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Franz game was so ugly to watch as a prospect
Props to him for panning out so far
Props to him for panning out so far
2025 NBA Draft Thread
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by addict4sneakers,
- Start date
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I still like Deni as a swiss army knife. Not sure he'll ever be an average shooter/scorer, but he can contribute.
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Deni was looked as a negative defensive player . that turned about to be a strength
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Current Franz is basically what I thought Deni was gonna be. And I hated on Franz coming into the draft because Deni was a bit disappointing 
Maybe Matas winds up somewhere in the middle. I dunno.
Maybe Matas winds up somewhere in the middle. I dunno.
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HOU$TON
formerly convertibleburt
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Was there any defense in the second game lol
I was watching highlights-- seemed a little sketch in terms of the competitiveness but idk
In their 2 games:
Holland was 16-20 FT and 4-9 3P
Matas was 4-4 FT and 3-7 3P
Both had high FG% and made middy's too
Seems like both are showing they can shoot so far
I was watching highlights-- seemed a little sketch in terms of the competitiveness but idk
In their 2 games:
Holland was 16-20 FT and 4-9 3P
Matas was 4-4 FT and 3-7 3P
Both had high FG% and made middy's too
Seems like both are showing they can shoot so far
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Hollinger: Scouting NBA Draft’s top prospects at G League Fall Invitational
Now? Already? We really did this in September?
Yes, apparently, we did. There were two honest-to-goodness, real live basketball games this past week in North America, and they had nothing to do with the FIBA World Cup. In an event that featured several players likely to be selected in the 2024 NBA Draft, the G League Fall Invitational pitted G League Ignite against the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s NBL. The contests, played in Ignite’s home arena outside Las Vegas, started the hourglass on the 2024 draft cycle.
Much like last year’s event against Victor Wembanyama’s team from France, this event was a must-see for NBA scouts and execs as a first data point on several players who should factor prominently on draft night — including possibly the top three picks in the draft. Unlike last year, however, the hype factor was microscopic, as there was no prospect anywhere near Wembanyama’s level.
Nonetheless, much was learned over the course of two games and multiple practices; no game all season will feature more draftable talent (sorry, Coach Cal). Ignite signed several top players who would otherwise be college freshmen and could see as many as seven players selected in June, while Perth brought a potential high lottery pick of its own in Alex Sarr and another intriguing prospect in guard Ben Henshall.
I’ll note that there were veterans out here too, and some of them did serious work — Perth’s Bryce Cotton cooked Ignite for 40 in the second game, for instance, as the two sides split the series one game apiece. Also, Perth’s 25-year-old forward Jordan Usher, who played collegiately at Georgia Tech, certainly warranted tracking as a potential 2024 free agent with NBA-caliber physical tools. (Speaking of which: The NBL starts its season unusually early — its annual Blitz tournament begins a week from now in Gold Coast, and the regular season tips Sept. 29 — which is one reason the exhibition series is pushed up this far on the calendar.)
Ignite’s veterans also serve a purpose, adding some stability and leadership to a teenage roster. In particular, multiple Ignite players praised the guidance of 32-year-old John Jenkins, a 2012 Atlanta Hawks first-rounder.
But this series was all about the prospects. Before we get too deep, however, let’s be realistic about where we are in the process. It’s important not to get carried away jumping to wild conclusions based on two games in September. Neither side had a ton of practice time as a group before these games, and they were the first real games for both. June is still many leagues over the horizon.
That said, scouts did walk away with a baseline to work from as they continue to evaluate these players. I sat courtside at both games and took in each side’s pregame work and some of Perth’s practice on the off day. Here are my main takeaways:
It’s Ron Holland, for now
Holland was the consensus choice to be the top pick in the 2024 draft heading into this event and did nothing to change that impression. I should note that it’s still a “soft” No. 1; many evaluators consider him less than overwhelming for a player to be selected this highly, as this is not considered a strong draft class overall. Nonetheless, at April’s Hoop Summit and in this event, Holland stood out.
In the two games against Perth, Holland averaged 28 points and impressed with his defense and intensity, registering eight steals. Repeatedly using his burst to get downhill, he shot 14 of 23 on 2s and drew 20 free-throw attempts across the two games. Holland’s outside shot has been a question among scouts, but his below-the-shoulder push shot also looked solid. He made 4 of 9 3s and a couple of midrange attempts and hit 16 of 20 from the line.
