2024 Big Board 1.0

The first Top 100 Rankings for the 2024 NBA Draft Class

Feb 25, 2024

After a VERY long time, I am back! Here we have the first Big Board for the 2024 NBA Draft Class. If this is your first time here at RezBall, welcome! And if you are returning, then thank you so much for remembering me and being patient through the long absence.

Well here we are in another season of Draft Coverage. I do have to say I have been very annoyed at much of the coverage surrounding the 2024 NBA Draft Class so far as people are labeling this a “bad” or “trash” Draft Class. While I am not going to write out this piece and tell you the next Michael Jordan is in this class, I think the idea that this is a “bad” class is lazy and very dismissive of the prospects who can declare this year.

Historically, there is almost ALWAYS someone that breaks through in a “bad” class. Giannis and Rudy Gobert in 2013. Kyle Lowry and Rajon Rondo in 2006 (a year that also saw Brandon Roy!). 1995 saw Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, and Michael Finley. Even a year like 2000—widely regarded as the worst Draft in the modern era—saw Jamal Crawford, Hedo Türkoğlu, and Mike Miller last 15 or more seasons in the NBA winning titles and awards along the way. 2000 also looks MUCH better if Michael Redd doesn’t get hurt.

I say all this to say, don’t call this is a “bad” draft. Every draft has talent and if you fancy yourself a “talent evaluator,” then what the 2024 Draft Class is is a challenge. Fluid is the word I have used most to describe this class as there has been next to no one in the 2024 NBA Draft Class that has separated themselves in terms of production, on the court skills, or size and athleticism. There is plenty of talent in the 2024 NBA Draft class—as there is every year—but this is a year where this collection of talent are guys that are raw, further behind in their development than top prospects in previous draft classes, or upperclassmen with fantastic production.

This combination of features for the 2024 NBA Draft class has made me re-evaluate how I break up my Big Board in tiers. If you are new here, every Draft Class I break up into tiers marking who I think will be superstars, who could be all-stars, who has NBA starter-level potential, who can crack an NBA rotation, and so on and so forth. Well this year, due to the fluidity of the field, I am breaking up my tiers into the following.

The top tier for the 2024 NBA Draft Class is what I like to call, “Somebody Has to Step Up.” Perhaps the most difficult feature of this Draft class is that the field of guys in contention for the number one overall pick this year is much larger than in years past and is riddled with inconsistencies in each individual prospect’s scouting report. For me, the guys that have kept themselves in contention for the top spot are the players that have kept their resumes intact. Whether it be improved production, consistent flashes of top-notch athletic ability, or clear indication on tape that their measurables make a big difference on the basketball court the guys in this tier still show you many glimpses of big time potential.

The next tier for this class is what I call the “Role Player Supreme.” These are players that while projecting to be an NBA role player and not a featured part of an offense, they possess top-notch role player skills to be consistent starters and difference makers. What does a Role Player Supreme look like? Think of guys like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jaden McDaniels, or Jordan Hawkins. They fill their role at THE HIGHEST LEVEL and every squad in the NBA absolutely needs their skillset.

After that is the “Too Much Talent to Bump Down Further” tier. I REALLY struggled to name this tier as I do want to make it clear these players have great NBA potential you can’t discount, but they also have red flags that are a really big hindrance to selling them as top guys even in a year as fluid as this is. Again, to be clear, the guys in this tier COULD ALSO BE IN CONTENTION FOR THE FIRST OVERALL PICK. But as some of them came into or started the year as the projected number one overall pick, they quickly tumbled out of that spot for good reason and it is going to take A LOT for them to get back into contention for number one.

Next we have the tier I simply titled “I Believe in You.” Many draft evaluators have said that due to the fluid nature of this draft, the same prospect could go at pick 15 for one team while another team has them ranked at 45. I also believe in this fluidity and thus have this tier as the starting point for the prospects I would argue for the most being drafted this year and succeeding in the NBA. I believe all of the players in this tier have NBA starter-level potential and at the very least could be an impact player coming off the bench.

After this we have the “CLEAR NBA Skills” tier. These are the players I think have at least one NBA level skill that should get them drafted and that teams should give at least three seasons of development time to fit into their rotation. I think every player in this tier has the potential to crack an NBA rotation, but outside of their one or two NBA skills, they have deficiencies in their profile that keep them from projecting higher.

