Tag: 2024 NBA Draft

Zach Edey is now a projected NBA draft lottery pick in ESPN’s latest big board update

The consensus collegiate player of the year is improving his draft stock.

After earning consensus men’s college basketball National Player of the Year honors last season, Zach Edey is now improving his draft stock.

The Purdue star big man, who played for Canada during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, is a fascinating basketball prospect. When the 7-foot-4 center initially decided to return to college for his senior season, he wasn’t initially seen as a first-round draft pick.

While our latest mock draft at For The Win doesn’t have Edey projected to hear his name with one of the first thirty picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, it is hard to ignore the productivity and efficiency we have seen from him.

RELATED: Projecting the first round with Ja’Kobe Walter leading the way

Based on his performance thus far, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo moved Edey into the No. 14 overall ranking on their latest big board update. Givony explained why:

“The runaway favorite to repeat as national player of the year, Edey has found another gear with his conditioning, mobility and productivity, looking noticeably more impactful on both ends of the floor. He has shown better versatility stepping outside the paint defensively, blocking shots prolifically while drawing fouls and dunking even more than usual, finding some real swagger to his game this season.

Edey has done it against many of the top teams in college basketball, with big performances against Arizona, Alabama, Marquette and Tennessee, even showing some new facets to his game as a passer when double-teams inevitably come. While there will surely be some skepticism around his age, lack of perimeter shooting and ability to hold his own as a pick-and-roll defender, Edey has some clear virtues NBA teams can tap into early in his career and is worthy of a fresh look, possibly as a lottery-level prospect in a class lacking sure-fire contributors.”

Edey leads all men’s college basketball players in BPR, per EvanMiya.com. He is also the current leader in Player of the Year rankings according to both BartTorvik.com and KenPom.com.

While there is still plenty of basketball remaining this season, he has shown particularly notable improvement at drawing fouls to increase his free-throw rate. Edey has drawn 9.8 floor fouls per 100 possessions, via CBB Analytics, which is the most among all Division I players.

His progress (and draft stock) is worth monitoring, especially considering this isn’t considered a particularly strong class of future pros.

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Projected first-round pick Tyler Smith: ‘I’m a player that can play in any system’

Rookie Wire recently caught up with Tyler Smith to discuss playing with the Ignite, the 2024 NBA draft, defending at a high level and more.

On a team with several projected NBA draft picks, Tyler Smith is showcasing himself at a high level this season and is emerging as one of the top prospects with the G League Ignite.

Smith, a former consensus five-star prospect, signed with Overtime Elite for the 2022-23 season. He was named to the All-OTE second team after averaging 15.7 points, eight rebounds and 1.3 blocks on 47.5% shooting from the field with Cold Hearts.

He joined the Ignite on June 30.

Playing alongside Ron Holland, Matas Buzelis, Izan Almansa and London Johnson, Smith is climbing draft boards and is in the mix to become a first-round pick on June 27 with a strong campaign with the Ignite.

Smith is averaging 13.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 38.7% shooting from 3-point range off the bench in 19 games with the Ignite. He has registered three 20-point performances, including a season-high 22 points on Dec. 8 in a loss to the Santa Cruz Warriors.

The 6-foot-11 forward has developed into a versatile player who can run the floor and provide floor spacing at the next level. He is still adjusting to the physicality in the G League and is working to improve defensively, especially against smaller players.

Smith will have the opportunity to continue to improve his draft stock over the remainder of the season with the Ignite. He is projected to be a mid-to-late first-rounder this year and could jump higher with a strong pre-draft process.

Rookie Wire caught up with Smith at the G League Winter Showcase to discuss playing with the Ignite, the 2024 NBA draft, defending at a high level and more.

Should Bronny James stay at USC for another year?

Bronny James should return to the USC Trojans for another year despite his dad LeBron’s desire to play with him in the NBA next season.

The USC Trojans have now had freshman Bronny James, son of NBA legend LeBron James, in the mix for the past four games – a stretch where they went 1-3 with losses to Long Beach State, Auburn, and Oregon with the only win over Alabama State.

Of course, Bronny is not to blame for the losses – USC was struggling before his return as well – but he also hasn’t helped turn things around quite like people had hoped.

Coach Andy Enfield has brought James along slowly – understandable considering his early season absence was due to a July cardiac arrest – and in 15.5 minutes per game, he is averaging 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 assists while shooting 66.7% (2-3) from two and 33% (4-12) from three.

Stats in such a small sample size don’t tell nearly the full story, but with only 19 regular season games remaining – and the very real potential of not making the NCAA Tournament – it makes sense for James to strongly consider returning to the Trojans for his sophomore season rather than declaring for the 2024 NBA draft.