If you’re looking for a sample of the defense, check out this stretch when he reacts to a scramble situation and picks up Cotton on the fly, then shadows Perth’s waterbug guard for several seconds before picking his pocket for a clean steal:
We’ll also nitpick, however, because that’s what scouts do: Holland only had three assists across the two games; you’d like to see him be a more incisive passer if he’s going to be a first option offensively. Too often he puts his head down and goes to the rim come hell or high water; in the same vein, watch here as he draws a foul on the break but misses a wide-open Tyler Smith for a dunk:
Physically, Holland also looked shorter than his listed height of 6-foot-8; don’t be surprised if he measures about 6-6 1/2 or so in socks at the NBA Draft Combine. Between that and a narrow frame, his evaluation will be as a pure wing.
Finally, Holland’s greatest strength also is potentially his biggest weakness: His fire and intensity can boil over at times. He picked up a technical foul in the first game for taunting and was fortunate not to get one in the second after lobbing a choice adjective in a ref-ward direction. You love how hard he competes, but he has to keep it on the rails.
Another French big man sensation?
The player who did the most to change impressions — and generated the most conversation in the process — was Alex Sarr, the 7-1 French center for Perth with a 7-5 wingspan (and the brother of Thunder two-way Olivier Sarr). He made the interior a no-fly zone for Ignite players, blocking 12 shots over two games according to the official stats … and I strongly suspect that was an undercount. Sarr was a menace on the perimeter as well, pressuring opposing bigs away from the rim, sliding his feet in switches and hustling up and down the court.
He’s not just a paint protector, either. Sarr combines shot blocking with incredible mobility, and that’s what really gives him special potential at the defensive end. Two sequences in particular stood out in the second game, both of which came against Holland.
In the first, watch as he jumps the passing lane for a deflection on the initial pass (although he fails to catch it; more on that below). Then comes the really impressive part: He switches onto Holland and mirrors him back and forth through four changes of direction, with Holland getting absolutely nowhere before aborting into a deflected kickout pass. This is incredible:
Sarr has been criticized in the past for a cold motor, but he booked up and down the floor in both games in this series.
Offensively, Sarr lacks muscle, and his offensive game is more perimeter and skill-based. With his size and hops, he has the potential to be a very effective rim runner and short-roller, and he picked out some good passes on the moves in the two games.
Sarr also has developed a serviceable 3-point shot with his feet set; he made three of his five triples in the games and 8 of 11 from the line. Watching him in warm-ups before both contests, his arm mechanics seem fine, but the ball sometimes appears to come sliding off his pinkie and spinning like a Luis Tiant screwball. He could stand to be more consistent too. At times, his shot comes out very flat, but when he gets air under it, he can find the net.
On the ball, Sarr has a passable handle, but that sometimes gets him into trouble when he’s too adventurous; turnovers are his biggest issue right now. He had 10 in the two games, losing his dribble when he wandered in the direction of a guard on multiple occasions. He also committed four traveling violations at the start of moves.
My other concern about Sarr is his hands, which you really see on rebounds. He grabbed 17 caroms in the two games, but there were several other contested rebounds where he was above everyone else but could not high-point a one-handed rebound, plus a few uncontested boards where he seemed to fight the ball the entire way into his body.
Nearly every NBA team will have eyes on Sarr at the Blitz next week (one-stop shopping to see an entire league is every personnel scout’s delight), and he’ll be a must-see for lottery teams into the winter (the NBL season ends in February). While the Australian league probably only has two or three other truly draftable prospects for 2024, a steady stream of scouts will likely make the loooong trip to Perth (a five-hour cross-continent flight after you crossed the Pacific) just to see Sarr.
Tyler Smith makes his case
After Sarr, possibly the biggest mover up team’s boards was Smith, who established himself as a real possibility for the 2024 first round. A highly touted high school player who spent the last two seasons at Overtime Elite, he’d become a bit forgotten while serving his apprenticeship in Atlanta. However, he reminded everyone of his existence this past week with multiple defensive energy plays, finishing with seven blocks and four steals across the two games. Here’s a great chasedown from waaaaay behind the play to deny Henshall an alley-oop:
Smith also made two 3-pointers, a core skill for him, and looked comfortable picking-and-popping throughout the two games. Watching his release, it’s hard not to see the similarity in stroke to another forward of recent vintage, Chris Bosh. The parallels don’t stop there: Smith is 6-10, left-handed, from Texas and spent two developmental years in Atlanta with Overtime Elite.
“I recently started watching him,” Smith said when I brought up the comparison. “In my junior year, because I was getting compared to him a lot. Seeing a tall guy shoot like that, versatile like that, that’s what I want to be.”
Smith also listed Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. and New Orleans’ Trey Murphy as players from whom he tries to borrow, with a clear vision of making it as a pro stretch four. To that point, he was on the court after both games getting extra work on his 3s; he told me he was working on spots he missed from during the game.