This year I decided to break up the guys outside of the top 60 into two tiers of undrafted free agents starting with the “Future Miami Heat UDFA All-Star” tier. If you don’t know, the Miami Heat’s track record of finding Undrafted Free Agents (UDFA) and turning them into impactful role players is second to none. This particular group of players outside the top 60 are ones I still REALLY want to believe in and can see the skill or skills that could blossom into real NBA minutes if they end up in an ideal development system like the Miami Heat.

The final tier for my top 100 is “Intrigue Worth the Investment.” This is filled with players that don’t have clear NBA skillsets completely ironed out, but still possess a high level of intrigue in their game that should warrant an organization to stick them on their G-League team and see if these players can mold their game to succeed on an NBA court.

And one final note before we dive into the Board itself: I will write about one or two players for each tier in more detail explaining their games and why they find themselves in the tier where they currently reside. Looking forward to how guys move on the board this year and hearing the response from you all out there. Let’s get started!

Somebody Has to Step Up

Ron Holland, PF/SF G League Ignite
Nikola Topić, PG/SG Mega
Alex Sarr, C/PF Perth Wildcats
Cody Williams, SF/SG Colorado
Zaccahrie Risacher, SF/PF ASVEL

Ron Holland remains at the top of my Big Board because not only does he have the requisite skill set and physical tools that originally placed him in contention for the Number One Overall Spot, but he also has the kind of fight and mentality I want to bet on in any NBA Draft prospect.

Listed at six-foot eight-inches tall and weighing in at 208 pounds, Ron Holland is wing size with great athleticism to boot. Whether it’s throwing down monster jams, running down the opposition for a chasedown block, or sliding his feet to stay with the quickest player on offense Holland shows he can hang with anyone athletically. While many in the NBA Draft community question whether or not Holland is actually six-foot eight-inches tall (The G League Ignite’s own roster page even listed him at six-foot six-inches tall at the start of the season), it is clear Holland is wing size and his athleticism remains top-notch.

Holland also has a non-stop motor and commitment to defense that you wish every NBA Draft prospect showed on the court. At Duncanville High School, Holland regularly defended the opposition’s best perimeter option while also remaining Duncanville’s number one option. Holland has even shown out when the Ignite played the Perth Wildcats in the preseason and Holland was more than happy and capable to taking on Alex Sarr.

Holland’s efficiency has been incredibly disappointing, however, and his potential as a lead scorer is almost non-existent. Holland got off to a terrible start shooting 12 of 56 from three-point range in the 18 games he played in calendar year 2023 for the G League Ignite. Holland also struggled to stay above 70% from the line during that time going 37 of 52 from the charity stripe. The absolute most concerning stats among all of Holland’s negatives are his 61 turnovers in 2023. A wing who cannot shoot is already concerning, but one who can’t pass either and is an even bigger issue. While Holland can pressure the rim like few others, he will be a one-trick pony without shooting or passing to deflect defensive attention elsewhere.

Yet, I do think Ron has been Number One in many people’s eyes for so long that they focus more on what he CAN’T DO and forget to look at all the other things he IS doing. Despite struggling from deep, Ron Holland still maintains a 51.9% from two-point range in 29 games played this entire 2023-24 season. And, since the Calendar has switched to 2024 Ron Holland has done the following in eleven games: gone 46 of 61 from the free throw line; upped his playmaking to dish out 37 assists to 32 turnovers; grabbed 79 rebounds and 27 steals to average 7.2 rebounds per game and 2.4 steals per game.

Unfortunately, Ron Holland recently revealed he will not play the rest of the season as he is recovering from a thumb injury. I imagine this means that people that loved Ron will continue to use the positive improvements in these last eleven games as proof he is still a top guy while those that were already hesitant on Ron will use his shooting inefficiencies and early season turnover problems as reason to keep him out of the top 5. I will write about Ron in much more detail come April and May as he is a fascinating case with all his tools, plus being on a G League team that did not give him much help. For me, it boils down to the fact that while his three-point shot still remains a long term project, Ron Holland still displays an all-around skillset worthy of the number one overall pick.

Role Player Supreme

Ja’Kobe Walter, SF/SG Baylor
Tidjane Salaun, PF/SF Cholet
Ryan Dunn, PF/C Virginia
Reed Sheppard, PG/SG Kentucky

I think Ryan Dunn could be a top 5 defender in the NBA…as a big man.

