The college basketball season officially wrapped up on Monday night (April 9) with the UConn Huskies taking on home their second consecutive national championship. Now, NBA draft projections are surfacing, and all eyes are on the most in-demand college players. So, who will go first in the 2024 NBA Draft?
2024 NBA Draft Projections
While many of the top NBA Draft picks are from overseas, there are a good number from college basketball in the States, too. It’s a bit trickier to predict top NBA Draft picks than with the NFL Draft, as scouts have differing ideas of what teams need and might not even agree on a player’s worth. But, there are a handful of college players that will likely be knabbed early in the draft. The first team to select a player will likely be the Detroit Pistons, who have the lowest record in the NBA. Now, let’s get into the NBA Draft projections.
Rob Dillingham of Kentucky
Rob Dillingham is largely believed to be the top pick from college hoops. He’ll likely go second or third in the draft, due to his incredible ball-handling and twitchy playstyle. He’s simply one of the best scorers in the draft. He’ll have to work on defense, though, as will most of the names on this list. He’s at the top of most list of NBA Draft projections.
Dalton Knecht of Tennessee
Dalton Knecht isn’t the best on defense, but he can score. One of his most impressive games was a 37-point win against Purdue this season. He’s just a great scorer, and that matters in the NBA. He’s also the SEC Player of the Year. NBADraft.net has him as the third overall pick.
Reed Sheppard of Kentucky
Reed Sheppard plays fantastic defense, and that could make him quite a get for the NBA. He’s also a strong facilitator and good shooter. Sheppard is pretty underrated, if you ask me, and any NBA team will be lucky to have him.
Cody Williams of Colorado
Cody Williams is a solid forward who should be able to hit the ground running in the NBA. He’s great in transition running on the court and filling the lane. He’s the younger brother of OKC Thunder star Jalen Williams. Some NBA Draft projections have him as high as No. 4 on the tally.
Kyle Filipowski of Duke
Kyle Filipowski was the top scoring and rebounding player at Duke this season, and that says a lot. The seven-foot sophomore is leaving for the NBA, and he’s expected to go early in the draft.
Stephon Castle of UConn
Stephon Castle helped UConn score a national championship this year, and that’s not lost on scouts. He had a big, breakout performance when UConn beat Alabama during the Final Four, with Castle clocking a team-high 21 points, adding five rebounds, two assists and one steal. He’s also a great three-point shooter, which matters more in the NBA than even in college hoops.
Zach Edey of Purdue
Zach Edey is a tricky one. He’s a star player on the court and certainly one of the strongest players in the NCAA, if not the stronger. But, scouts aren’t sure how he’ll do in the NBA, when he’s up against guys his size. Right now, at 7′ 4″ tall, he really stands out, pun intended, in the NCAA. But, it’ll be harder for him in the NBA when that size advantage isn’t there. He’ll also have to up his game when it comes to three-point shooting.
That wraps up my tally of 2024 NBA Draft projections. The NBA Draft is set for June 26-27.