The 2024 NBA Draft has concluded and 60 new players have joined the Association. I covered the first round Fantasy winners and losers and now I’ll discuss my favorite second round picks, including Bronny James, who unsurprisingly went to the Lakers. I don’t expect any of these players to be fantasy relevant right now, but we’ll see what the future holds!
Bronny James, G, Los Angeles Lakers
Bronny’s draft saga ends on Day 2, with him predictably going to the Lakers with the 55th overall pick. Watching Bob Myers detail Rich Paul’s efforts to prevent other teams from drafting Bronny was pretty ridiculous. I don’t know if I believe that Bronny would have actually played in Australia or that Rich Paul was actively manipulating to bring Bronny to Los Angeles in the first place. Was it really necessary? How many teams actually wanted to sign him?
The story would have been much better if the Celtics had drafted him with the 54th pick.
Celtics should have chosen violence
-Dan Titus (@DanTitus) June 27, 2024
Imagine the strategic pettiness if they managed that. Having his sworn enemy recruit LeBron’s son would have been a much more entertaining outcome than the outcome. Still, we know that Bronny will have the opportunity to play with his father, LeBron James, which is pretty cool.
Hopefully we will see Bronny play in Summer League. Considering how Rich Paul is orchestrating this whole story, I don’t know if that’s a safe bet. He said Bronny will not sign a two-way contract, allowing him to bounce back and forth from the Lakers to their G-League affiliate. So, the intention is to ride the pine tree and play in the explosions? It’s too early to tell, but the Lakers and Bronny are embarking on a real developmental journey where fans and fantasy managers must be extremely patient before seeing any ROI.
The Knicks haven’t lost so far this offseason and landing the NCAA leader in assists was their latest win. Despite being another first-round talent who fell, Thibs runs a tight rotation, so it will likely take a few injuries for Kolek to crack the rotation. Still, the 23-year-old has shown his efficiency, defense and play in his senior campaign and is ready to contribute if given the opportunity.
The former Dukie was a projected first-round pick who fell to the second round (32nd overall) to the Utah Jazz. John Collins and Walker Kessler are still ahead of him in the pecking order. However, he offers some versatility with his ability to play as a striker while also being a playmaker with double-double potential. Plus, the 7-footer averaged 2.6 shares per game, so you know Filipowski can get a D-up. Whether he becomes fantasy relevant will be at the mercy of whether Danny Ainge decides to sell some veteran assets.
The UCLA center brings instant energy and athleticism to a Sixers team that lacked both last season. The Sixers have so much cap space that they could add a veteran big to complement Embiid and Reed, but a good Summer League showing could force Philly to lean on their young big. He is a two-time Pac-12 all-defensive player whose physicality should help the Sixers’ frontcourt.
