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🏀 Good morning to everybody, however particularly to …
ZACCHARIE RISACHER
For the second consecutive yr, a French participant went No. 1 general within the NBA Draft. This yr, it was Zaccharie Risacher, who heard his title known as by the Atlanta Hawks.
Risacher, 19, started his professional profession by taking part in for ASVEL Basket, the workforce owned by former San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker. Final season, Risacher was loaned to JL Bourg, the place he instantly turned a standout.
In 23 video games, Risacher averaged 11.3 factors per recreation whereas taking pictures 54.1% from the sector and 45.0% from past the arc. Our personal Sam Quinn says Risacher nonetheless has some work to do on that shot, however he has all of the bodily instruments essential to turn into a star within the NBA.
- Quinn: “He has good defensive instruments, can deal with the ball and has, at occasions, flashed a formidable jumper. He’s streaky on that entrance, and his NBA future might very properly be dictated by how a lot that shot develops, however he brings a bit of little bit of all the pieces to the desk as a 19-year-old. If he grows into the kind of participant the Hawks suppose he will be, then he has an opportunity to be the sort of wing that matches onto any roster no matter who else it has.”
CBS Sports activities NBA skilled Adam Finkelstein graded every first-round choice, and the Hawks earned a strong “B” for his or her Risacher decide. It will not be flashy on the floor, however Risacher’s ceiling is excessive.
The No. 1 general decide actually got here all the way down to a pair of Frenchmen, with Alex Sarr coming off the board instantly after Risacher, going to the Washington Wizards at No. 2 general. A 3rd French participant, Tidjane Salaun, was drafted at No. 6 general by the Charlotte Hornets.
For these like myself, who did not get previous freshman algebra in school, meaning half of the primary six picks had been from France. That makes French basketball one in all Brad Botkin’s clear winners from the primary spherical.
Take a look at each decide from the primary spherical (and observe the second spherical later as we speak) with our 2024 NBA Draft Tracker. It was additionally a busy evening on the commerce market, so remember to evaluate the wheeling and coping with our commerce tracker.
👍 Honorable mentions
💸 And never such a superb morning for …
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DALTON KNECHT
Yearly, there appears to be a participant pressured to endure a slide on nationwide TV. This yr, that participant was Dalton Knecht, former Tennessee star.
Knecht was projected to be a top-10 decide on this yr’s draft, and our CBS Sports activities consultants anticipated him to slide no decrease than No. 8 general. As an alternative, Knecht needed to wait properly past the No. 10 general choice till the Los Angeles Lakers finally took him with the No. 17 decide.
In some methods, that could be a blessing for Knecht — if not for brand spanking new coach JJ Redick and LeBron James — stated CBS Sports activities NBA author James Herbert.
However there are some very clear drawbacks to his slippage. Knecht’s pleasure may need been a bit of bruised within the second, however his monetary portfolio will endure the most important hit. Knecht may solely watch as tens of millions of {dollars} left his checking account with each workforce that handed on him. That is why our personal Brad Botkin listed Knecht as one of many first spherical’s greatest losers.
- Botkin: “Because the No. 17 decide, Knecht is slated to make $18.5 million over his first 4 years within the league. Had he gone No. 6, he would’ve been in line for over $34 million. Enjoying with LeBron is cool and all, however give me the $16 million. There isn’t a assure that any draft decide, regardless of the place they go, will make it within the NBA. However the cash on the first-round slots is assured via the primary three seasons.”
After all, one participant’s loss may very well be one other workforce’s acquire. That was definitely the case for the Lakers.
Not solely did Brad have the Lakers down as a giant winner for touchdown maybe the most important steal of the opening spherical, however the decide additionally earned the one “A+” of the evening in Adam Finkelstein’s draft grades.
👎 Not so honorable mentions
⚾ MLB mid-season grades
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The 2024 MLB season is already midway over, and it is time to ship report playing cards dwelling.
Our MLB consultants have handed out mid-season grades to every workforce, and there are a handful of honor roll college students. A number of groups, together with the defending World Sequence champions, should attend summer season faculty if they do not get issues straightened out.
The one workforce that obtained an “A+” was the Philadelphia Phillies. They sit atop the NL East with a 53-27 file, and the Phils have a 7.5-game cushion over the Atlanta Braves. The whole lot is clicking for Philly proper now, as our personal Dayn Perry explains.
- Perry: “You realize about Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. This yr, nonetheless, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez have pitched on their degree to date, and that provides the Phillies frontline-grade rotation depth that is the envy of virtually each different workforce in MLB. On the opposite aspect of issues, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, and Kyle Schwarber have helmed what’s been a top-tier offensive assault to date.”
One other valedictorian candidate is the Cleveland Guardians, a workforce that has come out of nowhere to completely bludgeon opponents with an electrical energy surge.
If the Phillies and Guardians are on the prime of the category, the Texas Rangers want to search out some further credit score.
The defending champs are six video games beneath .500 and seven.5 video games out of first place within the AL West. That poor efficiency was sufficient to earn the Rangers one of some “F” grades.
🏈 Bryce Younger able to put rookie yr within the rearview
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The No. 1 general decide within the 2023 NFL Draft is already searching for a bounce-back season. Bryce Younger‘s rookie season was a catastrophe, however the Carolina Panthers quarterback has already put it in his rearview mirror.
Younger is coming off a season wherein he averaged simply 179.8 yards per recreation, threw one fewer interception (10) than touchdowns (11) and received sacked a whopping 62 occasions. That most likely wasn’t the NFL debut the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner was anticipating.
Our personal Jonthan Jones sat down with Younger, who’s already taking steps to shake off his brutal 2023 marketing campaign. Younger is aware of dwelling on the failures and hardships of final yr will not assist him enhance in 2024.
- Younger: “I am huge on controlling what I can management and ensuring that that is what’s focusing. No matter occurred the previous yr — the nice, the dangerous, no matter. It isn’t one thing that I can management. It isn’t one thing that holds sway over what we’re doing anymore. So I feel the extra power you placed on stuff that does not have any impact on what we’re making an attempt to be. You may take away from the aim in itself.”
One cause to consider Younger can take a leap ahead in 2024 is the teaching employees overhaul. Turnover is not often good for younger QBs, however when the workforce went 2-15, how a lot can it actually damage?
Former Buccaneers OC Dave Canales is now the top man in Carolina, and he helped revive Baker Mayfield‘s profession in Tampa final season. The Panthers additionally went out and traded for receiver Diontae Johnson and spent huge cash to enhance their offensive line.
Nonetheless, Younger does lacks elite weapons on the surface. The Panthers have zero gamers in our rating of the highest 20 NFL vast receivers. Possibly rookie Xavier Legette can change that in 2025.
📺 What we’re watching Thursday
⛳ Rocket Mortgage Traditional — Spherical 1, 3 p.m. on Golf Channel
🏀 2024 NBA Draft — Second Spherical, 4 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ Copa America — Panama at USA, 6 p.m. on Fox
🏅 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, 6 p.m. on USA Community
🏒 2024 NHL Awards, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Aces at Sky, 7 p.m. on Prime Video
🏅 U.S. Olympic Monitor & Discipline Trials, 8 p.m. on NBC
⚾ Guardians at Royals, 8:10 p.m. on FS1
⚽ Copa America — Uruguay at Bolivia, 9 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Fever at Storm, 10 p.m. on Prime Video