Dunn is an absolute phenomenal defender who can do everything he can to shut down the opposition. While Dunn’s season averages of 1.4 steals per game and 2.3 blocks per game make it clear Dunn’s commitment, skill, and level of focus on defense I think Dunn’s team context make his game on defense even more impressive. For starters, Dunn is listed at six-foot eight-inches tall and 216 pounds and is playing the center position for the Cavaliers. While that by itself is impressive enough, Dunn plays with only one other player in the rotation who is taller than him in Blake Buchanan who is listed at six-foot eleven-inches tall and is currently sixth in total minutes played for Virginia.

Not only does Dunn have to help make up for a lack of height on this Virginia roster, he also has to make up for a lack of bulk as Dunn is the ONLY player who plays more than 16 minutes per game who is listed over 185 pounds. I also argue that Dunn is not only having to play center for this Virginia squad, but this lack of guys with bulk specifically on the wing where Andrew Rhode and Jacob Groves are listed at 185, means Dunn has to make sure he can handle wings when these two find themselves lined up against bigger forwards.

I lay this all out because it should make you look at Dunn’s defensive production in a new light. He is not operating under prime conditions that put him in the perfect conditions where he doesn’t have to do much, it’s the opposite! And why I am so adamant on Dunn at center is not just the 2.3 blocks he’s averaged all season, but it’s also the fact he’s shot 70% on 90 shots at the rim and has had five games where he’s blocked FIVE OR MORE SHOTS. To put that in context, Mark Williams had six his last season at Duke. If nothing else go open another tab or window and watch Dunn’s games against, Wisconsin, the January 24th game against NC State, and Dunn’s two most recent games against Pitt and Wake Forest where he has FIVE and SEVEN blocked shots.

Dunn is offensively limited, however. He is not a shooter as he posts 22.2% from three-point range on the year and 53.6% from the line. While you are going to see other draft sites list Dunn at small forward, I believe Dunn is a big. I only bring this up here because if you are still selling Dunn as a small forward, then these shooting numbers are incredibly damaging. I can’t recall the last time ANY perimeter player with shooting numbers this bad was even drafted regardless of how good he was on defense. Dunn is also not generating a ton of offense as he is third on this Virginia team in total points and total shot attempts.

Dunn is someone I am fascinated to watch and really could write about him with every Big Board Update, so stay tuned for when I do write about him in more detail. I didn’t even get into Dunn’s rebounding here—which is also great. Defensively, Dunn has few peers, but when it comes to his offense it will depend entirely on how teams determine what his actual NBA position will be.

Too Much Talent to Bump Down Further

Stephon Castle, SG/SF UConn
Rob Dillingham, PG/SG Kentucky
Yves Missi, C Baylor
Aaron Bradshaw, C Kentucky
Isaiah Collier, PG/SG USC
Matas Buzelis, SG/SF G League Ignite

I know perhaps the BIGGEST ranking of contention on this first Big Board will be Aaron Bradshaw. I keep it real and I have Bradshaw here based solely off his size and athleticism coupled with his shot blocking and shooting potential. I know his production is down, but for my first Big Board I want to keep him here because I do think he has big upside that is being overlooked.

Bradshaw is a lanky big man that is fluid, can block shots, and is a budding shooter. Kentucky lists Aaron Bradshaw at seven-feet one-ich tall, 226 pounds but he moves like a wing. Bradshaw also uses that movement to be a good shot blocker. As a junior in high school he blocked 3.2 shots per game and followed that up with 2.4 shot blocks per game as a senior. He can also block shots as the center protecting the paint or as the power forward coming over as a weak-side rim protector.

Offensively, however, is where I think Bradshaw is undersold. The skills he consistently displays are as a pick-and-roll finisher and as a lob threat. Bradshaw’s potential as a shooter is why I will continue to rank him higher than the consensus. While I understand this is a long term project, I believe in what I have seen so far and Coach Cal of Kentucky also has a history of not letting his big men shoot threes. At Peach Jam, Bradshaw showed a willingness to launch away from distance and he mechanics were solid and consistent. Again, I know this is a long term project, but it is a major plus in the profile the team that takes him would be wise to develop patiently.