Smith will have to show more well-roundedness in other phases to cement himself in the first round. His high rate of stocks this weekend masked some schematic defensive mistakes; he also needs to improve his ball skills in general and his right hand in particular.
Despite how long he’s been on the radar, Smith is still quite young. This is his first draft-eligible season, and he will only be 19 on draft night. If Smith can combine consistent 3-point shooting with rim protection all season, he should land comfortably inside the first round.
Mixed marks for Buzelis
Matas Buzelis is the other Ignite player some have mentioned as a potential top pick in the draft, and he wasn’t particularly bad or anything this past week … but at the same time, he didn’t stand out either. A tall forward at 6-10 with notable pop off the floor and a plus skill level for a player his size, Buzelis certainly had his moments: He was Ignite’s second-leading scorer behind Holland in both games, and his resume included a couple of explosive dunks and some secondary rim protection.
Eye-test wise, however, there were several times when he couldn’t get to his spots offensively, looking a bit stiff and upright off the dribble and playing tentatively. Most of his best moments came as a play-finisher off the ball, either with a perimeter shot off the catch or by flying in toward the cup. On the ball, however, his dribbles sometimes led to misadventures, such as whatever this was:
Buzelis also was a bit too ambitious attacking bigs at the rim, getting stuffed on consecutive tries by Sarr in the first game. Again, these are two September games, and on balance, Buzelis didn’t play badly; none of this is overly damning, and he still projects as a top pick, especially given his size and skill combo. But the chance was there to make a larger impression, and it didn’t happen.
One of the biggest items to track for Buzelis will be his development as a shooter; he has a good-looking stroke right now but didn’t parlay it into a consistently dangerous 3-point threat in the two games against Perth. At his size, launching over closeouts figures to be one of his biggest advantages, and it’s relatively easy to imagine a Mike Miller-esque floor for him if he can get to another level as a shooter.
Izan Almansa will torment scouts
Some of the biggest disputes in NBA conference rooms this spring may come in regard to Izan Almansa, an undersized center without a single true go-to skill … but enough craft and feel to be a hugely productive player regardless. My personal perspective is that players like this tend to be undervalued on draft night, but one can see why NBA teams might have questions in this case. Almansa doesn‘t have much of a stretch game at this point, isn’t a freak athlete and is short for a center at 6-10. Almansa also looked winded at times when he got a few minutes into his shift, especially in the second game.
Nonetheless, he’s been insanely productive at his age level: Almansa was MVP at the U17 World Cup in 2021, the U18 Euro championship in 2022 and at the FIBA U19 World Cup in 2023.
Almansa’s best attribute is his ability to stay under control while operating at or near full speed; in situations where you might see other bigs go careening into a charging foul (or off the court entirely), he can effortlessly slow himself down and finish under control. That, combined with a good handle for his size, excellent hands and plus feel as a passer, enables him to emulate much smaller players while on the move. Efficiency is his calling card rather than brute force; Almansa scored 27 points on 15 shots in the two games, plus he had five assists, four steals and four blocks. Much of his best work came as a screener, where he was adept at slipping screens and/or timing his roll to create openings.
Look at this play, for instance, that begins with him hard-showing a pick-and-roll to force a turnover and culminates in him starting a Eurostep beyond the 3-point line and finishing it with a controlled floater finish. This is just mouth-watering, definitely-not-normal stuff from a teenaged big man:
At the moment, Almansa would probably go fourth in a mock draft of the players who played in this game, but he has a legitimate case to be a top-10 pick based on his productivity and ease of fit in a modern offense. He came off the bench in both games, but one suspects he’ll be starting for Ignite before long.
A second guard prospect down under
We have one name to add to teams’ draft boards after Henshall, Perth’s 19-year-old shooting guard, held his own in the two games.
Henshall showed he can be more than just a shooter, showing craft as a passer and getting his hands on balls at the defensive end. He often was matched up against Holland and didn’t look completely out of place in the assignment.
Henshall’s best skill is his outside shot — he made three of his four 3-point attempts and 12 of his 14 free throws — but he was also able to make a dent in transition and made a few saucy passes on the move.
In addition to set shooting, Henshall’s ability to get into a jump quickly off a hard right-hand dribble is a skill to build on. He actually looked much more comfortable shooting those than lunching off the catch, in pregame drills, the off-day practice and during games.
Henshall needs work on his left hand and his general handle in tight spaces, which can get a little high and wild. Realistically, he projects a notch lower than some of the other players we’ve talked about here and might be more of a prospect for 2025 or 2026.
