The Sportsletter - Super Nova Knicks & The NBA Draft ⏱️

BY THE WHOLE TEAM

Jeff Y. / Marissa K. / Aaron Y. / Parker O.

JUNE 26, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Happy NBA Draft Day 👋

Even after the NHL and NBA jumped into summer offseasons, we're not done yet. It's a full team effort in today's edition. Lots to unpack.

Another pre-draft blockbuster NBA trade stole the show yesterday. We’ll start there before our special guest mock to preview tonight's NBA Draft (8:00 pm ET, ESPN).

Letter Rip!

  BREAKING NEWS   🚨

🏀 The Super ‘Nova Knicks

The New York Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges from the Nets yesterday with a package that included Bojan Bogdanovic and four unprotected draft picks. Bridges is another Villanova product who was a former teammate of Knicks’ trio Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson. The Nova Knicks have gone Super Nova.

  NBA DRAFT  

The NBA Mock Draft Special ⏱️

Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images

Depth, Defense & The Bronny James Effect Highlight This Year’s NBA Draft Storylines (By Guest Writer Parker O’Leary)

It's finally here. The red carpet is rolled out at Barclays Center. Commissioner Adam Silver's handshake awaits. Dreams will become reality. The Atlanta Hawks are on the clock.

⏱️ NBA Draft (Tonight, 8:00 pm ET, ESPN/ABC)

At first glance, the 2024 NBA Draft class appears to lack top-tier talent compared to recent years. But what this draft may be missing with name recognition, it makes up for in depth as several of the top 10-15 picks have the potential to be franchise-changing players. There are also college stars with tournament experience – Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, and Zach Edey – and international players ready to make a difference. On top of all those Xs and Os, the intriguing (and overshadowing) questions surrounding Bronny James are evident. Where will he go? And how will it impact LeBron James’ free agency decision? It’s the first-ever two-day NBA Draft, and it starts tonight. Let’s mock our socks off.

The Sportsletter’s 2024 NBA Mock Draft

1. Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher (F, France)

For the second year in a row, a big man from France will be the top pick (either Risacher or Sarr). Risacher’s potential can launch a new era for the Hawks.

2. Wizards: Alex Sarr (C, France)

The seven-foot center would provide some defensive assistance to a Wizards team that desperately needs playmakers.

3. Rockets: Reed Sheppard (G, Kentucky)

The sharpshooter from the Bluegrass State can add another scoring threat alongside Fred Van Vleet and Jalen Green.

4. Spurs: Stephon Castle (G, UConn)

San Antonio could land the play-now guard with championship pedigree. Castle’s size and defensive ability immediately translate to the NBA.

5. Pistons: Matas Buzelis (SF, G-League)

Another talented playmaker from the G-League could help add to the Pistons’ fun young core.

6. Hornets: Donovan Clingan (C, UConn)

The other star from UConn’s title run might provide the big-man presence for a Charlotte team looking for its identity.

7. Blazers: Cody Williams (SF, Colorado)

The talented but raw winger will have to grow alongside Scoot Henderson, but Portland is playing the long game.

8. Spurs: Dalton Knecht (SG, Tennessee)

Here’s the key to unlocking space for Vicor Wembanyama in the paint. Knecht can get hot from anywhere. 

9. Grizzlies: Ron Holland (SF, G-League)

He’s still raw, but there’s a deep well of talent that could spring into a long-term running mate for a rehabilitated Ja Morant.

10. Jazz: Rob Dillingham (G, Kentucky)

One of the most talented scorers in the draft falls to Utah, and they need him.

Picks 11-20: 11. CHI: Devin Carter (G, Providence), 12. OKC: Zach Edey (C, Purdue), 13. SAC: Nikola Topic (G, Serbia), 14. POR: Tristan Da Silva (F, Colorado), 15. MIA: Tidjane Salaun (F. France), 16. PHI: Tyler Kolek (G, Marquette), 17. LAL: Jared McCain (G, Duke), 18. ORL: Kel’el Ware (C, Indiana), 19. TOR: Bub Carrington (G, Pittsburgh), 20. CLE: Ja’Kobe Walter (G, Baylor)

