You spoke and we listened…

We’re back with another challenge! Think you know whose name will be called first in the 2024 NBA Draft? Or which team will select Bronny? This is your chance to prove it and win your choice of Enjoy gear (and bragging rights, of course). Make your predictions below!

Today’s Lineup

Free Agency Outlook

With big names like LeBron James and Paul George potentially entering unrestricted free agency, teams could be on track to dish out huge contracts on their path to a championship push. Let’s catch up on the latest in terms of contract signings and free agency rumors.

Pascal Siakam signs four-year extension with Pacers: Call him the president of Indiana, cause it’ll be “four more years” in Indianapolis for Spicy P. He just signed a near-$190 million max contract to stay with the Pacers and officially become part of Indiana’s future next to Tyrese Haliburton. It’s been a couple years, but don’t forget that Siakam is an NBA champion and former All-NBA Third Team member—his sustained veteran presence might be just what this young Indiana team needs to take the next jump.

PG13 X Philly rumors fly after NBA Countdown appearance: During Game 4 of the Finals, both Paul George and Joel Embiid showed up to NBA Countdown to talk about their quest to reach (and, you know, win) the Finals. And let’s just say the way Embiid looked over at PG when commenting on how the Sixers need to “add some pieces” in the offseason has us excited for what might be to come. Is Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid a championship-winning squad?

Bronny James confirmed to have worked out for LAL, PHX: This isn’t free agency news per se, but given what the ramifications might be regarding where Bronny’s dad (heard of him?) signs, we think it qualifies. Rich Paul reported that Bronny only worked out for Phoenix and LA “by design”, but that doesn't mean the Suns and the Lakers are his only potential landing spots. Still, it definitely predicts something about teams’ willingness to take a chance on the kid, whose NBA readiness has been repeatedly called into question.

Enjoy the Journey: Quinten Post

When the Sixers' Francisco Elson stepped off the court on February 28th 2012 in a blowout win over the Pistons, it would be the last time a Dutch player appeared in an NBA game. Now, more than 12 years later, Quinten Post is part of a new generation trying to change that. 

The 24-year-old seven-footer out of Boston College has spent the better part of the last few seasons dominating ACC competition on both ends of the court, and has many NBA teams interested with his unique combination of floor spacing ability and rim protection for a big man. 

Along with West Virginia's Jesse Edwards and Bradleys Malevey Leons, Post is one of three Dutch players on nbadraft.net’s Top 100 Prospects, and he’s excited about the potential opportunity to rep Dutch hoops at the highest level. 

“It would really mean a lot, and I think that’s something over the last few months I’ve kind of realized that there hasn’t been any Dutch players in the NBA since I’ve started playing basketball,” said Post. “Just having somebody in the NBA could mean so much for the sport in the Netherlands, someone kind of for the kids to look up to.”

And despite his father playing basketball throughout his youth, Post’s first love, like many other kids growing up in Amsterdam, was soccer. He played both as a goalkeeper and in the field, something he credits for helping to improve his skills on the court.

“Being a goalie definitely helped me with the hand eye coordination but I do think that playing the field was probably even more beneficial,” said Prost. “Being able to run into lanes, find space, and lay that foundation of footwork really helps in basketball too.” 

But at the age of 11, Post would finally swap out the pitch for the hardwood, in part because a player who would go on to inspire his playstyle was reaching his zenith.

“Dirk Nowitzki was definitely an inspiration for me, and playing that Finals series against the big three and LeBron James with his style of play always kind of interested me,” he said. “For a bigger guy to be able to put the ball down to drive and also shoot it is something that I always tried to translate to my game, and Dirk is really where my dream of the NBA started.”

Post grew and grew as a player during his highly successful youth career, and he eventually earned interest from a few European teams, notably Barcelona and KK Mega Basket. However, he decided to get his degree and go the college route, choosing to attend Mississippi State. But after a couple of seasons struggling to get minutes, Post entered the transfer portal in search of more playing time, and in the process found the perfect match—Boston College. 

Under new Head Coach Earl Grant Post once again found the freedom to play his natural game, and the results quickly paid off. Between his junior and senior seasons, Post won the ACC’s Most Improved Player Award, made the All-ACC 2nd team, two All-ACC Tournament teams, and the ACC All-Defensive team, all while shooting nearly 43% from beyond the arc as a seven-footer.

“Coach Grant gave me so much more freedom and responsibility and he just kind of saw that I had more skills than a normal big man,” he said. “He really trusted me to make a lot of reads and kind of become the player I am today.”

That player is now on the precipice of making history for his country and fulfilling a lifelong goal. After such a long journey, Post has a real sense of clarity of just how far he’s come, especially considering just 1.2% of college players ever even step foot on an NBA court 

“Hearing that makes me think about my freshman year, when I sat out the entire season without ever getting a chance. Now five years later I was one of the better players in college basketball and have a real shot at my dream. I just had to follow my own journey.”

Enjoy x No Ceilings

What’s good Enjoyers?! No Ceilings here. Today we’re going to hit you with the draft’s most interesting prospects. These dudes can’t be put into a traditional box and are enjoyably intriguing in their own ways.

Let’s start this off with my guy Dillon Jones from Dame Lillard’s alma mater Weber State. Jones is a 6’5” 235 pound wing with a 6’11” wingspan that averaged a cool 21-10-5 during his senior campaign. Jones is fairly ground bound player but he can get wherever he wants on the court by using his brute strength and next level basketball IQ. The coolest part about Jones is his journey. Dillon had to play on the scrimmage team at the Nike Hoop Summit last year just to get in front of NBA scouts. From there he took the G League Elite camp by storm, earning his way to the NBA Combine and naturally balling out there too. He could have opted to stay in last year’s draft, but bet on himself to boost his stock even more, and now he’s ready to hear his name called in less than a week.

Next up is University of San Francisco gadget big Jonathan Mogbo. Mogbo is not your grandpa’s big man. At 6’7” with a 7’2” wingspan, Mogbo is straight from the school of Draymond, utilizing his guard like ball handling and passing to unlock funky schemes on offense, while displaying seamless switch-ability on defense. Mogbo isn’t a perfect prospect, as there are questions about the jumper, but he brings more than enough funkiness everywhere else to be an impact guy at the next level.

Last but not least, we have Virginia’s Ryan Dunn. Dunn is a 6’7” wing that is like the craziest defensive wing prospect we’ve seen in quite some time. His block percentage would make elite centers jealous. His elite steal rate would make little guards envious. We’ve never seen a defensive profile quite like his and an NBA team is going to bet on it.

Thanks for reading y'all. We’ll be back for more draft talk next week. In the meantime, make sure you’re caught up on all things draft by copping the official 2024 No Ceilings NBA Draft Guide!

Three in the Key

Signing Off

That’s all, folks! Thanks for being with us this week—we couldn’t be more excited to spend this offseason with the best hoops community out there. See you on Monday!✌️

-Austin Zeglis