The first-ever two-day edition of the NBA Draft wrapped up Thursday with the second round as teams cast their lots with prospects who they hope can blossom into contributors in the years ahead. History shows that the hit rate on prospects after the first round is slim, but gems can still be found, and there was plenty to unpack from the action.
The Los Angeles Lakers selected USC guard Bronny James at No. 55 overall, giving the son of LeBron James a chance to play on the same team as his father in the 2024-25 season. They would be the first father-son duo in NBA history to play together.
Among the other big-name players taken in the second round were former Duke big man Kyle Filipowski, ex-Kansas wing Johnny Furphy and former UCLA center Adem Bona. All three were regarded as candidates to be taken in the first round before slipping into the draft's second day.
There were a flurry of trades to accompany the action as teams maneuvered to take swings on their preferred prospects and worked to get their 2024-25 rosters in order. As with Wednesday's first round selections, there was again a heavy international flavor on Thursday.
More 2024 NBA Draft: Full coverage | Grades | Draft tracker | Trades
Bronny James missed the first eight games of his freshman season at USC after a serious offseason health scare. He returned to play in 25 games for the Trojans and will now get a chance to make history by playing with his father. The late start to his one-and-done campaign clouded the vision of what Bronny can at the next level, and it's unlikely he would've been selected if not for the influence of his father. Nonetheless, he ranked as the No. 28 overall player in the Class of 2023 and was regarded as a high four-star prospect by 247Sports. He's got a high basketball IQ, which is not shocking considering his pedigree. If all goes well, Bronny could develop into an NBA combo guard in the years ahead. -- David Cobb
It didn't take long for former Duke star Kyle Filipowski to come off the board after he slipped out of Wednesday night's first round. The former five-star prospect was regarded as a likely first round selection when he declared for the draft, but there is some uncertainty over how he'll fit defensively in the NBA. He's not quite rangy enough to profile as a rim protector and may not have the quickness to handle dynamic wings on the perimeter. What Filipowski definitely has is an appealing offensive game. In Utah, he'll join a franchise that has bigs John Collins, Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler under contract. Utah also drafted a stretch forward last year in Taylor Hendricks, which makes Filipowski's path to early playing time a bit murky. But he was nonetheless a great value pick early in the second round. -- Cobb
Imagine telling someone around this time last year that Antonio Reeves would be selected before Justin Edwards. This is no knock on Reeves, as he was one of the most talented players in the sport last season. Edwards came into the season as a strong contender to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Instead, he went undrafted on Thursday. Edwards showed flashes of his five-star billing in his lone season with the Wildcats and there's still hope he can carve out a role in the NBA. With Edwards going undrafted, getting a guaranteed non two-way contract will be an uphill climb. -- Cameron Salerno
The final pick of the 2024 NBA Draft is in. Hukporti is a German center with the hulking frame required to hold his ground on the block with the NBA's biggest centers. The 22-year old lefty is both powerful and explosive though perhaps limited in what he can do outside the paint on both ends of the floor.
Chomche is a product of the NBA Africa Academy who boasts a 7-foot-4 wingspan and has potential as a 3-point shooter. He's a physically imposing player and the first from the NBA Africa Academy to be drafted directly into the NBA. He's raw and will need some seasoning but has long-term upside and was worth a late-draft swing.
McCullar is one of the older prospects in the 2024 NBA Draft, but after five years of college ball, McCullar is the best version of himself. A long, athletic, powerful wing, McCullar is capable of wearing a bunch of different hats. He can guard. He's a good rebounder. He's shown plenty of playmaking ability. You can squint and see McCullar being a connect-the-dots, ball-mover for a contending team who wants a cheap, ready-to-play rookie who has won at almost every stop.
The Lakers fulfilled LeBron James' wishes and selected his oldest to create a father-son pairing in Los Angeles. Bronny's numbers were underwhelming as a freshman at USC after he got a late start due to a serious health scare in the months leading up to the season. But in a best-case scenario, Bronny could develop into a combo guard capable of playing a role off the bench in the NBA.
The Celtics are selecting Watson with the No. 54 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Watson averaged 14.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his final college season with the Bulldogs.
Spencer joins former UConn teammates Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan and Tristen Newton in coming off the board in the 2024 NBA Draft. The five-year college veteran transferred in to UConn from Rutgers ahead of the 2023-24 season and offered immense help to the Huskies as a perimeter marksman. He'll have to overcome questions about his defensive prowess, but his shooting ability could allow Spencer to stick in the league.
A native of the Netherlands who began his career at Mississippi State before transferring to Boston College, Post is a late-blooming big man prospect. One of the biggest players in the draft, he turned himself into one of the ACC's most reliable big men and is intriguing because of his ability to shoot the ball.
Ajinca drew a pre-draft comparison to Kelly Oubre Jr. on the CBS Sports NBA Big Board. He's a lefty wing, like Oubre, and is regarded as an excellent 3-point shooter. He's been highly productive for the French national team in international competition and brings good size to the perimeter.
Freeman played parts of five seasons at Akron — initially serving as a lightly used role player before eventually becoming the star of an NCAA Tournament team. The 6-7 forward averaged 18.6 points and 12.9 rebounds this season in 32.4 minutes per game. He led the nation in defensive-rebounding percentage at 33.1%.
Newton is a lead guard with two-way chops. He transferred from ECU to UConn ahead of the 2022-23 season and needed to prove he could be a point guard. He proved it, leading the Huskies to back-to-back national titles. The knocks on Newton relate to his age (23) and 3-point shooting (32.7%).
Ingram is a stretch forward and former McDonald's All-American who blossomed during the 2023-24 season after transferring to North Carolina from Stanford. He hit 38.5% of his 3-pointers on 4.6 attempts per game for the Tar Heels and played his part for a defense that ranked in the top-10 nationally.