LeBron has indicated a desire to play in the NBA with his son, and after just turning 39, the urgency for Bronny to get to the league is a factor. Regardless of his performance as a freshman, an NBA team will likely draft Bronny for the potential opportunity to sign LeBron – who is averaging 25.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists this year for the Lakers.

However, a weak Pac-12 gives Bronny very few opportunities to showcase his skills against premier college talent and caps his ability to get valuable development in college.

A return to USC would give him a chance to start in 2024-25 with the departures of both Isaiah Collier, who will be a top pick in 2024, and Boogie Ellis, who is out of eligibility.

Bronny will be in the NBA, but rushing into the league could stunt his development and actually hurt his long-term potential, while a return to college could make him a more polished all-around prospect – and after all, it sure doesn’t look like his dad is slowing down like most players his age.

Why Gonzaga’s Anton Watson should be on 2024 NBA draft radar

Anton Watson’s size and defensive instincts make him an NBA draft prospect, and improved outside shooting should get the Gonzaga star selected.

It is incredibly rare for fifth year seniors to get selected in the NBA draft. The NBA values youth and upside above all else, and 23-year-olds who weren’t good enough to get drafted early in their college career rarely move the needle later on.

But the 2024 draft class is considered historically weak, which could lead to more teams prioritizing adding role players who can instantly contribute, rather than taking a shot on younger players who may have more upside but who aren’t performing well in college or overseas.

That leads us to Gonzaga’s 6’8 forward Anton Watson, a fifth-year senior from Spokane who has gone from a sub-20 minute per game role player to the leading scorer on a top-15 team in the country this season.

Watson is currently averaging 14.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 57.3% on two pointers and 42.9% from beyond the arc. He turned a lot of heads with a 32 point outburst against the UCLA Bruins in the Maui Invitational, and he paced the Zags with 20 points in a loss to the UConn Huskies in mid-December.

Watson is among the best on-ball defensive players in the country, with incredibly active hands, good body control, upper body strength, and athleticism which has resulted in 179 career steals – second in Gonzaga basketball history only behind Hall of Fame guard John Stockton.

His frame and defensive instincts have had him on the NBA radar since he was a freshman back in 2019-20, but his lack of consistent offense has always held him back – particularly his struggles to shoot from distance.

The modern NBA requires you to be able to space the floor and knock down threes, which is why even elite college players like Oscar Tshiebwe, Kofi Cockburn, Adama Sanogo, and Watson’s former teammate Drew Timme haven’t been able to make it.

However, Watson has made massive strides in this area, going from 11.1% as a freshman, 15% as a sophomore, 22.7% as a junior, 33.3% as a senior to his current 42.9% mark – while his attempts per game has increased in each season as well.

A 6’8 forward who can defend 2-5 and at least capably knock down open threes absolutely has a spot as a 3-and-D role playing wing in the modern NBA, and in a draft class without a lot of obvious long term NBA talent it should absolutely be on the minds of scouts and general managers to consider Watson with a second round pick.

He’ll be 27 by the time his rookie contract is up, but a contending team picking in the second round would be wise to lock him up as a rotational bench piece – rather than gambling on an underperforming underclassmen or an unproven international player.

Matas Buzelis caps career night with game-winning shot for Ignite

Matas Buzelis produced a career performance and hit the game-winning shot on Tuesday to lead the Ignite over the Remix.

Projected top-five pick Matas Buzelis produced a career performance and hit the game-winning shot on Tuesday to lead the G League Ignite over the Rip City Remix.

Buzelis finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks in the 108-106 victory. He went 6-of-8 from the field as the Ignite overcame a 22-point second-half deficit to improve to 3-9 in the Showcase Cup.

Playing in his fourth game, Buzelis showed his offensive versatility from his dribbling and hesitation moves to his footwork in the paint. He sank the game-winner on a nifty 12-foot turnaround jumper with 0.4 seconds left.

Buzelis missed the first eight games of the regular season with the Ignite due to an ankle injury. He debuted with the team on Dec. 2 but was on a minute restriction. He appears to be back to full health after logging a season-high 30 minutes against the Remix.

The 19-year-old was the fifth-ranked prospect in the class of 2023 and is viewed as a high lottery pick next year. Standing at 6 feet, 10 inches, Buzelis has a great blend of size and ballhandling skills that seem to be translating in the G League.

Buzelis is averaging 13 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 blocks and one steal on 48.7% shooting from the field. He has scored in double figures three times and looks to be rounding into form after missing time.

