NBA Draft 2024: Examining Latest Expert Mocks for Lakers, 1st-Round Teams (2024)

Plenty of mystery still surrounds the 2024 NBA draft, which is set to kick off on Wednesday. There is no consensus No. 1 prospect, as there has been in past years. This makes it difficult to anticipate how the early portion of Round 1 will unfold and where trades might occur.

The Los Angeles Lakers don't hold an early selection in Round 1, but they could be a team to watch on draft night. Los Angeles holds the 17th overall pick after the New Orleans Pelicans deferred the first-round selection—the last from the Anthony Davis trade—until 2025.

The Lakers, who are looking to win now while still preparing for a future without LeBron James, could look to move up, trade down or flip the pick entirely.

While it's impossible to know exactly how things will unfold, the experts have made their projections. Here, you'll find a look at some of the top picks and trends from the web's latest mock drafts.

The Atlanta Hawks landed the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery, but with no Victor Wembanyama in this draft class, there's no telling what they'll do.

NBA.com's Ben Couch compiled a consensus mock draft by using nine recent mocks and using a point-value system based on draft position. Risacher was a popular pick for Atlanta—going No. 1 in five of the nine mocks examined by Couch—though not the consensus pick based on points.

That honor went to Alexandre Sarr of the Perth Wildcats, who was a common pick for the Washington Wizards at No. 2.

Both Risacher and Sarr are likely to be lottery picks, but there's a chance that neither ends up in Atlanta. The Athletic's Sam Vecenie mocked Connecticut's Donovan Clingan to the Hawks at No. 1 but cautioned that a trade is still possible.

"Despite Hawks' general manager Landry Fields saying the team is comfortable selecting at No. 1, league sources continue to get the impression Atlanta is open to offers for the right deal," Vecenie wrote.

While there was no mystery surrounding the No. 1 pick last year, the drama will start at the top on Wednesday.

Regardless of the order, there's a good chance that Risacher and Sarr are the first two selections off the board. Kentucky's Reed Sheppard is also trending as a near-lock for the top three.

Sheppard was paired with the Houston Rockets in all four mock drafts we examined and landed in that position in seven of the nine mocks studied by Couch.

Like the Hawks, Houston might prefer to trade the No. 3 selection.

"The Rockets don't have a "need" among their young core positionally, which allows them to explore several avenues with this pick," Vecenie wrote. "Unsurprisingly, league sources continue to believe the Rockets will explore trading it."

Assuming that the Rockets stay at No. 3, though, Sheppard's skill set appears to be a great match for the rebuilding franchise.

"They should love what Reed Sheppard brings to their rotation: elite shooting, passing and intangibles/character that scouts and executives praised after interviewing him at the NBA combine," Wasserman wrote.

According to Givony and Woo, Houston has shown "serious interest" in Sheppard and is " intrigued by his fit as a shooter and playmaker next to their established young talent."

Pick No. 3 is shaping up to be the floor for Sheppard, at least, if the Rockets don't succeed in finding a trade partner.

Opinions about the Lakers' pick at No. 17 are mixed. Couch's consensus mock only ran through the 14th pick.

Givony and Woo paired Los Angeles with Colorado's Tristan Da Silva, as did Vecenie. Wasserman mocked Purdue's Zach Edey to the Lakers at No. 17, though he admitted that Edey could go much higher—possibly in lottery range.

All three mocks, however, paired the Lakers with USC's Bronny James in Round 2 (55th overall). That's not much of a surprise since Lakers star LeBron James has expressed a desire to play with his son in the past.

However, Bronny James' destination may have no bearing on LeBron's decision on his upcoming player option or 2024 free agency.

"LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny," James' agent, Rich Paul, said, per Givony. "If he does, he does. But if he doesn't, he doesn't."

Paul also stated that Bronny James has only worked out for the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns "by design."

That doesn't mean that L.A. won't still take a flier on the younger James if he's available at No. 55. Regardless, Bronny James is expected to be a developmental player who spends the upcoming season with the G League.

If the Lakers are going to get an immediate impact by using a 2024 draft pick, it'll likely come from a player like Edey.

"While there are still skeptics, it also sounds like some teams will be willing to take a chance that 7'4" size, improved mobility and inside touch could translate to effective offensive rebounding, post scoring, rim protection and adequate enough defensive foot speed in space," Wasserman wrote.

Don't expect Bronny James to be a pivotal prospect during the draft, even if his future remains one of the event's most intriguing storylines.