Yes, yes Bradshaw is not producing at Kentucky and hardly playing. In a surprising move, Coach Calipari has gone with a smaller lineup most of the year and even more so in the last six games where Bradshaw has played just 12 minutes per game. Even during the beginning of the season where Bradshaw played 21 minutes per game, his production DID NOT stand out in any way. The name Skal Labissiere SHOULD come up when thinking about Bradshaw as Skal was also a high profile big man that Coach Cal famously admitted to making a “lesson plan [that] didn’t fit him.”

While I DO think part of what we are seeing with Bradshaw is a repeat of Coach Cal coming up with the wrong lesson plan for Aaron, the Labissiere comp should come with more of an emphasis on the fact that Labissiere did not work out in the NBA. A perimeter big who has center height but a concerning lack of strength with stretch potential that hasn’t been fully developed could be the scouting report for either. Cal has not allowed Bradshaw to shoot threes, as previously mentioned, so to this point that skillset is entirely a theory based off what we saw at Peach Jam.

Yet, in a draft where we are ALL looking for the major upside guys, I will bet on the seven-foot one guy that runs and cuts like a deer, catches lobs on the regular, is a willing screener, and is working on getting better as a shooter. Bradshaw could very well return to Kentucky for his Sophomore year and improve on his production, but for a team at the end of the lottery, this is a bet you should take.

I Believe in You

Cam Christie, SG/SF Minnesota
Izan Almansa, PF/C G League Ignite
Tyler Smith, PF/C G League Ignite
Kevin McCullar, PG/SG Kansas
Wooga Poplar, SG/SF Miami
Tristan Da Silva, SF/SG Colorado
Daron Holmes II, C Dayton
Judah Mintz, PG/SG Syracuse
Melvin Ajinca, SF/SG Saint Quentin
Trevon Brazile, PF/C Arkansas
Dalton Knecht, SF/PF Tennessee
Alex Karaban, SF/PF UConn
Oso Ighodaro, PF/C Marquette
AJ Storr, SF/SG Wisconsin
Milan Momcilovic, SF/PF Iowa State
Jaylon Tyson, SF/SG Cal
Payton Sandfort, SF/PF Iowa
Igor Milicic Jr. PF/C Charlotte

Quite possibly THE MOST SLEPT-ON PROSPECT IN THE 2024 NBA DRAFT CLASS is Minnesota’s Cam Christie. The six-foot six-inch tall 190 pound wing is part of the three-headed scoring threat for a surprising 16-9 Minnesota Golden Gophers squad. Christie’s 11.0 points per game is second on the team, his 59 assists are third on the squad as are his 86 defensive rebounds. Christie does quite a bit for this Minnesota team.

The Number One thing Cam Christie is is a multipurpose three-point threat. Whether it is off-the-bounce, from catch-and-shoot, or in transition Cam Christie will not only be able to shoot it, but he’ll knock it down at a high clip. Christie has taken 126 three-point shots so far this season—second on the team—and posts a stellar 42.1% on those long range shots. This also applies to Christie’s developing mid-range jumper as he is 25/53 for 47.2% on shots in the mid-range. And the most important aspect of Christie’s shooting I consistently observe on film is he IS NOT phased by pressure. It does not matter if you are in his face, he will knock down that shot.

Cam is also a developing playmaker who shows he can create for others and take care of the ball. Christie boasts an over 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio with 59 assists to just 27 turnovers and the percentages are even more favorable with an assist percentage of 15.4% and a turnover rate of 10.2%. While I am not going to argue for Cam Christie the point guard, it’s clear he has secondary creator potential here and is someone you can trust giving the ball to when your primary creator is stifled.

Christie does lack physicality on both ends of the court, however. He can and will get pushed around by bigger forwards on defense and Christie does not get to the rim much because he doesn’t yet have the strength to get there when he is covered. For other shooters this isn’t that big of a deal, but for Christie it IS because he has the ball handling and playmaking abilities to make a huge impact if he can get to the rim more. You could use someone like CJ McCollum here as a counterargument seeing as CJ has built a good career off being a great jump-shooter at two levels, but to me CJ is the exception and not the rule. Christie will need to get stronger if he wants to be more than just a shooter.

Again, I cannot believe more scouts and NBA Draft peeps on Twitter have not been in on Cam Christie. Hopefully that will change as we get further into conference play and scouts dive into more film once the season is over because Cam is a great shooter with solid ball skills and playmaking that can be developed into much more. Listen to me state the case for Cam in our latest pod here!

