The 2024 NBA draft is great (if you can coach shooting)

Why can’t every team coach shooting?

BY HENRY ABBOTT

6-6 UConn guard Stephon Castle (right) is projected as a mid-lottery pick because of his elite defense. But imagine if he could really shoot. SARAH STIER/GETTY IMAGES

Smart people have pointed out that the difference between a “strong” draft and a “weak” one is at the top. “Strong” drafts have obvious picks like LeBron James, Yao Ming, Tim Duncan, Anthony Davis, or Zion Williamson. 

This isn’t one of those years. The mock drafts are all over the place.

I wonder if we’d feel differently if Stephon Castle made 40 percent of his 3-pointers. 

Castle has blue-chip qualities: He led his UConn team in style as they rolled to an NCAA championship. He has good size for his position, plays incredible defense, reads the floor, and makes his teammates better. He’s a winner who’s recently driven high-stakes wins on global TV.

There’s a record-scratch component to Castle’s game, though: