With the 2023 NBA Draft in the rearview mirror, we turn our attention toward the class of 2024 with a wave of incoming freshmen, international stars, and potential upperclassmen risers.
The 2023 NBA Draft has come and gone, which means it's time to gear up for next summer. NBA teams have already been doing homework on the incoming freshmen for years, not to mention the gaggle of international stars vying for lottery status.
Unlike the 2023 rookie class, which features a potentially generational talent in Victor Wembanyama and several future All-Stars, the 2024 class is marred in uncertainty. There isn't a clear No. 1 pick, or even a vague top-5. It's a free-for-all, with several boom-or-bust prospects who could rise unexpectedly to claim a premium spot in 2024.
There will be plenty of intriguing storylines to follow, from LeBron James' son and his dad's concurrent free agency, to the absolutely stacked G-League Ignite team, to the wave of international prospects threatening to outclass their American counterparts.
Here's an early look at the prospects to watch.
2024 NBA Mock Draft: Top 30 prospects for next year's draft, Nos. 1-15
Isaiah Collier headlines USC's impressive freshman class. The 6-foot-4 guard from Atlanta profiles as the best playmaker on the board — a pick-and-roll savant who displays excellent poise and pace working the middle of the floor. He can hit deep pull-up 3s when afforded space and he competes hard at the point of attack on defense. A definite No. 1 pick candidate in a wide-open race for the top spot.
Ron Holland will help lead the charge for a stacked G-League Ignite team next season. The 6-foot-8 Texas native spurned his hometown Longhorns to go pro and he figures to be in the mix for No. 1 next season. Long and lanky, his athleticism shines as a help defender or running the floor in transition. He's comfortable getting downhill and displays soft touch on finishes around the rim, but he will need to bulk up to better handle contact in the NBA.
Aday Mara towers over the competition at 7-foot-3. The waning value of your traditional drop coverage center will lead some to question Mara's ceiling, but he's a deft interior scorer with power and finesse in equal measure. He's not a complete stick in the mud on defense either, capable of sliding his feet in space and using his massive wingspan to essentially wall off the paint. Teams looking for a defensive anchor in the middle will think highly of Mara.
Matas Buzelis will draw a lot of eyeballs to the G-League next season. At 6-foot-9, he has been widely tossed around as a potential No. 1 pick. His comfort level with the ball in his hands, combined with impressive downhill speed and finesse finishing ability around the rim, makes it easy to project Buzelis as the NBA's next modern-age, jumbo-sized playmaker. He will need to iron out the jumper.
Cody Williams is already being pitched as the "theoretical" top prospect of this draft class — a slippery, fluid 6-foot-8 athlete who competes hard on defense and who flashes all kinds of upside on offense. He doesn't have the most refined skill set, but Williams is comfortable handling the rock and he can torch defenders with a quick first step. His jumper looks better than others in this range. He's the younger brother of reigning Rookie of the Year runner-up Jalen Williams.
Justin Edwards should get plenty of runway to showcase his skill set at Kentucky. At 6-foot-7, he's an explosive lefty scorer who can feast on drives to the cup. His pull-up jumper looks good and he can defend across the positional spectrum on the perimeter. The Wildcats can be a tricky team to scout because of John Calipari's outmoded system, but Edwards has the talent to pop — as most Kentucky five-stars ultimately do.
6-foot-8 out of France, Zacchaire Risacher has legitimate top-3 upside due to his fluidity and skill level on the wing. He's not the most explosive athlete, but Risacher shoots a beautiful 3-ball and he can nix defenders with potent dribble moves and step-backs. His touch around the rim is feather-soft and there's definite playmaking upside.
LeBron James Jr., whose father you might have heard of, will play alongside Isaiah Collier in the USC backcourt next season. While James lacks the explosive upside of a traditional top-8 pick, he's a brilliant basketball mind who understands how to contribute in the small ways. He's one of the best perimeter stoppers on the board and he can splash 3s effortlessly. He doesn't offer much self-creation at this stage, but he feasts on cuts to the rim and makes quick decisions in the flow of the offense.
