Good Morning, Illini Nation: Post-lottery mock drafts
May 13—The 2024 NBA Draft lottery was held Sunday, and it was one of the wilder lotteries in recent memory. The Atlanta Hawks jumped nine spots to claim the No. 1 overall pick (albeit in a year where there's no clear No. 1 prospect). The Houston Rockets also jumped six spots to pick at No. 3. The NBA's worst team, the Detroit Pistons, fell to No. 5.
None of that, however, will have much impact on Illinois' top draft prospects. Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins are set to participate in the NBA draft combine in Chicago starting today. Neither is a likely lottery pick.
Two updated mock drafts Sunday night from ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo and Yahoo! Sports' Krysten Peek had differing views on where Shannon, who will go to trial in Lawrence, Kan., just more than two weeks before the draft, might land. had him as an early second-round pick. projects Shannon outside the lottery, but in the first round.
"Teams will be monitoring Shannon's off-the-court issues as the draft approaches, but what he showed on the court during the NCAA tournament was enough for teams to take a look at him as a first-round pick," Peek wrote. "The lefty guard did a bit of everything and was a scoring machine for Illinois, averaging 23.3 points and 3.3 assists during the tournament."
Neither the ESPN nor Yahoo! Sports mock draft included Hawkins. The 6-foot-10 forward ranks as the No. 77 overall prospect and No. 14 power forward right behind former (ever so briefly) teammate Zacharie Perrin on ESPN's list of best available draftees.
The Athletic's updated mock draft from included neither Shannon nor Hawkins.
