It’s easy if a team drafts a player like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, or Giannis Antetokounmpo — how they fit into the team’s culture and system doesn’t matter because they are the system. They will be great anywhere.
However, for the role players who make up 99% of the NBA, fit can be the difference between success and failure — and the 2024 NBA Draft was full of role players.
Which players got the best fit when they were selected, and with that, who has the chance to break out? Here are my seven best fits from the first round of the NBA draft.
Stephon Castle to San Antonio
Everyone looks better next to Victor Wembanyama, but this is an almost perfect fit.
Castle is a 6'6" guard who has shown skill in using picks to get his shot or find open teammates — he knows how to initiate the offense. He also worked well off the ball — Castle was a fantastic slasher off the weak side at UConn. Have Castle splitting time initiating the offense with Wembanyama — each of them setting up each other and teammates like Devin Vassell — and you can see a path to the Spurs becoming an offensive force.
Ready to get to work 💪@XWorldWallet | #ad pic.twitter.com/L1zFRwv8wp
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) June 27, 2024
Castle is also a versatile, switchable defender, and the Spurs need that with Wembanyama serving as the backstop.
The only question is Castle’s jump shot — he has to develop a consistent one to take full advantage of his opportunity. Castle was divisive as a prospect because not everyone thought his jumper would come around, but count me among the believers. Once Castle gets that jumper working, he will be a perfect fit for what the Spurs are trying to grow into.
Zach Edey to Memphis
With Steven Adams out for Memphis in the 2022 playoffs, it was obvious how much they missed him doing the dirty work for this high-flying team: Setting big picks, rebounding, protecting the rim. Adams missed all of last season following PCL surgery and the Grizzlies traded him to Houston at the deadline.
Zach Edey is going to step right into those shoes.
Edey will set massive screens and Ja Morant is going to love finding him on lobs. Edey will protect the rim and be a strong defensive fit next to Jaren Jackson Jr. He’s going to have to step up his conditioning to run with the Grizzlies, but Edey could be in the mix for Rookie of the Year because he’s going to get opportunities and he will put up counting stats.
While I still expect the Grizzlies to go out and get a veteran center at the minimum, Edey is going to get his chance and play 20ish minutes a night. Edey is a perfect fit to be a rotation player out of the gate in Memphis.
Dalton Knecht to LA Lakers
Do you think J.J. Redick might know how to utilize a pure shooter?
Knecht was expected to be a lottery pick but fell to the Lakers at 17 because he’s a little older at 23. The win-now Lakers land a sharpshooter who can step in tomorrow and help — that’s a perfect fit.
"We’d have never imagined a player as skilled and sorta perfect for our needs was there for us (at pick 17) … we had him as a Top 10 player unanimously on our scouting boards."
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 27, 2024
- Rob Pelinka on Dalton Knecht pic.twitter.com/nL7iX9TTUd
Knecht shot 39.7% from 3 on 6.2 attempts a game last season at Tennessee with SEC defenses focused on him. He will come off the bench for the Lakers, so concerns about his defense are muted.
Knecht is going to get chances with LeBron James feeding him passes and for a shooter like him that is a recipe to thrive.
Daron Holmes to Denver
It’s no secret that the Nuggets had promised Holmes and planned to take him at 28 (then had to trade up to 22 to actually land him). It’s also no secret that the Nuggets needed a backup five who could stretch the floor behind Nikola Jokic. Holmes is a perfect fit (if a bit undersized at 6'9"), he shot 38.6% on 2.5 attempts a game for Dayton last season averaging 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks a game. He knows how to set a pick, pop out and hit a 3, or roll and finish at the rim. That’s plug-and-play for the Nuggets’ offense, a perfect fit.
Kel’el Ware to Miami
This isn’t so much a hand-in-glove fit as a case of “if Miami can solve Ware’s intensity issue,” they have a steal.
The question isn’t Ware’s skill set. This is one of the best athletes in the draft who happens to be 7-feet tall and shot 42% from 3 last season in Indiana. He sets a big pick, can be a roll threat going to the rim and knows how to finish. There’s a lot to like.
The concern? Consistent effort. He was inconsistent throughout the college season, and reports out of some of his workouts for teams in the run-up to the draft mentioned a lack of intensity.
If there’s one thing the Heat will not tolerate, it’s a lack of intensity — Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo will call him out for it long before Eric Spoelstra even has to. If Ware responds to that, the Heat will once again look smart with the guy they drafted.
Baylor Scheierman to Boston
Joe Mazzulla loves his 3s — no team took more 3-pointers last season than Boston. So they draft a movement shooter who launched 13.3 3-point attempts per 100 possessions and hit 38.1% on them last seeason. Scheierman is a quick decision maker and can put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts. He is an older player (23) who can walk in the door and help now. Do I need to keep going? Scheierman is a prospect who wasn’t for everyone but is perfect for Boston.
Nikola Topic to Oklahoma City
The Thunder can afford to play the long game and won big because of it.
Topic is arguably the most talented point guard in the draft, but he fell down the board after a partial tear to his ACL that will require surgery and have him missing most if not all of his first season. OKC can wait that out, and when he returns, the Thunder will get a guy who might be an upgrade to the just-traded Josh Giddey. Topic has good size, tremendous feel for the game, thrives as the pick-and-roll ball handler, is a clever passer and can score in the paint. If he can develop a jumper, he will be a huge threat.
The Thunder can wait out the injury then bring Topic along slowly behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This is a fantastic fit for both sides.
