Just How Bad is the 2024 NBA Draft? And What Should the Hawks Do? | The Bill Simmons Podcast 

Hawks will draft a QB

“I don’t know that that happens, because I’ve only been a man” was delivered so perfectly 😂 thanks for the good laugh

I never understood this rush to trash a bunch of young players before they've even played a minute of professional basketball. This year's MVP was a second round pick and so were the players who finished 3rd and 5th.

I love this whole side conversation about headline titles 😂😂😂

Nikola Jokic was 41st. The scouts know nothing.

I love how Russillo sneaks in the self deprecating jab at himself getting arrested, and it took Bill a second to get it These two are great together

when Russillo says "seriously Bill..." he means business

This podcast has a trend of undervaluing European prospects trust me this draft is not gonna be the worst of all time it might be the worst since 2020 but people also said that draft would suck and now it has tons of good players stars and role players.

Sarr is gonna be a good player. Not generational, just good

Everyone also thought the 2020 draft class was weak. Now we have some of the brightest young stars from that class...ANTMAN, MAXEY, BALL, Haliburton, Bane, Vassell, Jaden McDaniels.....fringe stars like Deni Avdija, and some great role players like Isiah Joe, Payton Pritchard, Cole Anthony, Obi Toppin, Okoro, Nesmith, Josh Green, Saddiq Bey, Quickley

I have 0 clue who's is this draft but I hope they can turn into hidden gems, we love those stories i.e. Giannis draft class

Masai Ujiri bidding against himself with that Poeltl for top 6 protected 1st rounder...what a disaster of a trade

Many Americans were low on Doncic, we Europeans told them they were wrong, it took a few months for them to realize. Many Americans thought Wembanyama was comparable to Holmgren or even Bol Bol (!) and was not a sure thing, thought it was possible Scoot Anderson got picked over him. Some doubted him at the start of the season. Many Americans still think "Euros are soft" and Jokic, Doncic, Giannis, Gobert are overrated in some way or some other. Many Americans think their team lost several times recently on the world's stage (FIBA but also Olympic Games) because they did not send an absolute top team, not because others made progress. Now they're doing it again. There are no US top prospects, so they say the draft will be one of the worst ever. OK, Risacher is not going to be a MVP candidate but he is a well-rounded professional guy who would make a perfect lieutenant next to a great player. I hope he's not taken first but goes to San Antonio alongside Victor, they would be perfect together. Sarr has the tools to be a great talent. Topic could also be a all-star faster than you think. Do not think this is the 2000 NBA draft... you guys are annoying doing that.

That Dejounte Murray trade looks terrible now. 2025 1st and a 2026 swap not to mention a 2027 1st.. That 2025 and 2026 drafts are really good as well... Looks like Wemby will have a great team to play with in the future thanks to ATL.

So according to the pundits, this will be a NBA draft 'recession year'. However, I've always been a believer, that in every NBA draft there's a future All Star level player that nobody can see coming.

Sarr is being underrated because he’s a tall French center following directly after Wemby.

In a similar terrible draft, Giannis went no 15. The Spurs will draft Nikola Topic and in two years every scout watching only the NCAA for americans will look like an idiot again.

Maybe the reason these teams that are drafting in lottery every year is bc their player evaluation is this bad lmao ,” cam johnson for number 1 pick” might be the worst eval ive ever heard in the history of basketball

It’s so tough to have you guys comment on the draft when you don’t watch a minute of college basketball. Lots of these guys can help NBA teams right now. A few of them are going to be All Stars.

Bill sounds more uninformed as ever 😂

Brunson - Divencenzo - Bridges - Anunoby - Hartenstein would be a sick lineup.

Saying it’s a bad draft is a cop out for talent evaluators because they don’t wanna admit it’s a crapshoot of certain players determination and skill

The idea that there will be ZERO all stars in a draft of 60 players just doesn't make sense to me There will be a talent that everyone misses. Maybe not as good as Giannis, Jokic etc but there is always someone!

Bill claims Trae and Murray clearly hated playing together. Those guys just did a podcast telling everyone that they enjoy playing together.

