Round 2, No. 58: New York Knicks draft Ariel Hukporti (2024)

NEW YORK — Years of speculation have finally ended. Bronny James, the eldest son of Lakers star LeBron James, indeed has a home in the NBA, on his father’s team.

Bronny James, one of the most highly scrutinized amateur basketball players of the last decade, was taken 55th overall Thursday night in the NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. The selection capped 12 long months of guessing about James’ place in the game, which included questions about whether he could compete professionally following a cardiac arrest.

“My dream has always just been to put my name out, make a name for myself, and, of course, get to the NBA,” James said at the NBA Draft Combine in May.

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Full second-round results

Full first-round results

The New York Knicks selected 22-year-old Melbourne United center Ariel Hukporti with the 58th and final pick.

The Athletic NBA Draft analyst Sam Vecenie on Hukporti: Ariel Hukporti is not going to be for everyone, but I can see certain organizations being interested. It all depends on how you value bigs who perform the nonnegotiable aspects of being a big at a high level versus how you value upside to do more. Hukporti is in the former camp. He’s an awesome rebounder and good rim protector, and I think he can play in drop coverage in the NBA. He plays incredibly hard, and he’s willing to be physical. There’s no ego to his game. But I don’t see a ton of value beyond that. Offense must be simple for him with transition play, screening, rim-running, offensive rebounding and dunking. I don’t see much potential to shoot or score outside of 10 feet. He gets far too sped up in terms of processing on offense to be a high-level passer.

However, I do like Hukporti more than recent international second-round center picks Tristan Vukčević (42nd to Washington in 2023), Khalifa Diop (39th to Cleveland in 2022), Karlo Matković (52nd in 2022) and Marko Simonovic (44th in 2020). Hukporti is a potential backup center if he can just improve his processing ability, overall precision and general skill level a tad on offense.

The Toronto Raptors selected NBA Academy Africa center Ulrich Chomche with the No. 57 pick.

Chomche was ranked No. 82 in The Athletic's Sam Vecenie's top 100.

In arguably the least surprising selection of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Lakers drafted Bronny James Jr., the son of Lakers superstar of LeBron James. It’s a monumental moment that marks the first time a father-son duo have been active NBA players — and potentially the first time a father-son duo has been teammates, depending on what happens with LeBron this summer. Bronny, 19, is a 6-foot-2 3-and-D guard who will likely spend most of next season in the G League. After suffering a cardiac arrest last summer, it’s a miracle Bronny was able to play basketball again, let alone continue pursuing his dream of playing in the NBA. He has a ways to go as a prospect, but the Lakers are revamping their player development staff and strategy, and are confident they can maximize his potential.

In theory, this selection should solidify LeBron’s return to the Lakers, whether in the form of him optioning into his $51.4 million contract or opting out and re-signing. At the same time, LeBron and his agent and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul — who is also Bronny’s agent — have denied that the two are a package deal. Only time will tell the truth. Regardless, this is a historic moment and another example of the Lakers going above and beyond to cater to their superstars, which is a considerable point of pride for the organization.

The New York Knicks selected 21-year-old Kansas wing Kevin McCullar Jr. with the No. 56 pick.

The Athletic NBA Draft analyst Sam Vecenie on McCullar: It comes down to the shot. If defenders must play Kevin McCullar honestly from distance, the rest of his game as a smart drive-and-kick player and intelligent cutter opens up enough to play a complementary role on offense. If the shot isn’t there, it’s hard to imagine his drives being impactful, as teams sagged off him as he spaced behind the 3-point line. That would also impact his high-IQ cutting ability if someone is there waiting for him instead of honoring the threat of his jumper. McCullar will defend in any scheme. He's an impact guy who can play physical, switchable defense and be available to scramble around. He also makes winning plays and is willing to get on the ground for loose balls to create extra possessions.

It’s simple: If you think the jumper will improve and McCullar will stay healthy, it’s reasonable to have a first-round grade on him. Unfortunately, he’s done neither of those things throughout a significant sample of his collegiate career, so I couldn’t get to that level.

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.

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.

The Golden State Warriors selected 24-year-old Boston College center Quinten Post with the No. 52 pick.

The Athletic NBA Draft analyst Sam Vecenie on Post: If there’s one thing many NBA teams are seeking, it’s legitimate 7-footers who can dribble, pass and shoot. Quinten Post is a lethal shooter from distance who can get to his shot from a variety of ways. His presence should boost an offense, as I think the opposition must guard him out there. He’s too good of a shooter to leave on pick-and-pops. On top of that, he put the ball on the deck when necessary and then pass it on the move. I’m not sure Post will meet the minimum requirement defensively for him to stick in the NBA, which is why I see him as a second-round pick. I’d select him at that point to find out, because offenses around the league get supercharged when they have big men who can rebound, play in drop coverage and knock shots down from the perimeter, allowing their star perimeter players to attack the lane.

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.

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.