That said, the entire NBA knows who he is now and will make a point of tracking him when they watch Sarr play in Australia this year.
Wait and see for the others
One Ignite player scouts were very excited to see, French wing Thierry Darlan, is still recovering from a March ankle injury and is not expected to see game action until October. Also sidelined in a walking boot was 17-year-old Dink Pate, who is not draft-eligible until 2025.
Ignite had two other potential draft prospects on the court in guard London Johnson and Senegalese wing Babacar Sane, both of whom likely project as second-rounders at this point. Sane has impressive strength and leaping ability and had 18 boards from the wing spot in the two games but needs to improve his skill level and decision-making on the move.
Johnson, a 6-4 point guard who was with Ignite last year but was not draft-eligible, showed good burst in transition situations and had some strong stands in on-ball defense, but he struggled against full-court ball pressure and needs to be a more consistent shooting threat. He did make some solid pocket passes in pick-and-roll, especially when paired with Almansa.
Ignite’s next stop on the calendar is the FIBA Intercontinental Cup on Sept. 21-24 in Singapore, where they play three games in a field that includes five other overseas pro teams. They will then reconvene for training camp and preseason before beginning their G League regular-season schedule Nov. 10.
Now? Already? We really did this in September?
Yes, apparently, we did. There were two honest-to-goodness, real live basketball games this past week in North America, and they had nothing to do with the FIBA World Cup. In an event that featured several players likely to be selected in the 2024 NBA Draft, the G League Fall Invitational pitted G League Ignite against the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s NBL. The contests, played in Ignite’s home arena outside Las Vegas, started the hourglass on the 2024 draft cycle.
Much like last year’s event against Victor Wembanyama’s team from France, this event was a must-see for NBA scouts and execs as a first data point on several players who should factor prominently on draft night — including possibly the top three picks in the draft. Unlike last year, however, the hype factor was microscopic, as there was no prospect anywhere near Wembanyama’s level.
Nonetheless, much was learned over the course of two games and multiple practices; no game all season will feature more draftable talent (sorry, Coach Cal). Ignite signed several top players who would otherwise be college freshmen and could see as many as seven players selected in June, while Perth brought a potential high lottery pick of its own in Alex Sarr and another intriguing prospect in guard Ben Henshall.
I’ll note that there were veterans out here too, and some of them did serious work — Perth’s Bryce Cotton cooked Ignite for 40 in the second game, for instance, as the two sides split the series one game apiece. Also, Perth’s 25-year-old forward Jordan Usher, who played collegiately at Georgia Tech, certainly warranted tracking as a potential 2024 free agent with NBA-caliber physical tools. (Speaking of which: The NBL starts its season unusually early — its annual Blitz tournament begins a week from now in Gold Coast, and the regular season tips Sept. 29 — which is one reason the exhibition series is pushed up this far on the calendar.)
Ignite’s veterans also serve a purpose, adding some stability and leadership to a teenage roster. In particular, multiple Ignite players praised the guidance of 32-year-old John Jenkins, a 2012 Atlanta Hawks first-rounder.
But this series was all about the prospects. Before we get too deep, however, let’s be realistic about where we are in the process. It’s important not to get carried away jumping to wild conclusions based on two games in September. Neither side had a ton of practice time as a group before these games, and they were the first real games for both. June is still many leagues over the horizon.
That said, scouts did walk away with a baseline to work from as they continue to evaluate these players. I sat courtside at both games and took in each side’s pregame work and some of Perth’s practice on the off day. Here are my main takeaways:
It’s Ron Holland, for now
Holland was the consensus choice to be the top pick in the 2024 draft heading into this event and did nothing to change that impression. I should note that it’s still a “soft” No. 1; many evaluators consider him less than overwhelming for a player to be selected this highly, as this is not considered a strong draft class overall. Nonetheless, at April’s Hoop Summit and in this event, Holland stood out.
In the two games against Perth, Holland averaged 28 points and impressed with his defense and intensity, registering eight steals. Repeatedly using his burst to get downhill, he shot 14 of 23 on 2s and drew 20 free-throw attempts across the two games. Holland’s outside shot has been a question among scouts, but his below-the-shoulder push shot also looked solid. He made 4 of 9 3s and a couple of midrange attempts and hit 16 of 20 from the line.
