June 3rd

The latest (and best) NBA Draft news, rumours, analysis, prospects performances, and reporting for June 3rd.

Jun 03, 2024

News and Rumours

All the news and rumours from the past 24 hours.

Holmes May Have First Round Promise

Sources revealed that Dayton center DaRon Holmes recently cancelled several workouts, raising strong suspicions that he has secured a guarantee in the back part of the first round. Coming off a productive career at Dayton in which he made strides as a shooter (38% from 3 last season), Holmes appears to have helped himself in the pre-draft process, moving himself into the first-round picture.

DaRon Holmes II Named To Karl Malone Award Top 10 List For Second Straight Year - University of Dayton Athletics

Magic Hold Pre-Draft Workout

The Magic hosted a pre-draft workout today with the following prospects: RaeQuan Battle (West Virginia), Harrison Ingram (North Carolina), Malevy Leons (Bradley), Jamal Shead (Houston), KJ Simpson (Colorado) and Nae’Qwan Tomlin (Memphis).

Warriors To Hold Workout

The Warriors will be working out six prospects ahead of the NBA draft, tomorrow: Darin Green Jr. (Florida State) Blake Hinson (Pittburgh) Keshad Johnson (Arizona) Pelle Larsson (Arizona) Shahada Wells (McNeese State) and Moses Wood (Washington).

Pelicans Looking To Trade Picks

The Pelicans, who won 49 regular-season games last season, are expected to aggressively explore acquiring talent this summer as well. They control all of their own first-round picks. Additionally, they own the Lakers’ 2025 unprotected first and the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2027 unprotected first.

Sarr To Follow In Wembenyama’s Footsteps

Potential number one selection, Alex Sarr saw the success that Victor Wembanyama saw this past season and wants to follow in his footsteps. He wants to affect games just as Wembanyama did. “I want to make an impact as much as he did in the league. I think what he did this year, he met the expectations that were given to him. It is really inspiring. He makes me think about the (French) national team 2-3 years from now and it is exciting.”

Jayhawks guard AJ Storr explains why he chose Kansas over the NBA Draft

AJ Storr had heard a lot of stories about playing for Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self before committing to the Jayhawks in April. Now, the former Wisconsin and St. John’s guard will experience Self’s coaching firsthand. An incoming Kansas University transfer, Storr moved to Lawrence on Saturday. “He (Self) is going to get the best out of you,” Storr said Sunday. “He’s going to challenge you. He can always motivate you to be the best version of yourself. Storr said his choice — picking a year with the Jayhawks over possible entry into the 2024 NBA Draft — came down to KU’s history of winning. Self’s two national championships were a major piece of that. And now Storr is learning even more about the historic traditions of the KU program. “I didn’t even know that basketball originated here,” Storr said. “I (saw) Naismith Drive — I was like, ‘Man, I didn’t know that.’ Just the culture of KU, that’s what stood out to me the most.”

Expert Analysis

What are the ‘experts’ saying?

Arizona Big Labelled As 2024 Sleeper Pick

“(Motiejus) Krivas was still growing even after enrolling at the Tucson school; now pushing 7-foot-3, he had some outstanding moments suggesting he could develop into one of the best big men in college basketball with a Donovan Clingan-type rise as a sophomore. He has outstanding hands, long arms, a high skill level and impressive instincts on both ends of the floor. He’s all but guaranteed to be productive as a rebounder and interior scorer at Arizona next season, but we’ll see what type of strides he is able to make defensively and with his overall athleticism to get a better feel for where he fits into the draft equation in 2025.”

- Jonothan Givony, ESPN

Jonothan Mogbo’s Upside Praised

“Mogbo is comfortable with the ball in his hands and putting it on the deck, which is one of the primary reasons he’s such a dangerous player in transition. He’s very athletic with speed and pop, plus the ability to pull down rebounds and push the floor. Defensively, he has proven to be both a highly productive shot blocker and a good team defender who can get active in passing lanes. It will be interesting to see how he defends in space at the next level in the pick-and-roll heavy NBA, but overall he’s a solid defender.”

- Nick Crain, Fan Nation

Dadiet To Be Amongst Best In Class?

“A player whose name has really started to generate some buzz as a first rounder, French wing Pacome Dadiet, who plays for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany's Bundesliga, has a chance to be one of the best international players in the entire class.”

- Keenan Womack, Fan Nation

California Swingman Praised

“(Jaylon) Tyson is a creative ball-handler that allows him to shake his defender and pop an off-the-dribble jumper which he converts at a 36 percent clip to help his scoring output. His crisp handle and first step allows him to probe the lane and get to the rim where he needs some polishing while shooting 53 percent at the cup.”

- Rylan Stiles, Fan Nation

Donovan Clingan’s Offensive Upside Is His Sales Pitch

“Flashing glimpses of outside shooting coupled with notable agility and reaction time measuring in at 7-foot-3 in shoes and 282 pounds with a 7-foot-7 wingspan. His measurables were known to be freakish when looking at what he did in his two years and two national championships at Connecticut, but it's his offensive upside and ability as an agile defensive anchor which could put him very high up the board on draft night.”

- Nathan Aker, Fan Nation

Jared McCain Could Develop Into a Point Guard

“He’s definitely an undersized two with his ability to shoot the basketball but not much experience running an offense. Given his basketball IQ and work ethic, perhaps he could develop into a player that can give you minutes at the one, but as of now he’s best as a movement shooter with secondary playmaking skills. Given his toughness and smarts, he might be able to guard up as his NBA career progresses, but he’ll likely have to defend smaller guards exclusively early on.”

- Paul Hudrick, Liberty Ballers

Christie’s Mechanics Praised

“Christie does well to move toward the ball and being in a good position on the perimeter when he can afford relocations before the offensive set resulting in his open look. When evaluating his mechanics, he sets his feet very quickly while having the ball around his waist. He follows it up by powering up fast due to his good upper-leg strength. With a consistent high-arcing release, the jumper is an area where NBA teams looking for shooting depth on their wings will be solid instantly.”

- Ersin Demir, Ersin Demir’s NBA Draft Newsletter

Jalen Bridges Has the Ability to Be an Off-Ball Threat

While shot creation isn’t in Bridges’ arsenal, him not being a shot creator doesn’t limit his game and impact. His main trait he will need in scoring off the dribble is to simply attack closeouts and from there make the right play. His handle is loose when dribbling into the paint, which was often crowded due to college basketball’s play style and won’t happen in the NBA, which prevents him from being a great slasher off of one or two dribbles. Ultimately, Bridges’ best finishing will come off of cuts, likely backdoor and off of screens. This will allow him to be a truly off-ball threat, maximizing his scoring chances by finding the gaps in the defense.

- Richard Stayman, MavsDraft’s Substack

Prospect Performances

Every notable prospect performance from the last 24 hours.

Unfortunately, there are no active leagues with draft prospects at the moment. With that in mind, this portion of The Inside Scoop will be empty until further notice.