NBA analysts also said that the Anthony Edwards draft was a weak draft and the Anthony Davis draft was a weak draft..... You can check the old youtube videos in 2020

SA isn’t giving those picks back. No way, no day.

This type of draft is when organization’s know whether or not their scouts deserve their jobs. This is now about scouting for raw talent, potential, and character. Other than probably the Nuggets, OKC, and few other teams, a majority of the leagues scouting departments are lazy with regard to scouting or highlight watching.

Imagine making hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to cover sports and you can't take a few minutes to watch some videos online to get an idea of the prospects in the NBA draft. Alexander Sarr is a 7-1 guy with a 7-5 wingspan who can move. He's a good defender now and is projected as a bigger Jaren Jackson Jr. That guy is going top 3 in most drafts. The Hawks should keep the pick, keep Young and DJ, and trade Capella. They just need a little defense to get a top 6 seed. If Sarr develops offensively then you have a superstar. Sarr isn't Wemby but he's a #1 overall guy on potential.

There are all-stars in every draft. Let's be serious, here. One of the last times someone called a draft terrible Giannis came out of it. Is it bad because there is no one guy everyone presumes will be a star? Maybe. But odds are there will be some VERY good players from this draft, there always are.

Sarr reminds me a lot of Evan Mobley. Similar size, defense first prospect that has intriguing skills on offense.

Trae and Dejounte literally did an interview a day ago talking about how much they enjoy playing together. John Collins and Kevin Heurter have been mid since leaving Trae and both were in trade rumors last season. These two idiots need better sources.

Hawks won't have the choice of elite #1 prospects such as Zion, Andrew Wiggins, Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Ayton, etc.

All these GM who texted you back should be fired. There's no clear consensus on the draft order so they're scared like sheeps. They actually have to do their homeworks and they don't know how. "How can I choose my pick if I can't trust ESPN ?" they thought. Alex Sarr would be a top 5 in any draft from past 10 years. The Thompson's twins went 4th and 5th and they can't shoot. Anthony Black is no where to seen and went 6th. There's no top 3 potential franchise player, yes, but that draft doesn't start at 8th or 10th. They're incompetent. And they're cowards.

The #1 pick was traded in 2014 which was andre wiggins to timbs.. where does bill get his stats?

Wait, Bill said, “The Number One pick has been traded three times, in 1990, in 1993, and in 2017.” Didn’t Utah trade the Number One pick in the 1979 NBA Draft (which became Magic Johnson) for Gail Goodrich? 🤔🤷🏻‍♂️

Just find guys who can help you win. Even in good drafts that’s hard to do.

What about Andrew Wiggins & Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors) for the #1 Pick in the Draft from Atlanta Hawks?

Never judge the draft this early.

So this draft is all-time bad and next year's draft has potential to be great but the Raptors made out WORSE by conveying the 8th pick THIS DRAFT and now controlling all their future picks, including next hears 1st. Odd take Bill

lol this guy Ryen says this is the worst draft then goes on saying he hasn’t even done much research into the draft 😂

This draft is like picking randomly from a deck of cards where Aces are future all-stars and Kings and Queens are solid role players. It's better to be in a position like the Spurs and Blazers who each have two lottery picks than to have a pick in the top three. It increases their odds of finding someone who turns out to be good in the future.

Maybe if media pundits start talking and showing us who in draft instead of talking about Bronny every two seconds,oh I get it since Bronny stinks every body else does too🤷🏾‍♂️

As a Lakers fan it's frustrating that the clueless front office thinks the 17th pick in THIS draft is worth something. They are so clueless.

Every front office person down-plays the draft, obviously. Why would anyone reveal their true thoughts ahead of any potential negotiations? The narrative put out there about this draft being weak started months ago - it's exactly what teams outside of top 3-4 picks wants you to believe.

"I heard this draft will be bad"..yet no work done on your part is a joke. There have been no less then 3 Allstars in every draft since the 70s.