If you’re looking for a sample of the defense, check out this stretch when he reacts to a scramble situation and picks up Cotton on the fly, then shadows Perth’s waterbug guard for several seconds before picking his pocket for a clean steal:
We’ll also nitpick, however, because that’s what scouts do: Holland only had three assists across the two games; you’d like to see him be a more incisive passer if he’s going to be a first option offensively. Too often he puts his head down and goes to the rim come hell or high water; in the same vein, watch here as he draws a foul on the break but misses a wide-open Tyler Smith for a dunk:
Physically, Holland also looked shorter than his listed height of 6-foot-8; don’t be surprised if he measures about 6-6 1/2 or so in socks at the NBA Draft Combine. Between that and a narrow frame, his evaluation will be as a pure wing.
Finally, Holland’s greatest strength also is potentially his biggest weakness: His fire and intensity can boil over at times. He picked up a technical foul in the first game for taunting and was fortunate not to get one in the second after lobbing a choice adjective in a ref-ward direction. You love how hard he competes, but he has to keep it on the rails.
Another French big man sensation?
The player who did the most to change impressions — and generated the most conversation in the process — was Alex Sarr, the 7-1 French center for Perth with a 7-5 wingspan (and the brother of Thunder two-way Olivier Sarr). He made the interior a no-fly zone for Ignite players, blocking 12 shots over two games according to the official stats … and I strongly suspect that was an undercount. Sarr was a menace on the perimeter as well, pressuring opposing bigs away from the rim, sliding his feet in switches and hustling up and down the court.
He’s not just a paint protector, either. Sarr combines shot blocking with incredible mobility, and that’s what really gives him special potential at the defensive end. Two sequences in particular stood out in the second game, both of which came against Holland.
In the first, watch as he jumps the passing lane for a deflection on the initial pass (although he fails to catch it; more on that below). Then comes the really impressive part: He switches onto Holland and mirrors him back and forth through four changes of direction, with Holland getting absolutely nowhere before aborting into a deflected kickout pass. This is incredible:
Sarr has been criticized in the past for a cold motor, but he booked up and down the floor in both games in this series.
Offensively, Sarr lacks muscle, and his offensive game is more perimeter and skill-based. With his size and hops, he has the potential to be a very effective rim runner and short-roller, and he picked out some good passes on the moves in the two games.
Sarr also has developed a serviceable 3-point shot with his feet set; he made three of his five triples in the games and 8 of 11 from the line. Watching him in warm-ups before both contests, his arm mechanics seem fine, but the ball sometimes appears to come sliding off his pinkie and spinning like a Luis Tiant screwball. He could stand to be more consistent too. At times, his shot comes out very flat, but when he gets air under it, he can find the net.
On the ball, Sarr has a passable handle, but that sometimes gets him into trouble when he’s too adventurous; turnovers are his biggest issue right now. He had 10 in the two games, losing his dribble when he wandered in the direction of a guard on multiple occasions. He also committed four traveling violations at the start of moves.
My other concern about Sarr is his hands, which you really see on rebounds. He grabbed 17 caroms in the two games, but there were several other contested rebounds where he was above everyone else but could not high-point a one-handed rebound, plus a few uncontested boards where he seemed to fight the ball the entire way into his body.
Nearly every NBA team will have eyes on Sarr at the Blitz next week (one-stop shopping to see an entire league is every personnel scout’s delight), and he’ll be a must-see for lottery teams into the winter (the NBL season ends in February). While the Australian league probably only has two or three other truly draftable prospects for 2024, a steady stream of scouts will likely make the loooong trip to Perth (a five-hour cross-continent flight after you crossed the Pacific) just to see Sarr.
Tyler Smith makes his case
After Sarr, possibly the biggest mover up team’s boards was Smith, who established himself as a real possibility for the 2024 first round. A highly touted high school player who spent the last two seasons at Overtime Elite, he’d become a bit forgotten while serving his apprenticeship in Atlanta. However, he reminded everyone of his existence this past week with multiple defensive energy plays, finishing with seven blocks and four steals across the two games. Here’s a great chasedown from waaaaay behind the play to deny Henshall an alley-oop:
Smith also made two 3-pointers, a core skill for him, and looked comfortable picking-and-popping throughout the two games. Watching his release, it’s hard not to see the similarity in stroke to another forward of recent vintage, Chris Bosh. The parallels don’t stop there: Smith is 6-10, left-handed, from Texas and spent two developmental years in Atlanta with Overtime Elite.
“I recently started watching him,” Smith said when I brought up the comparison. “In my junior year, because I was getting compared to him a lot. Seeing a tall guy shoot like that, versatile like that, that’s what I want to be.”
Smith also listed Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. and New Orleans’ Trey Murphy as players from whom he tries to borrow, with a clear vision of making it as a pro stretch four. To that point, he was on the court after both games getting extra work on his 3s; he told me he was working on spots he missed from during the game.