Picks 21-30: 21. NOP: Bobi Klintman (F, Sweden), 22. PHX: Isaiah Collier (G, USC), 23. MIL: Johnny Murphy (F, Kansas), 24. NYK: Kyle Filipowski (C, Duke), 25. NYK: Terrence Shannon (G, Illinois), 26. WSH: Ryan Dunn (F, Virginia), 27. MIN: Baylor Scheierman (SF, Marquette), 28. DEN: Daron Holmes (C, Dayton), 29. UTA: A.J. Johnson (G, NBL), 30. BOS: Harrison Ingram (G, North Carolina)

🚨 Bonus Pick

Pick #41: 76ers: Bronny James (G, USC) – Don’t put it past Daryl Morey to take a risk on the younger James and attempt to lure his father to the City of Brotherly Love.

Read More

NBC Sports: 2024 NBA Mock Draft, Full Rounds 1 & 2

Sporting News: 2024 NBA Mock Draft: Final Predictions, Rumors, Prospects Rising & Falling Entering Final Day

CBS Sports: 2024 NBA Mock Draft: Dalton Knecht Surgers to No. 6, Bronny to Lakers in 2nd Round

  MLB  

End-of-June Power Rankings 📊

Photo: Elsa / Getty Images

Subway Series Between Mets & Yankees Brings Drama — Red Sox, Braves & Texas Teams Surging

It’s Subway Series week (Mets vs. Yankees), and those two bitter rivals will have plenty of eyeballs the next 48 hours. The Pinstripes have been in the top-3 of the power rankings all year long as they jockey with the Phillies for No. 1. But the Mets? A mid-season turnaround is echoing through the majors. They’ve climbed from No. 26 to No. 15 in the last two weeks, and they took down Gerrit Cole last night (9-7). Game 1 of the Subway Series goes to Queens.

Other Notable Trends: Both the Astros and Rangers went on week-long win streaks to surge up the rankings. The Braves and Rays also took big leaps this week while the Blue Jays and Giants tumbled. Here’s where we got 'em.

MLB Power Rankings

1. Phillies (51-27) ↑2

2. Yankees (52-29) ↓1

3. Guardians (51-26) ↑2

4. Dodgers (50-31) —

5. Orioles (49-30) ↓3

6. Brewers (47-33) ↑1

7. Mariners (45-37) ↓1

8. Twins (43-36) —

9. Red Sox (43-37) ↑1

10. Braves (43-33) ↑1

Teams 11-20: 11. Royals (43-38), 12. Padres (43-41), 13. Cardinals (40-37), 14. Astros (39-40), 15. Mets (38-39), 16. Rangers (37-42), 17. Rays (40-40), 18. Diamondbacks (39-40), 19. Nationals (38-41), 20. Pirates (38-41)

Teams 21-30: 21. Giants (38-42), 22. Reds (37-42), 23. Cubs (37-43), 24. Tigers (37-42), 25. Blue Jays (36-43), 26. Angels (32-46), 27. Rockies (27-52), 28. Athletics (29-53), 29. Marlins (28-51), 30. White Sox (21-60)

Read More

FOX Sports: MLB Power Rankings: Yankees or Phillies No. 1?

B/R: MLB Power Rankings: Phillies Back on Top While Astros, Braves, Red Sox Climb

CBS Sports: MLB Power Rankings: Phillies Dethrone Yankees, Red Sox & Mets Make Moves

  WNBA  

Lynx Lift Commissioner's Cup 🏆

Photo: David Berding / Getty Images

Minnesota Lynx Top New York Liberty (94-89) for 1st Commissioner’s Cup Title in Team History

The Minnesota Lynx just put the ‘W’ on notice. In another of this week’s championship moments (of sorts), the Lynx took down the Liberty last night (94-89) to raise the franchise’s first Commissioner’s Cup trophy — the WNBA’s in-season tournament. Napheesa Collier was named Commissioner’s Cup MVP. She had 21 points while Bridget Carleton led the way with 23 in the title match. Lynx players also split a $500,000 prize in the potential WNBA Finals preview.

