2024 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Projecting the first round with Ja’Kobe Walter leading the way

The 2023 NBA Draft is challenging to predict but that won’t stop us from trying.

The 2024 NBA Draft is a genuinely challenging class to predict but that isn’t going to stop us from trying.

At this point in the season, there aren’t many players who have separated themselves as “can’t miss” prospects. Similarly, many players have clumped together in a similar tier and it is hard to differentiate much between many of those names.

If you’re into uncertainty and like the thrill of the unexpected, this is a fun group of players to evaluate because anything can happen and lots can (and will) change. But for those who want something more clear-cut, this process may become more frustrating.

Our mock draft looks different than some others around the industry and we expect that to remain true until the draft happens. Lots of factors will weigh into how teams evaluate these prospects and so that makes predictions even more hard to pinpoint than usual. While there is a lot we have learned, there is lots more to learn as well.

Unless noted otherwise, all data outside of the NCAA was pulled from our friends at Cerebro Sports — you can create a free account to evaluate player performance across all levels globally.

Our order was determined based on expected wins averaged out from ESPN, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. The teams outside the top eight in each conference were considered lottery squads. Trades were pulled from this database at RealGM.

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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.

5 prospects (Ryan Dunn!) who have most improved their 2024 NBA Draft stock since the season began

These are some of the most impressive prospects so far.

Even though the 2024 NBA Draft doesn’t have a clear No. 1 pick like Victor Wembanyama was last season, there is still plenty of intrigue.

Over the past few weeks, we have developed stronger opinions on some prospects who have performed exceedingly well since their season began. With an increasingly larger sample size across college basketball as well as internationally and in the G League, some players are beginning to separate themselves from the pack.

While we did not cover all those who have stood out with pleasantly surprising performances, here are some of the players who have already made us turn our heads a few times:

2024 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Projecting the first round before the season, with Alex Sarr rising

We’ve got some early risers on the second edition of our 2024 NBA mock draft.

Before the 2023-24 NBA season begins, we wanted to take another look at how the upcoming draft class is shaping up.

Most scouts would tell you that this isn’t as exciting of a class without a big name like Victor Wembanyama (or even Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller or either Thompson twin) in the mix.

But that does not mean there isn’t value across the board that executives can find, especially as some prospects will certainly have breakout campaigns for their respective teams.

After extensive research and conversations around the league, based on our intel and projections, this is how we see the 2024 NBA Draft unfolding as of right now.

You’ll notice that, as ESPN did, we excluded Bronny James from these projections. If he returns with a clean bill of health, that could change in our next mock draft.

Unless noted otherwise, all data was pulled from our friends at Cerebro Sports — you can create a free account to evaluate player performance across all levels globally. We also used AI-Powered statistics provided by the Stats Perform database.

Our order was determined based on reversed odds to win the 2024 NBA Finals. The teams outside the top eight in each conference were considered lottery squads. Trades were pulled from this database at RealGM.

With all that in mind, here is how I’d project the 2024 NBA Draft:

The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.