ESPN 2024 NBA Mock Draft: Bronny James to Warriors, Zaccharie Risacher No. 1 to Hawks

Paul KasabianFeatured Columnist IIMay 31, 2024

Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

Bronny James went 52nd overall to the Golden State Warriors in ESPN’s latest mock draft, which began with Zaccharie Risacher heading to the Atlanta Hawks at No. 1.

James improved his draft stock at the recent NBA Combine via multiple sources, including ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, who wrote Wednesday that NBA executives “have warmed up to view [Bronny] as a legit NBA prospect over the past few weeks.”

Risacher, a 19-year-old forward for JL Bourg of the LNB Pro (France’s top pro basketball league), appears to be in a race to be the No. 1 pick with 19-year-old Alex Sarr, a big who last played for Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League.

James is making the cut in mock drafts of late. Jonathan Wasserman’s latest Bleacher Report mock has James going 55th overall to the Los Angeles Lakers, who are led by his father, superstar LeBron James. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer made the same pick. Travis Branham of CBS Sports even had James going in the first round, also to L.A., at No. 17.

So the Lakers appear to be a popular spot for James, who appears far more likely to get drafted. As for Risacher, he’s making noise as the second-most likely prospect be drafted at No. 1. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, Sarr has the best odds to go first overall at -200, but Risacher is second on the list at +250. No one else has odds shorter than +1100.

We’ll see where Risacher and James go shortly with the draft set for June 26 and 27 in Brooklyn, New York.