- Zach Edey: Perhaps the player that helped his draft stock most during March Madness, Zach Edey continued his nationwide tour of domination through the tournament. Tournament averages of 29.5 ppg, 14.5 rbg, and 1.8 bpg don’t just happen by accident, and although Edey’s game may not seem to fit the modern NBA perfectly, there’s no overlooking that kind of dominance. Some team in the late 1st to early 2nd round is going to leap at the chance to scoop up that combination of physicality, interior scoring, and rim protection. Edey may never be the focal point of an NBA offense, but it’s easy to picture him playing in short strategic bursts, and completely turning the opposition’s game plan on its head. Edey may not have many folds to his game, what you see is what you get.
- Dalton Knecht: It’s easy to project how Knecht will fit into an NBA offense, and given his advanced age (22), maturity, and basketball IQ, it’s not hard to picture him contributing to a winning team right out of the gates. Standing at 6’6” and weighing 205 lbs, Knecht has the ideal frame for an NBA wing. When you add into the equation his picturesque shooting stroke, comparisons to impact players like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter, and Grayson Allen make themselves. Winning SEC Player of the Year is no small feat, and as the competition intensified and the lights got brighter during the NCAA tournament, all Knecht did was continue to take his game to the next level, putting up averages of 26.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg, while connecting on 40% of his 3s. Some team in the mid to late lottery is going to jump at the opportunity to draft a player of that caliber.
- Donovan Clingan: The first collegiate big man who will be selected in the 2024 NBA Draft, Clingan continued, throughout March and April, to show the mobility, size, touch, and interior presence that will make him a top 10 pick come June. Although much less of a focal point in his respective offense than a player like Zach Edey, Clingan’s combination of youth and defensive mobility make him the much more sought after prospect. It also doesn’t hurt that Clingan is now coming off of back-to-back NCAA championships. With tournament averages of 15.3 ppg, 8.3, and 3.2 bpg, it’s easy to envision Clingan developing into a player similar to that of a Walker Kessler or Jacob Poeltl.’
- Jared Mccain: Despite being relatively undersized for a guard who does not project to be on the ball a whole lot in the NBA, Mccain showed enough throughout the season and in his 4 tournament games to put him in real contention to be a lottery pick. Standing at just 6’3”, Mccain is going to have to be a dynamic floor spacer to be able to stick in the league, luckily for him, he might be the best pure shooter this draft has to offer. Tournament averages of 21.0 ppg on 50% shooting from 3, and 94.7% shooting from the freethrow line speak volumes to the kind of perimeter scoring Mccain is capable of. Mccain’s hot shooting throughout the season and in the tournament should be enough to convince some lottery teams that he’s capable of having a similarly lengthy and impactful career as Patty Mills, or Jason Terry.
- Terrence Shannon Jr: Terrence Shannon Jr was on an absolute heater during the NCAA Tournament, averaging a bonkers 28.7, before finally cooling off in their final game, losing to Uconn. And just before that, he was putting up an even more bonkers 33.0 ppg during the Illini’s Big Ten Tournament run. Although a Senior, and one of the older players who will enter the draft this year, Shannon Jr is still essentially a lock to go in the lottery—and even has the potential to go in the top 10. Much like Dalton Knecht, it’s easy to picture Shannon Jr getting buckets in the NBA right now. With a smooth outside stroke and a knack for getting to the basketball and drawing contact, his game mirrors that of Michael Beasley, or 6th Man of the Year era James Harden.
