FanSided's NBA Draft Central has you covered from every angle with the latest mock drafts, rankings, detailed notes on every top prospect and more.
Everyone take a deep breath. All of the scouting, all of the rumors and smokescreens, all the scouting videos (thank you Hoop Intellect for letting me sound like I know what I'm talking about the past few months) are now monuments of a pre-draft world. The first round of the NBA Draft is over. Some things went as expected — Cooper Flagg is now a member of the Dallas Mavericks — and some didn't, like Ace Bailey falling to the Jazz and the Pelicans trading up for Derik Queen.
Some rooks will benefit from getting tons of minutes on bad teams, some are perfect fits in their new homes, and some will have to fight for consistent court time. Based on a mix of fit, gut feeling and dark magic, here's how I think the All-Rookie first team will shape up next season.
Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
No shock here. Cooper Flagg is one of the best draft prospects of the past 25 years; he'd be on this list no matter which team lucked into his services, but it's even easier to predict early success for him considering he's also a perfect fit on the wings in Dallas.
Flagg won't lead Dallas in scoring immediately (Anthony Davis is still on the team), but he very well could lead the team in assists, blocks, steals, deflections, charges drawn, etc. He does everything well and a lot would have to go wrong for Flagg to miss out on All-Rookie first team. I don't think a lot will go wrong. Sharpie this one in.
Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets made the right pick. Hang the banner! It doesn't happen often (there's a reason they haven't been to the playoffs in a decade) but Kon is a great fit and has a much, much higher ceiling than folks give him credit for.
Knueppel in Charlotte is perhaps my favorite fit of the entire first round. He balances out LaMelo Ball's talents (and deficiencies) so well and might quickly become the best backcourt mate Ball has played with in Charlotte. His passing, movement shooting and ball handling chops are something that Charlotte has needed from a secondary option for... ever? What's the best Hornets since 2004? Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb? It's not great that I'm 100 percent serious.
Nique Clifford, Sacramento Kings
I would not bet on Nique Clifford becoming the best player from this class, but you can make the argument that he's the most NBA-ready prospect in this draft, and he'll get a huge chance to contribute immediately in Sacramento.
Older, NBA-ready guys are usually thought of as "low ceiling" prospects, and sure, if you're comparing Clifford's ceiling to that of Cooper Flagg, it probably looks pretty low. But going to the Kings, where he can potentially challenge Keegan Murray for a starting spot right off the bat, will serve Clifford well.
Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
I debated heavily whether to put Harper on here or not, and that has nothing to do with his talent. He's a near-guarantee to be awesome alongside Victor Wembanyama, but his opportunities could be limited in his rookie year considering he's sharing a backcourt with De'Aaron Fox and last year's ROY, Stephon Castle.
In the end, Harper is talented enough that not putting him on the list would look really silly the first time he tosses a picture-perfect lob to Wemby or leaves a defender in the dust in transition.
Collin-Murray Boyles, Toronto Raptors
CMB is not that athletic, can't shoot the ball, and will be smaller than a lot of NBA power forwards. I still feel pretty confident about this pick. The defensive versatility will jump off the screen immediately, and while the fit in Toronto is a little sketchy (Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl can't really shoot either) I think the opportunity will be big enough that CMB balls out early.
Thomas Sorber just misses the cut
I don't have any centers on this list (All-Rookie teams are positionless) but Sorber, despite being extremely raw, went to the best team possible in Oklahoma City. This is a hilariously good (and somewhat unfair) pick. Sorber is going to be an awesome pro, he's just not going to see the floor a ton early on considering his new team just won the NBA Finals.