While not as slept on as Cam Christie, Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic is another of the few freshman in this class who have consistently shined from the jump. A six-foot eight-inch tall shooter weighing in at 220 pounds, Milan is thought of primarily as a shooter, but he offers versatility on defense and a developing offensive game inside the three-point arc.

Shooting 37.5% from three on 120 attempts (second on the Iowa State squad), Momcilovic leads a two man spacing unit with Curtis Jones for the Cyclones. Couple this with Milan’s 84.5% from the free throw line and you can see this is a Legit Shooter—he will not only take a ton of three-point attempts, but he’ll knock them down at an above average percentage. Looking at Momcilovic’s 57.1% True Shooting, you can see this kind of shooting stroke keeps his offensive efficiency high.

Milan is also a severely underrated defender in my opinion. The best example I can give for this is in the January 9, 2024 game against Houston.

It is CLEAR Houston wants to get Momcilovic in switches so he can be one-on-one with Houston’s guards. Little do they realize Momcilovic has great defensive technique staying in a stance and sliding his feet. Jamal Shead in particular cannot shed Milan and this is a contributing factor to Iowa State pulling off the upset. It is clear that Momcilovic has game on both ends of the court and works hard to hone his craft.

I’m sure there are many doubters and cynics out there whose response to that last sentence is, he better work hard because he is NOT a good athlete. Momcilovic is not going to beat anyone in a foot race and I am uncertain he can jump over a phone book. If you want an athlete, then this is not your guy.

The more concerning fact is that Momcilovic’s three-point percentage has declined as the year wears on. While he shot a smoking hot 44.4% from three in his first thirteen games, Momcilovic has since cooled off to 29.8% in the thirteen games that followed. These last 13 games are all in conference play as well so it’s clear the Big 12’s focus has been to keep Momcilovic from getting off clean looks from three.

While he is still launching 4.4 three-point attempts per game, Momcilovic needs to start knocking them down again as this IS his NBA skill. Just look at the difference in true shooting percentages in the first thirteen games vs. the last thirteen games: 65.4% vs. 48.8%. That is a WILD swing and is going to give NBA teams major pause.

Yet, his two-point game is expanding as he has some great go-to moves in the post that makes his case for stretch 4 even stronger. His turnaround jumper has shades of Dirk Nowitzki even! Couple that in with Momcilovic’s commitment to defense and you can see he is more than just a shooter. And, just as strong as the case against him is the case that when he can JUST focus on shooting on an NBA floor and isn’t asked to create, he’ll be the best version of himself.

CLEAR NBA Skills

Bobi Klintman, PF/SF Cairns Taipans
Justin Edwards, SG/SF Kentucky
Donovan Clingan, C UConn
Carlton Carrington, PG/SG Pitt
Caleb Love, SG/PG Arizona
Tyrese Proctor, PG/SG Duke
Adem Bona, C UCLA
Houston Mallette, SG/SF Pepperdine
Baylor Scheierman, SG/SF Creighton
Devin Carter, PG/SG Providence
Juan Nunez, PG Ratiopharm Ulm
Harrison Ingram, PF/SF North Carolina
PJ Hall, C/PF Clemson
Emmanuel Miller, SF/PF TCU
Coleman Hawkins, PF/C Illinois
Dillon Mitchell, PF/C Texas
Trey Alexander, SG/PG Creighton
Kel’el Ware, C Indiana
Ryan Kalkbrenner, C Creighton
Cam Spencer, SG UConn
Matthew Murrell, SG/PG Ole Miss
Jared McCain, SG/PG Duke
DJ Wagner, PG/SG Kentucky
Antonio Reeves, SG Kentucky
Jamison Battle, SF/PF Ohio State
Kyle Filipowski, C Duke
Reece Beekman, PG/SG Virginia

Emmanuel Miller is another defensive specialist I feel is not getting enough love for the 2024 NBA Draft. The six-foot seven-inch tall forward from TCU was always regarded as a good defender and nice role player, but this season Miller has stepped up in a BIG way leading the Horned Frogs in points, rebounds, two-point attempts, and free throw attempts. He’s even drained some awesome game winners!

While Miller’s 16.1 points per game is impressive, it’s his improvements as a three-point shooter and playmaker that push him into the high second round for me. They year isn’t over yet, and Miller already posts career highs in three-point makes and attempts going 23 of 59. Miller also posts a career high assists with 70 so far. These should not go unheralded as TCU lost BOTH their starting guards from last year, brought in big time transfer Jameer Nelson Jr., and it was MILLER who stepped up to be the lead frog.