D.J. Wagner will have the ball in his hands a lot for Kentucky next season. He's not the best shooter, but the 6-foot-3 guard from Camden, New Jersey is an absolute beast inside the arc. His twitchy athleticism and excellent feel for playmaking shine on the regular. He's one of the best guard finishers in the draft and he is dynamite on the fast break. He will also get after it with strong point-of-attack defense on the perimeter.
NBA teams are constantly on unicorn patrol in the pre-draft cycle and Alexandre Sarr might scratch that itch. The 7-footer by way of France spent last season in the Overtime Elite league but will spend the 2023 campaign in Australia's NBL. If he holds up against the NBL's brutal physicality, that could bode well for his draft stock in a wide-open lottery. His fluidity running the floor and playing above the rim is tantalizing to watch and he shows tremendous body control facing up or attacking closeouts and getting downhill.
Stephon Castle will immediately assume a significant role in the backcourt for the reigning champs. At 6-foot-6, he has great positional size for a combo guard. Castle doesn't explode past his defenders, but he places with pace and is comfortable shifting gears off the dribble, getting his man off balance with hesitations and head fakes before elevating into pull-up jumpers. His tough shot-making gene is strong and he's a creative passer, to boot.
Spaniard Izan Almansa spent last season in the Overtime Elite league showcasing the kind of size, athleticism, and skill intersection that gets NBA scouts out of bed in the morning. Almansa doesn't quite space the floor yet, but he's comfortable working out of pick-and-rolls and exploding downhill for finishes at the rim. His passing touch at 6-foot-9 is highly impressive and he profiles as a versatile defensive forward who can slide over to small-ball five in certain matchups.
Thierry Darlan hails from the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal and he will play for the G-League Ignite next season. A bit on the rawer end of the spectrum, Darlan has the chance to wow scouts with his dynamic pull-up shooting ability at 6-foot-6. He needs to get more fluid off the dribble, but his jumper frequently swishes through the net regardless of how much space he has available. His athletic profile bodes well on the defensive end too.
Ja'Kobe Walter can score in bunches. With strong positional size at 6-foot-5, Walter is comfortable unleashing deep pull-up 3s or attacking the middle of the floor with concise hesitations and crossovers before elevating into his shot. He needs to improve his decision-making and start getting all the way to the rim, but the shooting ability makes his upside pop in a class short on surefire elite prospects.
Kyle Filipowski was a potential top-20 pick in 2023 before his surprise decision to return to Duke for a sophomore season. He brings a lot of interesting skills to the center position. He can shoot, pass, handle the rock, and finish above the rim — a lot of teams will salivate over his offensive potential. That said, 7-footers with negative wingspans who struggle to defend in space and lack discipline can present serious downside risk too. Filipowski will have to convince scouts his offensive dynamism can offset the defensive limitations.
2024 NBA Mock Draft: Top 30 prospects for next year's draft, Nos. 16-30
JJ Starling's shooting really pops. He can hit movement 3s and make quick work of defenders ducking under screens or DHOs. His bursty first step and capacity for finishing in traffic suggests upside as a secondary creator and slasher and he competes hard defensively at 6-foot-4. He will be younger than most sophomores.
Omaha Biliew is built strong at 6-foot-7 with explosive athleticism and great length on the wing. He just physically overwhelms high school defenders and he could find a similar path to success in college. While he's still developing as a perimeter scorer, Biliew can feast on finishes around the rim with his power and workable touch, and he's a tremendous defender with plus-plus intensity. Iowa State will be a team to watch.
A.J. Johnson is a 6-foot-6 late bloomer who flashes significant upside in the playmaking department. He's crafty off the dribble and quick to dart downhill and collapse the defense before locating the open teammate. His jumper is promising and he operates with extreme self-assurance. He will have a long runway to make an impact with Texas.
