jets Plan To Get Garrett Wilson The Ball "As Much As Possible"
Keaton Mitchell14 hours ago

Ravens Have High Hopes For Keaton Mitchell
Derrick Henry15 hours ago

John Harbaugh Wants Ravens To Extend Derrick Henry
Christian McCaffrey15 hours ago

Is Healthy
Matt Fitzpatrick16 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners16 hours ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay17 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Gary Woodland17 hours ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia17 hours ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti17 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL17 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette17 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Guerschon Yabusele18 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns18 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Jevon Carter18 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry18 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Julian Phillips18 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Jalen Smith19 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Lonzo Ball19 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kevin Huerter19 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Josh Giddey19 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton19 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale19 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant19 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal19 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud19 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Jacob Trouba20 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Troy Terry20 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jonathan Marchessault20 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere20 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn20 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro20 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Olli Määttä23 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway23 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Jordan Staal24 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy24 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Josh Norris24 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk24 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth1 day ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp1 day ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim1 day ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood1 day ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau1 day ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole1 day ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith1 day ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment1 day ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Sam Stevens2 days ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA2 days ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman2 days ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ryan Preece2 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR2 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland2 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno2 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg2 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober2 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres2 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall2 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara2 days ago

Gets Submitted
Édgar Cháirez2 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales2 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.2 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira2 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez2 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas2 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez2 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno5 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres5 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober5 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer5 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales5 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.5 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira5 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Calvin Ridley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Draft Sleepers

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Overvalued, Undervalued Players (2025)

Dynasty fantasy football rankings constantly shift, especially as we inch closer to the new season and fantasy drafts. Dynasty managers know the importance of finding those underrated players who could be steals in drafts or trades. They also know some players are overhyped due to unsustainable trends or past production. I'll break down two overvalued […]


Justin Fields - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best Fantasy Football Moves During 2025 NFL Free Agency

It has been a wild offseason so far in the NFL. Plenty of players have switched teams in free agency, and some stars were even traded. Deebo Samuel Sr. was dealt to the Washington Commanders, Geno Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, and DK Metcalf has a new home with the Pittsburgh Steelers. These […]


Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]