5 rookies who landed in the best spot in the NBA Draft

With no consensus can't-miss prospects like Victor Wembanyama waiting to be selected, the conversation in recent months has been that 2024 was a weak year for the NBA Draft. Now that the dust has settled, though, it's clear that quite a few teams helped themselves by finding players who either perfectly fit their system or address a glaring weakness.

It's always fun to grade each draft pick in real-time, and on that note, be sure to check out our own Christopher Kline's live analysis of every pick. It's also instructive to note, though, that in every draft there are always surprises in both directions — top picks turn out to be busts, and late picks become All-Stars. Some of the best players in the NBA, such as Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jalen Brunson, were afterthoughts on draft night.

Projecting how a player might develop is an inexact science at best. Any player who can reach the ceiling that his new team sees in him will thrive in the NBA, but the unfortunate reality is that many of this (and any) year's rookies will not. What we're looking for today is to find the players who have the best chance to maximize their talent by being paired with a team that makes the most sense for their particular skill set. Here are five drafted players who have a great chance of success with their new teams.

5. Zach Edey, Grizzlies

The NBA Draft is always fascinating, because on one hand you have players who have thrived on the basketball court, and on the other, you have guys whose potential is purely hypothetical. Zach Edey is most definitely the former. The back-to-back Naismith Award winner was unstoppable in his four years at Purdue, and he came within a game of delivering a national championship to the Boilermakers.

Edey's game is anachronistic. He would have been the No. 1 overall pick if this draft was held 30 years ago, but with the rise of the three-point shot and the near-eradication of back-to-the-basket post-play in the NBA game, his selection by Memphis with the ninth overall pick looks like a zag when the rest of the league is zigging. That's exactly why I love this pick for the Grizzlies. Most teams in the league employ a stretch 5 that spends most of his time on the perimeter, but Edey and his massive 7-foot-5 frame will feast on those players down low. Other teams aren't equipped to handle someone like Edey, simply because there aren't players like Edey in the NBA anymore.

The Grizzlies are still going to run their offense through Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, but Edey's polished post-game and ability to rim protect should allow him to get minutes right out of the gate. He's very good at defending without fouling, and I don't think enough people understand what a difference being 7-foot-5 with a 7-foot-11 wingspan can make in changing opponents' shots. Edey makes 7-footers look small. Combined with 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr., he's going to make opposing players' lives hell inside the arc.

Memphis grabbed the 2-seed in the rough-and-tumble Western Conference two years in a row with Steven Adams as their enforcer down low. This past season was a case of Murphy's Law for the Grizzlies, as Ja Morant's suspension and season-ending injury short-circuited any hopes they had to contend again, but there's no better bounceback candidate as we look ahead to next season. Adams was traded to the Rockets in February, but Edey, with his much more polished offensive game and rebounding ability, can fill his spot and then some.

4. Jared McCain, 76ers

Getting Jared McCain with the 16th pick is a steal for the Sixers. McCain is an elite shooter, whether on spot-ups or on the move, but whereas he was asked to be one of the focal points of the offense during his one season at Duke, in Philadelphia he'll come into a situation where Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey dominate the ball, allowing him to operate without opposing defenses focusing on him.

Embiid is at his best with shooters around him, and McCain reminds me of a souped-up version of fellow Duke alum Seth Curry, who played the best basketball of his career in 102 games in Philly from 2021-22.

The Sixers are in a difficult place with their fanbase, and things are on the verge of turning toxic after another early playoff exit. Tobias Harris is persona non grata, much of the depth chart is past its prime, and there's a feeling that due to Embiid's inability to stay healthy when it matters, the team has missed its championship window.

I'm not ready to go that far, not as long as Embiid is still there and Nick Nurse is still coaching. It can't be denied, though, that the Sixers need someone beyond Maxey to rally the fanbase around. McCain is a high-character guy and a winner, and Nurse will find creative ways to use him, just as he did with Fred Van Vleet in the 2019 Raptors' championship run.

3. Stephon Castle, Spurs

I think I would have taken Stephon Castle with the number one overall pick, so I'm definitely in the bag for the UConn guard. He's the draft's most tenacious defender, and at 6-foot-6, he has the size to switch on almost anyone. His offensive game is a work in progress, but he showed flashes of brilliance in UConn's national championship run when the Huskies needed a bucket, even though he wasn't typically asked to initiate the offense thanks to the presence of Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer in the backcourt.

Castle is only 19, so there's plenty of room for growth in his offensive game. It's practically unheard of for a player this young to be so advanced defensively though, and the thought of pairing him on the court with Victor Wembanyama is titillating. This pick shows me that the Spurs have a real vision for how they want this team to play, and that vision is that it's going to be impossible to score on them.

Gregg Popovich has experience developing defensive savants into all-around stars. Does the name Kawhi Leonard ring any bells? Leonard is only an inch taller than Castle, and he only scored three more points per game in his two years at San Diego State than Castle did in his one at UConn. Leonard was given room to develop on the Tim Duncan-Tony Parker-Manu Ginobili-led Spurs, and Castle will get a similar runway with Wembanyama soaking up all the attention.

2. Devin Carter, Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a talented team, and with De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis doing their thing, they're undeniably fun to watch. Fun basketball doesn't always equal winning basketball, though, and the Kings' reputation as a finesse squad has kept them from making any real headway in the West.

Enter Devin Carter to provide an injection of much-needed toughness. The Providence guard is a bulldog on the court and exactly the type of player the Kings need. He's 6-foot-3, yet finished third in the Big East with 8.7 rebounds per game. That's more than Donovan Clingan!

Carter's defensive tenacity will allow the Kings to have a fighting chance against the Steph Currys and Devin Bookers of the world, but it wouldn't be at all fair to categorize him as a defensive specialist. He blossomed offensively last year, leading the Big East with 19.7 points per game. He can bomb it from deep and finish at the rim, as his 37.7 percent clip from 3 and 56.5 percent rate from the floor prove, and he also dished out 3.6 assists per game.

Carter improved in pretty much every way throughout his three years in college, and at 22 years old, he'll be ready to step in immediately for Mike Brown and make a difference.

1. Rob Dillingham, Timberwolves

Not many teams picking in the lottery have legitimate championship aspirations, but after knocking off the defending champion Nuggets and reaching the Western Conference Finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves are one of them.

Anthony Edwards is well on his way to superstardom, and his accelerated growth has rightfully toggled the Wolves into win-now mode. That's why I love the pick of Kentucky's Rob Dillingham, who might be the most dynamic scorer in the draft.

Minnesota had a phenomenal playoff run but ultimately ran out of gas against the Dallas Mavericks. Karl-Anthony Towns fell flat after doing some great things against Denver, and Edwards couldn't handle the scoring burden alone. Minnesota failed to crack 108 points in any one of their five games against Luka Doncic and co., and in today's NBA, that isn't going to cut it.

Dillingham and teammate Reed Sheppard were held back by John Calipari in their only college season, but both managed to thrive anyway. Dillingham scored 15.2 points per game on less than 24 minutes of playing time, and on the Wolves he'll be able to fill the scoring void that led to their playoff demise. Many scouts are worried about his defense due to being only 6-foot-1 and 164 pounds (the lightest player measured at the combine), but the Wolves and their league-leading defense are best equipped to cover for him on that end. Minnesota needs someone to share the scoring load with Edward, and there's nobody in this draft better suited to that than Dillingham.