Smith will have to show more well-roundedness in other phases to cement himself in the first round. His high rate of stocks this weekend masked some schematic defensive mistakes; he also needs to improve his ball skills in general and his right hand in particular.
Despite how long he’s been on the radar, Smith is still quite young. This is his first draft-eligible season, and he will only be 19 on draft night. If Smith can combine consistent 3-point shooting with rim protection all season, he should land comfortably inside the first round.
Mixed marks for Buzelis
Matas Buzelis is the other Ignite player some have mentioned as a potential top pick in the draft, and he wasn’t particularly bad or anything this past week … but at the same time, he didn’t stand out either. A tall forward at 6-10 with notable pop off the floor and a plus skill level for a player his size, Buzelis certainly had his moments: He was Ignite’s second-leading scorer behind Holland in both games, and his resume included a couple of explosive dunks and some secondary rim protection.
Eye-test wise, however, there were several times when he couldn’t get to his spots offensively, looking a bit stiff and upright off the dribble and playing tentatively. Most of his best moments came as a play-finisher off the ball, either with a perimeter shot off the catch or by flying in toward the cup. On the ball, however, his dribbles sometimes led to misadventures, such as whatever this was:
Buzelis also was a bit too ambitious attacking bigs at the rim, getting stuffed on consecutive tries by Sarr in the first game. Again, these are two September games, and on balance, Buzelis didn’t play badly; none of this is overly damning, and he still projects as a top pick, especially given his size and skill combo. But the chance was there to make a larger impression, and it didn’t happen.
One of the biggest items to track for Buzelis will be his development as a shooter; he has a good-looking stroke right now but didn’t parlay it into a consistently dangerous 3-point threat in the two games against Perth. At his size, launching over closeouts figures to be one of his biggest advantages, and it’s relatively easy to imagine a Mike Miller-esque floor for him if he can get to another level as a shooter.
Izan Almansa will torment scouts
Some of the biggest disputes in NBA conference rooms this spring may come in regard to Izan Almansa, an undersized center without a single true go-to skill … but enough craft and feel to be a hugely productive player regardless. My personal perspective is that players like this tend to be undervalued on draft night, but one can see why NBA teams might have questions in this case. Almansa doesn‘t have much of a stretch game at this point, isn’t a freak athlete and is short for a center at 6-10. Almansa also looked winded at times when he got a few minutes into his shift, especially in the second game.
Nonetheless, he’s been insanely productive at his age level: Almansa was MVP at the U17 World Cup in 2021, the U18 Euro championship in 2022 and at the FIBA U19 World Cup in 2023.
Almansa’s best attribute is his ability to stay under control while operating at or near full speed; in situations where you might see other bigs go careening into a charging foul (or off the court entirely), he can effortlessly slow himself down and finish under control. That, combined with a good handle for his size, excellent hands and plus feel as a passer, enables him to emulate much smaller players while on the move. Efficiency is his calling card rather than brute force; Almansa scored 27 points on 15 shots in the two games, plus he had five assists, four steals and four blocks. Much of his best work came as a screener, where he was adept at slipping screens and/or timing his roll to create openings.
Look at this play, for instance, that begins with him hard-showing a pick-and-roll to force a turnover and culminates in him starting a Eurostep beyond the 3-point line and finishing it with a controlled floater finish. This is just mouth-watering, definitely-not-normal stuff from a teenaged big man:
At the moment, Almansa would probably go fourth in a mock draft of the players who played in this game, but he has a legitimate case to be a top-10 pick based on his productivity and ease of fit in a modern offense. He came off the bench in both games, but one suspects he’ll be starting for Ignite before long.
A second guard prospect down under
We have one name to add to teams’ draft boards after Henshall, Perth’s 19-year-old shooting guard, held his own in the two games.
Henshall showed he can be more than just a shooter, showing craft as a passer and getting his hands on balls at the defensive end. He often was matched up against Holland and didn’t look completely out of place in the assignment.
Henshall’s best skill is his outside shot — he made three of his four 3-point attempts and 12 of his 14 free throws — but he was also able to make a dent in transition and made a few saucy passes on the move.
In addition to set shooting, Henshall’s ability to get into a jump quickly off a hard right-hand dribble is a skill to build on. He actually looked much more comfortable shooting those than lunching off the catch, in pregame drills, the off-day practice and during games.
Henshall needs work on his left hand and his general handle in tight spaces, which can get a little high and wild. Realistically, he projects a notch lower than some of the other players we’ve talked about here and might be more of a prospect for 2025 or 2026.
That said, the entire NBA knows who he is now and will make a point of tracking him when they watch Sarr play in Australia this year.
