Newsday

● By Steve Popper
Unlike last season, when teams were crossing their fingers, holding good luck charms and tanking games to try to land Victor Wembanyama, the 2024 NBA Draft is filled with uncertainty, even at the top spot. That uncertainty trickles down throughout the draft, with many executives saying it’s a historically bad draft, with nearly every lottery pick available in a trade. Still, as one Knicks official said, “All drafts have players. You just have to find them.” Some of these players will exceed the dim expectations and emerge as picks pointed to in future years as teams are mocked for missing out.

Top Players Not Included

These players appear in the top 30 of our

Consensus Big Board

, but do not show up in this mock.