The NBA Draft moves to two nights for the first time this week. Here is how, and what, to watch
The 2024 NBA Draft will look a little different than previous versions.
The league announced back in January that this year’s installment would play out over two days. The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft — officially known as the 2024 NBA Draft Presented by State Farm — will take place on Wednesday, June 26. The 2024 NBA Draft will conclude on Thursday with the second round.
The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., home of the Brooklyn Nets, will be the site of the first round. ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York will host the second round.
In addition to the 2024 NBA Draft being spread out over two days, there is a slight tweak to the format. On the first night, teams will still have five minutes between draft picks. However, they will get a little more time during Thursday’s second round, as the time between selections has been doubled to four minutes.
Why the change to two nights? According to the league, it is a move to give the decision-makers a little more time while also “enhancing” the experience for fans.
“Based on feedback about the NBA Draft format from basketball executives around the league and my own experience in draft rooms, we believe that teams will benefit from being able to regroup between rounds and having additional time to make decisions during the second round,” said Joe Dumars, NBA Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations, earlier this month. “Two nights of primetime coverage will also enhance the viewing experience for our fans and further showcase the draftees.”
Here is how you can watch the 2024 NBA Draft, and what you should watch for.
NBA fans have several ways they can watch the 2024 NBA Draft.
Round 1: Wednesday, June 26 | 8:00 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN/ESPN+
Round 2: Thursday, June 27 | 4:00 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
According to the NBA Thursday’s coverage “ ... will include a comprehensive review of the first round and in-depth storytelling about the draftees.” You can also follow along with the 2024 NBA Draft on ESPN Radio.
So that is how you can watch, but what are the major storylines?
The first storyline is that this draft class lacks a consensus No. 1 prospect. Unlike recent NBA Drafts — like last season when it was clear that Victor Wembyama was going to be the first player selected — the race for No. 1 is wide open. Zaccharie Risacher from France is at the moment the consensus No. 1 selection by the Atlanta Hawks — coming off the board first-overall on approximately 60% of mock drafts according to NBA Mock Draft Database — but it is by no means a guarantee that the swingman from France will go first. Other options for the first-overall selection include Risacher’s countryman Alex Sarr, as the 7-footer is seeing a bit of a pre-draft climb, Kentucky guard Reed Shepard, and Connecticut Huskies Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle.
In our most recent NBA Mock Draft, we had Clingan coming off the board first overall.
Another major storyline?
Bronny James.
The guard out of USC has eschewed pre-draft workouts, a strategy that his agent Rich Paul says is “by design.” This approach has been highlighted as perhaps Paul trying to steer James to a particular destination, something we outlined is par for the course when it comes to the NBA Draft.
And of course, there is the potential for James to land with his father, LeBron, in Los Angeles with the Lakers. Certainly, something to monitor.
Also, where does Ron Holland land? For a time it looked as if Holland might be the top player in this draft, but a stint in the G League seems to have put a dent in his draft stock.
We will have answers to these questions and more in just a few short days.
Check out Ricky O’Donnell’s top-60 NBA Draft big board for the 2024 class. Read our latest NBA mock draft here.