Miller has also been incredibly efficient as he has stepped up. His shooting splits on the year currently sit at 51.0% from two-point range, 39.0% from three-point distance, and 80.2% from the free throw line. The free throw improvement from not being able to crack 70% the past two seasons to 80.2% also shows Miller has put in a TON of work on his mechanics that have really helped his shot. All of this translating to a 57.5% true shooting percentage.

While Miller’s shooting improvements SHOULD be celebrated, his shooting skills overall are going to be under major scrutiny as an NBA Draft prospect. The percentages are obviously good and the volume definitely increased, but Miller still doesn’t take many threes. His three-point attempt rate is a lowly 19.3% this year…and that is a CAREER HIGH for Miller’s five year NCAA Career. Even if Miller plays a small-ball power forward role in the NBA, he will need to shoot a lot more threes if he is going to make it as a role player.

Miller also needs to get better as a finisher. He is shooting 85 of 139 on shots at the rim for a below average 61.2%. If he is still going to be a lower volume three-point shooter, then THIS is where he can make up for it. I don’t think anyone is going to give Miller the ball much, but when he does have it he has to be able to keep pressure on the rim if he isn’t going to be raining down threes. He WILL be viewed as a role player so he will have to work on role player skills like taking and knocking down threes as well as finishing when he gets to the rim.

The more I see of Miller the more I think of a player like Naji Marshall or former TCU forward Kenrich Williams. Both guys did not profile as great three-point shooters as they rounded out their games. But, they were willing to fire away more even if the shots didn’t go in at first AND they had the defense, size, and role player potential Miller has. And, for me in the second round, that’s what it boils down to. I like Emanuel Miller’s role player skills and his willingness to become a better NBA shooter.

If you were here last year, or you regularly listen to the RezBall podcast, then you know I love Houston Mallette. Well I’ve got news for you…he’s only gotten BETTER this season! Mallette is currently posting career highs in points and three-point percentage while helping Pepperdine to be a more competitive squad than they’ve been the past two seasons.

Mallette’s dropped 15.0 points per game, 2.4 assits per game, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 44.6% from two, 41.6% from three, and 81.6% from the free throw line. Primarily a three-point shooter, Mallette has worked hard this season and the last at having a balanced offensive attack. Mallette’s 45.6% three-point attempt rate this season is a career low, but in the meantime he has become a good mid-range shooter and solid scorer in the paint. Mallette currently is 38 of 91 for 41.8% in the mid-range and 17 of 39 in the paint for 43.6%.

This is a shooter that knows how to continue to pressure defenses when he is run off the line. Last year Mallette shot a stellar 48.8% on 82 shots in the mid-range while he struggled from three. The progressions Mallette has made as a ball handler REALLY show up here in his mid-range shooting and getting to the paint. He is no longer just a movement shooter, but now knows how to use the threat of his three-point shot to force hard closeouts which he can then attack and make the defense collapse further.

What Mallette is not is a finisher. The past two seasons he has shot 63.0% and 56.9% at the rim and this season he currently finishing 51.2% of his shots at the rim. While yes, he absolutely needs to improve this, I do not believe it’s dire straights if he doesn’t even become a better finisher. His clear NBA role is as a shooter and that is what he has to focus on. Still, if he could be an AVERAGE finisher at the rim then he becomes an all-around threat as a scorer.

Mallette’s defense is also currently lacking. Listed at six-foot five-inches tall and weighing 185 pounds Mallette is slight. He’s not tall or strong enough to guard small forwards and he CAN get exposed by quicker guards. This by itself keeps Mallette in the backup role for his NBA future and he is going to have to work on his defensive technique in order to remain a positive contributor on an NBA court.

Yet, even with his finishing and defensive shortcomings…that didn’t stop a TON of great shooters before Houston Mallette with similar concerns coming into their respective drafts. From Duncan Robinson and Isaiah Joe getting knocked down or getting completely knocked out of big boards as a result; to Kyle Korver and Rashard Lewis getting SEVERELY overlooked because “all they do is shoot.” And to close this out, my comp for Mallette IS Isaiah Joe who makes a tremendous impact off his shooting ability even if he does still struggle in other areas. If they can get their shot off and drain it no matter what, I want that guy on my team.