They don’t really need Sheppard but they should trade the pick to another team that really needs a PG

I don't think this is a weak draft, I also don't think it's going to have a superstar especially maybe possibility Alex Sarr who I believe will go to the hawks with the 1st pick, and I think there will be a hidden gem or two in this draft, that hardly anyone is talking about Tidjuane Salaun possibility, or I like Tristan Da Silva out of Colorado , who I think the Bulls should select at 11, over what mock drafts have them taking Isaiah Collier when they've already have got Coby White, Ayo Dosumnu, Lonzo Ball if he's ready to play again, Alex Caruso possibility, they need a forward to me, or a backup big. I think Sarr with Trae and Murray would be interesting, I think the Hawks will go from 25th to around 15th defensively within the first year,

3 years from now there will be a few studs from this class that everyone thought was sooo weak just like the 2013 class and how everyone said the 2020 class was weak

The media called the 2020 nba draft bad also

The only players the hawks should consider trading is CC Bogdan or AJ, CC and Bogdan definitely

Hawks, Lakers, Suns or Lakers, Suns, Hornets work though you are trading stars to suit the situation that either suits the players or the team. They are wild though they work thanks to trade machines.

Never liked players having to be interviewed after getting drafted, agree with Bill

My team gets the #1 picking in an upset but gets a trash draft

Thats what everyone said about the 2013 draft.... and they were kinda right. Anthony Bennett was a bust. But lurking in the middle of the draft was Giannis. Who's gonna be this year's Giannis and who's gonna be this year's Antony Bennett?

The monthly every small market team should trade it's best player to a large market conversation.

Absolutely NO to Young in Orlando!

As an Atlanta fan, the Hawks will just run it back with Trae and Sarr

Russillo landing the plane on the Julie Ertz story had me clapping in my car

“Bad Drafts” are good. Do some scouting find a Diamond in the rough. This draft will have more players that end up better later in the draft than earlier.

You guys are way overexaggerating. Yes, the top 3 is lacking. But, the overall lottery depth is just as good as any year. Look at the names from the last 10 drafts after pick #4 and tell me how those collection of names from any given year are better than this year.

There are all stars in every draft multiple they just have to trust there scouting and get the right guy

Nobody can predict the future. That alone should be more concerning. I’d be looking to buy low here

In a game that featured carmelo and lebron’s 2025 sons a kid (brayden burries) who is a 6’5 4 star guard just like bryce had 40 points and wasnt mentioned but bryce ( 8 points ) and kiyan (17 points ) were because of the name attached.

A rare hawks fan here! Bill giving us a segment is a highlight for our season

A couple of these teams are going to get lucky. A few of these players are going to be impactful. Just my opinion

Bill saying Bridges to Knocks just because the Villanova connection

Scouts actually have to do there job .. ? Wow tuff draft

Love it guys great show wish it was longer

Jokic, Giannis, Steph Curry, Brunson, Butler, Kawhi, SGA, Maxey.......... .... All 7th and above...

There'll be very good players in this draft. All stars. History..

Sarr, Topic and Knecht look interesting. For sure there will be all stars coming from this draft

Guys grow. If the Hawks keep the guards and current team in place the number one pick could succeed

I’ve come up with a 3 team trade idea that I love for this draft, mostly because I’d love to see Wemby paired up with Sarr for a hyper athletic, twin towers defense. The trade is: Spurs get: Trae Young #1 pick Hawks get: #2 pick #8 pick ‘25 ATL pick ‘27 ATL pick Zack Collins Devonte Graham Wizards get: #4 pick ‘30 DAL pick or ‘25 CHI pick Sidy Cissoko

“We wouldn’t have been able to go 29-53 without him” 😂😂

the ringer headlines change constantly.

Is it possible to trade this years #1 for the lakers future first and one of this years? They got that trade exception and would probably be ok without Murray or young. There is a way for them to avoid this pick and get one for next years draft.