Wait and see for the others
One Ignite player scouts were very excited to see, French wing Thierry Darlan, is still recovering from a March ankle injury and is not expected to see game action until October. Also sidelined in a walking boot was 17-year-old Dink Pate, who is not draft-eligible until 2025.
Ignite had two other potential draft prospects on the court in guard London Johnson and Senegalese wing Babacar Sane, both of whom likely project as second-rounders at this point. Sane has impressive strength and leaping ability and had 18 boards from the wing spot in the two games but needs to improve his skill level and decision-making on the move.
Johnson, a 6-4 point guard who was with Ignite last year but was not draft-eligible, showed good burst in transition situations and had some strong stands in on-ball defense, but he struggled against full-court ball pressure and needs to be a more consistent shooting threat. He did make some solid pocket passes in pick-and-roll, especially when paired with Almansa.
Ignite’s next stop on the calendar is the FIBA Intercontinental Cup on Sept. 21-24 in Singapore, where they play three games in a field that includes five other overseas pro teams. They will then reconvene for training camp and preseason before beginning their G League regular-season schedule Nov. 10.
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Arenas and Crowe 
HOU$TON
formerly convertibleburt
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What are some comps? Mikal bridges-ish?
Was not expecting the goggles
Was not expecting the goggles
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Hearing good things about this kid
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Riley Kugel is the best player out of Florida in years
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AJ Dybantsa is one of high school basketball’s top players — thanks to Spider-Man
When Anicet “Ace” Dybantsa’s only son was born 16 years ago, he made a fateful decision for the child’s future: My boy will play basketball. That seems like a great call in retrospect, now that Anicet Dybantsa Jr., whom everybody calls AJ, has grown into a 6-foot-8 wing who’s A) the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2026; B) a FIBA gold medalist; C) the leading scorer at this year’s Nike Peach Jam; and D) a welcomed offseason workout partner of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Paul George. But back then, there was a fundamental problem with the plan. For the first four years of his life, the kid showed zero interest in the sport.
“I tried to force it,” Ace says, “but I couldn’t, for the life of me.”
There is no origin story for arguably the best high school hooper on the planet, regardless of class, if he never even picks up a ball. Thank goodness for the rise of superhero movies and an insatiable consumer appetite for superhero-themed merchandise. Because in those early days, while AJ didn’t like basketball, he loved Spider-Man.
“He had everything Spider-Man: socks, underwear, hat, jacket, you name it,” Ace says. “One day, I went to the store and came upon a little basketball goal, the kind you hang on your bedroom door, covered in Spider-Man graphics. I looked up to the sky and said, ‘Thank you, Jesus.’ I brought it home, and his eyes lit up. I handed him a ball, and the rest is history. He fell in love.”
Not long after, an ambitious Ace began construction on a basketball court, 25 feet by 25 feet, in the family’s backyard. That’s where he’d make his right-handed 5-year-old learn to dribble with his left. AJ was confused by that one. Why not use my good hand? “Someday you’ll understand,” Ace remembers telling him. “And that day came about 10 years later in a big game, when he hit a Eurostep and dunked it lefty. I looked at him and said, ‘Make sense now?’ He remembered, and he smiled.”
In the fall of 2019, when AJ was 12, fate intervened again. Dexter Foy, a recruiter for the Nike-sponsored and New England-based grassroots program Expressions Elite, told founder and coach Todd Quarles he needed to take a look at this athletic middle-school kid in Brockton, Mass. Expressions had mentored and molded Terrence Clarke, who became a top-10 recruit and one-and-done player at Kentucky, and Dybantsa reminded Foy so much of a young Clarke it was uncanny. Naturally, there was a snag: it wasn’t basketball season yet for AJ, who was fully focused on football at the time.
“Todd is the kind of guy you can tell, ‘This kid is LeBron James,’ or, ‘This kid is Michael Jordan,’ but he’ll still want to see it with his own eyes,” Ace says. “So they came to watch AJ play football. Traveled from Rhode Island to Massachusetts. And after five minutes watching him play — not basketball, but football — Todd came up to me and said, ‘I love your son.’ I laughed and said, ‘Yeah, me too.’ Even just watching him play football, he saw the athleticism and the size at that age, already almost 6 feet tall then, and that’s all he needed to know.”
There’s a little more to it than that. Quarles uses a number of factors to project the potential of a player that young. How big are his parents? Were they good athletes? What kind of structure and support system is there at home? Ace is a 6-foot-4, powerfully built former soccer player who was born in the Congo and raised in France. Chelsea, AJ’s mother, is a 5-foot-10 native of Jamaica. Mom and Dad both demand a high level of commitment on the court and in the classroom. Chelsea wants AJ to spend at least one year in college, which he’s promised her, despite the fact he’ll have numerous professional options straight out of high school.
