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The NBA draft lottery has come and gone, and the Atlanta Hawks won the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Despite being a play-in tournament team and having just a 3% chance to win the lottery, the Hawks have the top pick in the draft. What’s left to discover is whether they’ll go the route that many analysts and current betting odds are predicting: selecting French-born center Alexandre Sarr with the pick.
Sarr has been the favorite pick in countless mock drafts leading up to the draft lottery, when the Detroit Pistons were still in line for the No. 1 selection as the NBA’s worst team this past season. Even after the pick landed in Atlanta, betting odds heavily favor the Frenchman to be the first name called.
Here’s what opening betting odds from DraftKings say about which players are most likely to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft in June.
NBA DRAFT: Atlanta Hawks defy odds to win NBA Draft Lottery. See the full draft order
Sarr has been the popular pick by mock draft analysts for a long time. USA TODAY has projected him as the top pick as early as January. At 7 feet 1 inch with a 7-foot-4.5-inch wingspan, the French center has the length and stature to be a dominant defender. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow French center Victor Wembanyama, who was last year’s top pick.
Before Sarr became the near-consensus top pick that he is, Risacher received plenty of attention for the top pick. At 6 feet 9 inches, the 19 year old has shown off an impressive scoring ability with good athleticism that serves him well with and without the ball.
The 18-year-old Serbian is likely the best point guard in this draft class. At 6 feet, 6 inches, Topić has dominated the ABA this year, averaging nearly 20 points per 36 minutes with an absurd 2-point percentage of 66.7%. With some improvement to his jumper, he could evolve into one of the NBA’s premier point guards.
A native of Chicago, Buzelis was a consensus five-star recruit coming out of high school with offers from North Carolina and Kentucky, among others, before ultimately deciding to play for NBA G League Ignite. The 19-year-old, 6-foot-10 wing is a promising athletic defender with further two-way upside if he gets his shot accuracy back to his high school levels – Buzelis shot 42.4% behind the arc his senior year.
Sheppard may be among the last of a long line of lottery picks Kentucky produced in the John Calipari era. A Kentucky native, the 19-year-old guard shot the lights out in his time with the Wildcats, including an absurd 52% mark from beyond the arc that helped him earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors.
Clingan skyrocketed up draft boards after several dominating performances in this year’s NCAA Division I tournament that helped guide the UConn Huskies to a second straight national title. With a 7-foot-2 stature and 7-foot-7 wingspan, Clingan dominates opponents defensively when he’s protecting the rim. He has room to develop as a scorer, but the former UConn center is among the best big man defenders in the class.
NBA MOCK DRAFT: Top pick projections ahead of draft lottery
HOW TO WATCH: Watch this year’s NBA draft with a subscription to ESPN+
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