I've seen recent stories about Durant trade scenarios that didn't use his name in the headline..referred to him as an all-star or by his contract amount

Poeltl trade was batsht crazy

If the hawks want a pair of new guards they need to wait another year, to atleast get some talented young fresh guards who have legit potential to become Allstars and maybe all nba, that would be a fair trade. Get two guards who are perimeter defensive nightmares, who can pass first and score later. They can trade Capela, Bey and Hunter, and Onyeka now and get another pick which will be Donovan Clingan, now you have salary space, and they still draft Sarr. Now you've got a new future Bigman duo who will develop. With Dejounte, Jalen and Trae. I personally don't like any of the trades that people are stirring up on these trade rumor scenarios, because they are not offering them a legit return, so they need to keep them and wait until next year's draft to see about trading them for two young fresh untapped guards, they could add Bogdanovic, and Griffin Jr, plus future picks (unprotected) just to get it done, there's your trade

Media says this every year when there isn’t a clear number 1

Bill morphing into nick dipaolo 😂

People might be right that this draft will be horrible, but just remember these predictions are sometimes very wrong. I always remember the 09 draft being talked about as terrible, and turned out to be one of the better drafts of the past 25 years.

I believe the other reason with the headline titles is to bring traffic to the site.

5:18 Simmons claims that the #1 pick has only been traded three times, with the first time in 1990. But in what was maybe the worst trade in NBA history the Warriors in 1980 traded Robert Parish and the pick that became Kevin McHale for Joe Barry Carroll and some nonentity [edit: the #13 pick, which became Rickey Brown]. The Warriors and the Celtics both knew who the Warriors (and probably the Celtics) intended to draft (i.e., Carroll). so how was this not a trade of the player who was the #1 pick?

I thought Murray going to NO made more sense. They need a PG, trade Zion to Atlanta, now Trae has a frontcourt of Johnson, Zion and Capela With Murray and Okongwu going to NO, so your starting lineup there is Murray, Jones, Murphy, Ingram and Okongwu with Jose, CJ and others coming off the bench. I thought that worked better. Atlanta can use the 1st pick and draft a wing/guard to help at the Sg position to keep Bogi on the bench

This is the shorties draft at least 10 guys 6'3" or under. Since few project to being great points or combos they'll hope for a Lou Williams type sub. And 9 will wash out in 3 years or less.

How is it that so many people in the comments do not understand that draft evaluation is not an exact science but there is value to expert opinion. The vast majority of better players are higher picks and yes there are occasional extreme outliers like jokic or projects that work out like giannis. But for every giannis there is 72 bruno caboclos. Our education system has failed.

To Russilos point about fame and headline. When there was a shooting at Drakes house the headline was “Shooting at Drakes mansion. Victim: Not Drake”

The 1st overall pick will get 4yr 58mil contract. This will be the 1st time $ will be a consideration when teams consider trading for #1 pick.

After 6 years/seasons that have passed. I wonder if the Atlanta Hawks regret trading Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks for Trae Young in the (2018 NBA Draft). Both have been to a Conference Finals , Atlanta in (2021). Dallas in (2022). For me personally, If that trade never happened. The Hawks would've been in the playoffs in (2024) and not getting the #1 pick this year.

Acting like Sarr isn't about to be dominant in Atlanta is crazy. Chet and Wemby did just fine, he is the third of the archetype, with a generational passing guard. ATL just saved their franchise

I'm pushing back on Ryen's take that Donovan Mitchell to the Knicks doesn't make sense. Mikhail Bridges would be fun by adding to the 'Villanova Connection' as I like to call it. But Donovan Mitchell is a superior player and now that we see just how good Jalen Brunson is, if the Knicks original plan comes to fruition, I see them competing for titles.

That's great news for Blazers trading with the Hawks though! They got a whole bunch of 4th/5th guys to unload for Sarr.

Sarr is the obvious pick at #1

9:10 The guy doesn't even know this "famous" female soccer player's first name but he complains that the headline only mentions that she's the wife of a tight end, whose name he DOES know, which is the only reason he knows her last name. Come on, there are no famous female soccer players. I would only recognize two names, I think (maybe three) and they're all retired and I can't summon up their names, though I would recognize them if someone else named them. Don't go all woke on us.

Ryen and his tangents 🤣🤣🤣

Bill should make a draft to draft the worst drafts in the past 20 years of drafts.

Bill thought Scoot was day one NBA ready last year. Man cannot evaluate talent at all.

What year is cooper flag coming out

Media personality Ryen Russiello learns marketing 101