2024 NBA Mock Draft: Raptors win the Lottery, Kentucky guards plummet

28. Denver Nuggets select Kel'el Ware

The Denver Nuggets continue to struggle filling out their bench, and they haven't trusted a backup center since Mason Plumlee left. Kel'el Ware is a nasty shot-blocker with length and hops, and on offense he is comfortable shooting and finishing. Joining a winning team like the Nuggets could be the right ecosystem to ramp up his motor and help him be a consistent two-way force. It's not hard to think of Ware being "redrafted" in the lottery in a few years.

29. Utah Jazz select Bub Carrington

Carlton "Bub" Carrington is a bucket. That's perhaps all of the analysis necessary here, as Carrington is exactly what you would picture for that archetype. The Pittsburgh guard is 6'5" and can score at will in the midrange. He isn't much of a 3-point shooter yet and doesn't explode to the rim; whether or not he can expand his offensive game will determine whether he's a fringe player or a Sixth Man. The Utah Jazz have enough young players already they can take a swing on a replacement for Jordan Clarkson even if there's a good chance he doesn't improve enough to make his role work.

30. Boston Celtics select Kyshawn George

The Boston Celtics don't have any obvious weaknesses, so they get to merely take a prospect and develop him into a contributor down the line. Kyshawn George has good size at 6'8" and is a savvy passer and fluid shooter. He's raw as a defender and will need to prove himself in a team concept, but the talent is there to be a solid role player who brings a creative element to the Celtics' bench in a year or two.

31. Toronto Raptors select Tyler Kolek

We sneak into the second round here just long enough to make the Toronto Raptors' final draft pick. They avoid taking a wing for the third-straight pick, this time because a player they would have considered taking at 19 falls all the way to 31.

Tyler Kolek is a proven floor general and would step in as the Raptors' backup point guard behind Immanuel Quickley. He has a consistent 3-point shot off-the-catch, perfect for stepping in as a role player, and has an extremely tight dribble and quick burst that allow him to fain separation and finish at the rim. He is a solid defender, albeit undersized, and he makes perfect sense as the long-term backup to Quickley.