Adem Bona is one of several returnees hoping to benefit from the perceived weakness of the 2024 draft. Originally pegged as a second-round pick in 2023, Bona has a strong opportunity to leap into the first round — and potentially into the lottery conversation, if all goes to plan. He's a tremendous interior defender with light feet and bounce that has earned him comparisons to Clint Capela.
Kel'el Ware was considered by many to be a lottery talent in the 2023 class but he struggled to impact winning as a freshman. Even so, 7-footers with Ware's blend of mobility, explosiveness, and outside shooting touch don't come around very often. He has the chance to rise up boards in a big way with a resurgent sophomore campaign.
Tyrese Proctor is on breakout watch after a mixed-bag freshman year at Duke. He's a brilliant playmaker with his head constantly on a swivel, always making the right read and consistently passing teammates open. Proctor doesn't have great explosiveness with his first step, but he boasts positional size at 6-foot-5 and soft touch around the rim. His scoring efficiency was not great last year but his numbers perked up late in the season. Another year of experience and development could lock him into the first round.
Kwame Evans Jr. will have plenty of eyeballs on him at Oregon next season alongside Kel'el Ware in the frontcourt. At 6-foot-10, he brings a lot of desirable, modern traits to the table. He's fluid with ball skills and a projectable jumper. He can finish a number of different ways in the paint and there's built-in defensive versatility considering his athletic profile. He has big-riser potential as a freshman.
Robert Dillngham will absolutely win over fans on the national stage at Kentucky. He's a bundle of fun, frequently uncorking bizarre half-turned pull-up jumpers that somehow find the bottom of the net. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. There's a chance Dillingham gets dinged in certain scouting circles for the unconventional nature of his game, but the dude will put the ball in the bucket — and Kentucky will empower him to do so.
Terrance Arceneaux was a significant riser early last season before tapering off of draft boards and moving his stock to 2024. The Cougars will be down multiple key playmakers, potentially opening up a bigger role for Arceaneux to expand on his appeal as a long, athletic 3-and-D wing.
Terrence Shannon Jr. needs to iron out the 3-point shot, but he's a dynamic 6-foot-6 athlete whose defense really pops. He will have one final chance to showcase enough offensive improvement to lock up a first-round draft slot as a 22-year-old, fifth-year senior at Illinois.
Donovan Clingan came along slowly as a freshman for UConn but in the end, he was an essential part of the team's championship run. The roster will look very different next season, but expect Clingan to wow NBA scouts with his broad shoulders, 7-foot-7 wingspan, and paint protection skills.
Babacar Sane absolutely wants to destroy opponents and he takes great pleasure in celebrating their demise. He's a raw, unmolded athlete who generates opportunities with his defensive activity and loves to play in the open court. His chiseled frame at 19 years old is sure to catch scouts' attention and any meaningful skill development could launch him into the lottery conversation.
Coleman Hawkins was a projected second-round pick in 2023 but he, like many others, saw the perceived weakness of the 2024 class and smelled opportunity. He will look to raise his stock enough to garner first-round consideration next summer on the strength of his excellent defensive acumen in the frontcourt. If he can get more consistent from 3-point range, teams will have no choice but to latch on.
DaRon Holmes has been Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year for two years running to start his college career. A bouncy shot-blocker who can catch lobs and run the floor on offense, Holmes should be able to transition smoothly to a backup role in the NBA.
Nikola Durisic started last season as a projected lottery pick here at FanSided. Injuries and uneven play sent him rocketing down draft boards and now he's looking to bounce back in 2024. It's the perfect opportunity for him to do just that with so little established top-tier talent. He's a mobile 6-foot-8 wing who's comfortable creating his own shot off the bounce. If the jumper starts falling more consistently, he's a teenager with a track record of success in the pros. NBA teams will catch on.