Reeves proved during his two seasons at Kentucky that he is an elite bucket getter, primarily as an off-ball shooting option. He shot 44.7% from beyond the arc for the Wildcats in the 2023-24 season and hit 86.3% of his free throws. He began his college career with three seasons at Illinois State and is one of the oldest player in this class.
After mulling his options in the transfer portal, Christie elected to remain in the 2024 NBA Draft. Christie performed well at the NBA Draft Combine and projects as an upside swing. He shot 39.1% from distance on 5.4 attempts per game. Christie is the younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie.
The Raptors are getting an undersized guard who is loaded with athleticism and intangibles. Shead is undersized and will face an uphill battle to stick in the league. He'll have to show he can handle bigger players defensively, and he was just a 29.6% 3-point shooter in college. But he's a brilliant distributor and plays dogged on-ball defense.
Larsson is one of the more offensively skilled and versatile players in this draft class. The native of Sweden is a high IQ player who can dribble, pass and shoot, capable of operating in various offensive roles. He can create out of ball-screens, operate as a secondary ball-handler and can hit shots off the catch. He's got a smooth game and while he isn't near as big as Nicolas Batum, the two have similarities in their abilities to hit shots, create off the bounce, score and pass.
Djurisic is another international wing with size. He's got some seasoning under his belt in the European professional ranks and is known for his good handle and passing. In theory, that versatility will translate to the defensive end, but he'll have to answer questions about his athleticism and 3-point shooting.
A four-star prospect in high school who initially committed to Arizona and flipped to Colorado after Sean Miller was let go, Simpson showed steady improvement during his three seasons with the Buffaloes. A natural scorer at heart, Simpson is an explosive point guard who has legitimate untapped potential as a playmaker and great athletic upside despite less than ideal size.
Bona is an undersized but sturdily built center with the lateral quickness to project as a defensively versatile five in the NBA. He was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and will be a lob threat in the NBA. He's a non-shooting big at this point in his development but is the type of high-energy player who may be able to provide some quality minutes off the bench.
This pick has been traded multiple times. The Suns used it to draft Marquette's star big man. The Marquette big man is a solid finisher around the rim and a defensive anchor in the middle as both a shot blocker and a weak-side rim protector. Ighodaro has shown flashes of his facilitating as a big man and is strong in the pick-and-roll game.
Wells shined as a 3-point shooter in his lone season of Division I basketball after two years at Sonoma State. The 6-foot-7 wing drilled 41.7% of his attempts from beyond the arc for the Cougars in the Pac-12. His athleticism and defense will be questions, but the combination of size and shooting are appealing for a team that can use more outside shooting.
Mitchell is a skilled and crafty point guard that was one of the best players in UCSB history. The native of Belgium is a lefty who has grown several inches since arriving on campus now possessing impressive positional size. He is a dynamic creator in ball-screens able to get to his spots and create separation for scoring opportunities for himself and others. He's not the most athletic and has been a streaky shooter from 3-point range but was one of the top mid-major guards in the country.
Klintman is the rare prospect from Australia's NBL who also has collegiate experience. Klintman played a key role for Wake Forest in the 2022-23 season, demonstrating upside as a 3-point shooter and versatile defender. With good size, he could be a role player in the combo forward slot if he continues to build upon the glimpses of two-way proficiency that have been apparent in his game.
The Spanish guard is a pass-first point guard who uses his speed and quickness to get to the rim. Nunez's shooting will be his swing skill, as he only connected on 29.4% of his self-created 3-pointers the past two seasons. He averaged 10.4 points and 5.8 assists this past season. He signed with Real Mardid at 10 years old and made his professional tournament debut in the 2020 German Cup five years later
Furphy blossomed into a key rotation player on the wing for Kansas as a true freshman in the 2023-24 season. The Australian prospect is a rangy left-hander with a nice shooting stroke and some three-level scoring chops. He'll need to bulk up in order to handle the defensive rigors of the NBA. But he's got plenty of time to develop and showed encouraging glimpses of offensive potential with the Jayhawks.
The Trail Blazers reportedly traded this pick to the Knicks in exchange for multiple second-round selections. Kolek is an elite floor general and was the Big East Player of the Year during the 2022-23 campaign. Kolek was one of the top-ranked players available.
The Bucks may have found a steal in power forward Tyler Smith, who ranked No. 21 in the CBS Sports NBA Draft Prospect Rankings. The former five-star prospect hit 36% of his 3-pointer in the Ignite program, which is an impressive night for a 6-foot-9 player who so big and athletic. This makes two non-college additions for the Bucks through the draft after they selected AJ Johnson at No. 23 on Wednesday.
The top-ranked remaining player on CBS Sports NBA Prospect big board is heading to Utah. Filipowski is a talented 7-footer who has offensive upside. He is a dynamic offensive weapon and can stretch the floor as shooter and was frequently the focal point of Duke's spread offense, where he was asked to serve as roll man and passer.
Mogbo shined in his lone season at San Francisco after spending time at two junior colleges and at Missouri State. He's a power forward with tremendous defensive upside. He was not a 3-point shooter in college, but he was efficient in the lane and around the rim, and he was also a force on the boards while earning All-WCC honors.
One of the most intriguing questions of the 2024 NBA Draft cycle will be answered Thursday when USC guard Bronny James could hear his name called at the draft. The son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is the 55th-ranked player in CBS Sports Prospect Rankings and projects as a second-round pick. Will the Lakers snag him Thursday? Our experts weighed in.
We won't know the full truth of Wednesday night for a while, but we can make some educated guesses as to how this might play out over time. With the caveat that this could all look very different with the benefit of hindsight and with the information we have at our disposal, here are some first-round NBA Draft winners and losers.