If you want to talk about shooting SPECIALIST, then look no further than Wake Forest’s Damari Monsanto. The six-foot six-inch tall 225 pound forward has attempted exactly ONE two-point shot this season. If you’re wondering how that can be, Monsanto just returned from injury and has played in only nine games. I start here, however, to show you how aware Damari Monsanto is that his money is going to be made launching away from three.

Not only does Monsanto post a 72.4% Three-Point Attempt Rate for his entire five-year NCAA career, but also boasts a stellar 38.3% on 493 threes in total. While mainly taking his attempts off catch-and-shoot looks and in transition, Monsanto is easily able to relocate off one dribble when opponents scramble to close out on him. Even when opponents do manage to get there, Monsanto is unfazed by a hand in his face. Monsanto also has great pick-and-pop potential as he has been asked to do that sparingly at Wake Forest and could be something that makes him a real threat in the NBA.

Attempting ONE two-point shot obviously shows Damari Monsanto is a VERY limited player. Monsanto has never had a season where 42% of his shots came from two-point range—and the last three seasons have seen his two-point shots account for 24.2% or less of his shots from the entire field.

While he was a solid defender before his injury, Monsanto has struggled against quicker players this season. The games against Pitt show this as their guards hunt him on switches and are able to get into the paint or to the rim at will when Monsanto guards them. I will say I DON’T believe Monsanto is this bad of a defender and this is more him getting his conditioning and flexibility back as he recovers from a torn his left patella tendon. Not going to say Monsanto is going to lock people down when he’s back to full strength, but I think he WILL be able to keep the opposition in front of him consistently.

Perhaps THE premium skill in the NBA right now is three-point shooting, so why wouldn’t every NBA want to get Damari Monsanto on a two-way contract? He could turn into a Davis Bertans-like shooting specialist who you can always count on to light it up from three.

In a Draft class where you can argue for anyone after a certain point, I want to argue for Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi to get WAY MORE 2024 Draft consideration. Omoruyi is a fantastic shot blocker and rim protector that got better and better on defense every year of his four-year career at Rutgers.

Omoruyi is a GREAT defender at the center position and is a premier rim protector. Omoruyi currently has 210 blocks to his name, is second in the nation in blocks per game and block percentage, and his 13.2% block percentage on the year currently places him between shot blocking legends Walker Kessler’s 19.1% in his final season at Auburn and Mark Williams’s 11.4% in his last year at Duke. Every team that faces Rutgers game plans for Omoruyi and yet, he makes his presence felt every game regardless if that game plan works or not.

Unfortunately, Omoruyi is a SEVERELY limited offensive player. If he could do anything consistently on offense, he would be securely in the second round at the very least. Omoruyi’s true shooting percentage the past two seasons are 53.3% in 2022-23 and then 53.2% here in 2023-24. Frankly, those are TERRIBLE numbers for a center that can’t shoot and who takes 82.1% of his shots in the paint and at the rim. Omoruyi also shoots a bad 40.3% in the paint and an adequate 64.1% at the rim. This is not going to cut it in the NBA where if you are a center who just takes shots up close, you CANNOT waste any.

Omoruyi’s defense will get him NBA looks, and honestly, his offensive struggles can be explained by him having to do too much on a Rutgers team that is lacking offensive talent everywhere. All Omoruyi has to do is to continue getting better as a screen-and-roll guy, be a consistent rim runner, and show his rim protection can translate and what awaits him in the NBA can be at the very minimum a role like Isaiah Jackson in Indiana and if he REALLY works at it, something like what Nick Richards has earned in Charlotte.

Intrigue Worth the Investment

Drew Pember, PF/C UNC Asheville
Karter Knox, PF/SF RWE (OTE)
Kanaan Carlyle, PG/SG Stanford
Malik Mack, PG/SG Harvard
Hunter Dickinson, C Kansas
Jackson Shelstad, PG Oregon
Tucker DeVries, SF/PF Drake
Jaelen House, PG/SG New Mexico
Armando Bacot, C North Carolina
Jordan Wright, SG/SF LSU
Nijel Pack, SG/PG Miami
Santiago Vescovi, SG/PG Tennessee
Keyshawn Hall, PF/SF George Mason
Kylan Boswell, PG/SG Arizona
Zach Edey, C Purdue
Jamal Shead, PG Houston
Ariel Hukporti, C Melbourne United

A guard who is among my own personal favorites to watch is Stanford’s Kanaan Carlyle. The six-foot three-inch 185 pound guard has a lot of sauce to his game and has flashed three-level scoring ability all season for the Cardinal.