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Spurs select Nikola Topić, potential point guard of future, in recent mock draft

In a recent 2024 NBA Mock Draft, the San Antonio Spurs picked up a potential point guard of the future – Nikola Topic.

Roughly six months after the San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, things haven’t gone too well. Following a promising 3-2 start to the season, the Spurs have now lost 17 games in a row. It’s been a rough year, but on the bright side, they’re in line for another top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Pairing Wembanyama with another top pick could set the Spurs up beautifully moving forward, but they need to be sure to nail the selection. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report recently wrote a mock draft, and in it, the Spurs landed the second-overall selection.

With the pick, Wasserman has the Spurs picking Nikola Topić of Mega MIS.

Too-early Bleacher Report 2024 NBA mock draft has Boston Celtics take trio of big men

Given the need and available talent, we see the vision — but have a few other ideas.

Heading into the holidays, the 2024 NBA draft landscape remains uncertain, with no clear favorite for the top pick and no solid order throughout much of the pool of prospects this early in the season the Boston Celtics and rest of the league to consider. The absence of a standout No. 1 overall candidate means that team needs and the lottery order could heavily influence the selection, with a trickle-down effect making this an especially volatile draft class in terms of making predictions.

Given all of that, perhaps as much as any time in recent memory, it is clearly much too early to make any concrete projections about which ball clubs might take which players given more collegiate play will only help solidify such estimations.

But that doesn’t stop draft experts from plying their craft, and we are already seeing the first serious mock drafts coming out.

Let’s see who Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman sees the Celtics drafting so far out.

Potential top pick Ron Holland II drops first 30-point game in G League

Ron Holland II dropped his first 30-point game and neared a double-double on Friday with the Ignite in a loss to Stockton.

Potential top pick Ron Holland II dropped his first career 30-point game and neared a double-double on Friday with the G League Ignite in a loss to the Stockton Kings.

Holland produced 32 points, nine rebounds, five steals, four assists and two blocked shots in the 110-103 loss on the road. He scored 18 points in the first half and went 12-of-19 from the field in 32 minutes during his eighth appearance with the Ignite.

The 18-year-old easily had his best game of the season. He flourished in transition and had several strong finishes at the rim to lead the Ignite.

Holland is averaging 17.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals on 46% shooting from the field with the Ignite. He has scored in double figures seven times and has registered three 20-point games in eight appearances.

The Ignite, with several 2024 draft prospects, have struggled this year, dropping each of their eight games. However, Holland appears to be settling in over his last two games and that has resulted in his best performances yet.

After a rough start to the season, it will be worth monitoring how players such as Holland and the Ignite develop throughout the rest of the year in the G League.

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Two CU Buffs featured in ESPN’s latest 2024 NBA mock draft

Two CU Buffs were selected in ESPN’s latest 2024 NBA mock draft

It’s looking likely that two Colorado men’s basketball stars will be selected in the 2024 NBA draft.

In ESPN’s latest mock (subscription required), freshman Cody Williams went No. 12 overall to the Indiana Pacers while senior Tristan da Silva was picked No. 36 by the Boston Celtics. Colorado hasn’t had more than one player selected in a single NBA draft since 1981.

Williams, a five-star recruit from Arizona, has done nothing but raise his draft stock through six games played with the Buffs. The 6-foot-8 forward is currently shooting 60.4% from the field with averages of 12.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Da Silva, meanwhile, is still looking to find some consistency this year. He owns three games of at least 15 points but struggled in losses to Florida State and Colorado State.

If he can continue his strong start to the season, I’d also expect KJ Simpson to start showing up on mock drafts soon.

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Report: Sam Presti, Nick Collison spotted at UConn vs. Kansas game

Report: Sam Presti, Nick Collison spotted at UConn vs. Kansas game.

The highest-anticipated college basketball game on Friday was the clash between No. 4 UConn at No. 5 Kansas.

The top-five ranked showdown featured Kansas collecting a 69-65 win over UConn. The game featured several highly-touted potential prospects for the 2024 NBA draft, including Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, Alex Karaban and Kevin McCullar Jr.

Kansas came away with a 69-65 home win over UConn. The Jayhawks are now 7-1 on the season while the Huskies dropped to 7-1.

Such a talented game warrants a high turnout for NBA team representatives. That was the case as all 30 teams had at least one scout at the contest.

For the Oklahoma City Thunder, this included general manager Sam Presti and front office member Nick Collison, who played his college ball at Kansas, per Yahoo’s Krysten Peek.

While the Thunder’s first-round pick likely won’t be in the lottery, they have several other ways to get in that range — including the LA Clippers’ unprotected first-round pick and the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick.

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