No Missing Lynx in ‘24

While Minnesota’s in-season tourney celebration is a mild trophy ceremony — just the fourth ever WNBA Commissioner’s Cup — it did send a message to the rest of the WNBA, namely the two-time champion Las Vegas Aces. The Lynx have now won seven straight games, 10 of their last 11, and they’re 13-3 overall with the best record in the Western Conference. This team is sneakily stacked, but it’s been Collier (20.9 pts, 10.4 reb, 3.5 ast, 2.3 stl) who's been dominating.

Watch: Lynx Down Liberty (94-89) to Lift Commissioner’s Cup

Read More

CBS News: Carleton & Collier Lead Minnesota to 1st Commissioner’s Cup Title

Yahoo! Sports: Lynx Edge Liberty for Commissioner’s Cup, $500K Prize in Potential WNBA Finals Preview

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

⚾️ MLB

Jose Ramirez Powers Guardians to Seventh Straight Win

Ramirez Ties Manny Ramirez on Cleveland's All-Time Home Run List

Tarik Skubal Outduels Ranger Suarez in Battle of Cy Young Contenders

Skubal Pitches Seven Shutout Frames in Detroit's 4-1 Victory

Mets Defeat Gerrit Cole and Yankees 9-7 in Subway Series Opener

Aaron Judge Hits a Grand Slam, but Mets Hit 4 Home Runs as a Team

⚽️ International Soccer

EURO: 🇫🇷 France draw 🇵🇱 Poland (1-1)

Kylian Mbappe Scores and France Advances

EURO: 🇦🇹 Austria def. 🇳🇱 Netherlands (3-2)

Upset Victory Gives Austria Surprising Group Win

COPA: 🇨🇦 Canada def. 🇵🇪 Peru (1-0)

Canada Secures First-Ever Copa America Win

COPA: 🇦🇷 Argentina  def. 🇨🇱 Chile (1-0)

Lautaro Martinez Breaks Scoreless Tie in 88th Minute

  NEWS   📰 

🏒 Florida Panthers to Host Championship Celebration on Sunday at 11 am ET (NHL)

🏀 Rockets Interested in Trading for Kevin Durant After Deal With Nets for Picks (SI)

⚾️ Jim Schlossnagle Leaves Texas A&M for Rival Texas Baseball Job (ESPN)

🏈 Jaguars & City of Jacksonville Approve Agreement to Build $1.4 Billion ‘Stadium of the Future' (CBS Sports)

🏀 Latest Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Meeting Set Another WNBA Viewership Record (Yahoo! Sports)

🏀 Celtics Kristaps Porzingis to Undergo Surgery for Rare Leg Injury (ESPN)

🏒 Datsyuk, Weber, Roenick Among 7 Elected to Hockey Hall of Fame (NHL)

⚾️ Mariners’ Double-A Player Hogan Windish Records 4 HRs & 9 RBIs in Incredible Outing (CBS Sports)

🥊 Arman Tsarukyan Suspended 9 Months, $25K for Punch Thrown at Fan During UFC 300 (MSN)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️

Today's Must-Watch List

🏀 NBA Draft

Tonight (8:00 pm ET, ESPN/ABC)

⚽️ International Soccer

🇺🇦 Ukraine vs. 🇧🇪 Belgium (Noon ET, FOX)

🇬🇪 Georgia vs. 🇵🇹 Portugal (3:00 pm ET, FOX)

🇪🇨 Ecuador vs. 🇯🇲 Jamaica (6:00 pm ET, FS1)

🇻🇪 Venezuela vs. 🇲🇽 Mexico (9:00 pm ET, FS1)

⚾️ MLB

Phillies at Tigers (1:10 pm ET, MLBTV)
Yankees at Mets (7:10 pm ET, MLBTV)
Cubs at Giants (9:45 pm ET, MLBTV)

  POLL   📊 

NBA Draft: The Bronny Pick

It’s almost time. What do you think will happen to Bronny James in the NBA Draft? (click to vote)

Drafted by Lakers

Drafted by Another Team

Undrafted Free Agent

Yesterday, we asked: Which of the 50-win teams do you think should be No. 1 in our MLB Power Rankings? You hit it, and we listened. The Phillies regained No. 1 by a wide margin.

1. Phillies (42%) / 2. Yankees (19%) / 3. Dodgers (15%) / 4. Guardians (14%) / 5. Orioles (10%)

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

Guest Writer: Parker O'Leary

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