Carlyle blends a mixture of playground ball-handling that allows him to get to the rim to draw contact with a shooting stroke to knock down shots from anywhere. Carlyle burst on to the NBA Draft scene when he dropped 12 against Arizona State on 5/7 shooting from the field and then exploded the following game against Arizona where he scored 28 points going 6/8 from three-point range and 8/8 from the free throw line. Carlyle has remained aggressive through the year posting a 42.3% Free Throw Attempt Rate and continuing to have big scoring outing like he 22 points against Oregon State and his season high 31 points against Washington.

Consistency on both ends of the court is really holding Carlyle back from being a sure fire 2024 NBA Draft prospect, however. His scoring explosions are followed by single digit scoring outputs or wildly inefficient performances. Take for example, since his season high 31 points Carlyle has posted a statline of 8.8 points per game on shooting splits of 40.0% from two-point range, an absolutely horrendous 21.2% from three point range, and 89.5% from the free throw line. There is a lot of game here, but Carlyle has to learn how to be the same threat every night in order to be an NBA player. And on defense, he can make some great off-ball steals but then get cooked in man-to-man the next play so he has to do a lot of technique work there as well to remain a positive.

Carlyle’s biggest issue, for me, however is his lack of playmaking. While you can attribute is 48 assists to the fact he has only played 17 games, it does not help when you see his teammate Jared Bynum has played 18 games and managed to dish out 94 assists. What is absolutely inexcusable is that Kanaan has more turnovers at 50 than assists. As an undersized guard he HAS TO be a better playmaker in the NBA if he wants a team to buy into his ball-handling ability. Without being able to create for others at even an average rate, Carlyle is going to be viewed as an iso scorer and little else.

The declining production and lack of playmaking as the year wears on screams this is a player who would benefit greatly from returning to school next year (he and Andrej Stojakovic would be an awesome pair!), but it is clear when he is on Kanaan Carlyle has rare scoring ability that every NBA team wants.

While quiet in the statistics last year, I fell in love with Jordan Wright’s all-around game that helped Vanderbilt a ton. This year, Mr. Wright transferred over to LSU and his lead dog skills went up to another level.

This season Jordan Wright is averaging per game stats of 14.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.8 steals with the points, assists, and steals—all career highs! And this is no surprise as Wright averaged almost identical numbers in the final eight games of last season when he helped Vanderbilt knock off SEC elites Kentucky twice (once in the SEC tournament) and the best record the Nashville school has seen since the 2011-12 season.

Wright really does a bit of everything and his six-foot five-inch 225 pound body is a big reason why. He can knock down threes and play guard as he is a solid ball-handler. He can be a wing and handle taller players as he has the bulk and strength to be a problem for the opposition. He can even move over to power forward with his strong lower base and commitment to crashing the glass. And there is NO BETTER example of the best version of Jordan Wright than his game this season against Texas

Wright has struggled with efficiency throughout his NCAA career—specifically from three. I like to chop up stats to see how players start versus how they finish the season, how they look when they start versus when they come off the bench, or how they look in conference play versus the rest of the season. For Jordan Wright, no matter how I chop up the stats, he remains around a 33-36% three-point shooter. While I think Jordan’s ability to get on the glass and the fact he can create his own shot will help mitigate some of these shooting concerns, Wright’s chance in the NBA are as a PERIMETER role player so he needs to be a better three-point shooter.

While I also don’t think Wright’s jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none profile is a negative, many out there will. This mainly comes in the form of, what role does he play at the next level? My answer to that would be: it’s totally up to you! Do you want a small ball 4 that can handle, create some, and shoot 3s? Do you want a big bulky 2 that can punish mismatches and generate free throws? Do you want a power 3 that can effectively guard the wing and be a supplementary creator and shooter? Wright COULD BE any one of these things and it would be up to the NBA team that takes a flyer on him to decide.

Jordan Wright is someone I would always take a chance on as an Undrafted Free Agent because of his versatility and the fact that he has helped to lead two programs back to respectability. He definitely isn’t going to be THE GUY, but he is going to do all the little things that make a team go up one level in practice and in the games.

Ahéhee' for reading this and I will try my best to keep this Substack going at least once a month from now on. Almost at conference tournaments and March Madness creeps up on us also!

RezBall’s Substack

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