“I looked at the genes, looked at quickness and explosiveness and coordination, how much he’d probably still grow, and thought he could be really, really good if he put in the time,” Quarles says of his first, football-based impression of Dybantsa. “After meeting his parents, I knew they were going to make sure he put in the time, give him as many resources as they could, and with their discipline and dedication, he would be at every workout and every practice. The parents determined how much time we were going to invest in AJ, and I came away floored. Just an unbelievable set of parents.”
Even after Dybantsa struggled his first year in Quarles’ middle school program, when the team lost every game it played, the coach stunned his father with a bold prediction.
“I was a little upset, and Todd kept telling me, ‘I really don’t care about winning in middle school. I care about developing kids. And AJ is going to be the best player I’ve ever had in my program,’” Ace remembers. “I didn’t believe him. What makes you say he’s the one? Todd goes, ‘Because he’s got you, and you’re not going to let him f— it up.’”
Further proving their commitment to AJ’s development, the Dybantsas hired Brandon Ball, a private skills coach who’d also trained Clarke, to work out their seventh-grader four or five days a week. Sometimes six. By high school, they were doing frequent two-a-days with 6 a.m. and then 7:30 p.m. sessions. Ace also hired a separate strength and conditioning coach to prepare AJ’s body for the rigors of competition against older, stronger players. It apparently worked.
After his parents had him repeat eighth grade — “I wanted to see more maturity, more leadership,” Ace says — AJ won Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts as a freshman. That was last spring. Then he averaged 13.7 points, 3.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds in just 19 minutes per game for USA Basketball’s loaded, gold medal-winning U16 team this summer. Then he led the NBPA Top 100 Camp in scoring as one of only two rising sophomores in attendance. Then he averaged 25.8 points, 5.6 boards and 2.4 assists at Peach Jam, despite playing up in the U17 division. The other two candidates for best high school player regardless of class, Cooper Flagg (No. 1 in 2024) and Cameron Boozer (No. 1 in 2025), both stayed with their age group in the U16 division.
Dybantsa was not seriously in the conversation with Flagg and Boozer until that event. But now? “Hopefully I can be in it with the performance I’ve been having,” Dybantsa says.
“AJ opened a lot of people’s eyes. I don’t know how you pick,” said one high-major head coach who was granted anonymity because he’s not permitted to publicly comment on unsigned prospects. “It’s definitely one of those three, though. It’s them and everybody else. If I just need buckets, I’m probably taking AJ. He’s got a special gift for that.”
Dybantsa is eager to prove he’s more than a scorer, that he’s a willing and capable creator for others, that he’s a true two-way player. Flagg’s polished all-around game makes him the most famous teenage basketball player in the world at the moment, but Dybantsa believes he’s also capable of playing elite defense and that same kind of modern point-forward role. It doesn’t matter that he’s just beginning his sophomore year. He believes he’s already the best high school player in the country.
“Not trying to be cocky, but yeah,” Dybantsa says. Oh, and his goals? Not small. “Hall of Famer. Me and my trainer talk about it all the time. Any time I’m not going hard, he’s like, ‘You want to be a Hall of Famer, right?’ That’s the goal. It’s funny to think about: I’m just a kid from Brockton whose dad made him play basketball, was just trying to have a little fun with it, and ended up falling in love with it. Now it’s my life.”
Dreams like that require significant sacrifice, and this season that means moving clear across the country to play at Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif., where Dybantsa will be part of a ridiculously loaded team featuring three five-star recruits from the 2024 class, plus best friend Tyran Stokes, the No. 2 prospect in 2026. Many believe Dybantsa will ultimately move back into the ’25 class — he turns 17 in late January — but Ace says that’ll be “a decision for him and his mother.”
Prolific coach Ryan Bernardi describes his new star as “extremely high character, raised very well, with really high emotional intelligence and maturity and awareness of what’s going on around him.” While he loves that Dybantsa gets to the rim virtually at will, either finishing above it or drawing and making free throws at an elite rate, and that he gets buckets at all three levels no matter how well he’s defended, “it’s the work ethic that really separates him,” Bernardi says. “Yes, he’s got these measurables and this athleticism that will blow you away, but the stuff that’s allowed him to elevate is the character stuff.”
Asked how best to describe Dybantsa’s on-court demeanor, Bernardi grins. “He’s the perfect combination of humility and confidence — an alpha who carries himself the right way.”
One of the most endearing things about him, especially for those in the Expressions Elite family, is the way Dybantsa tries to keep alive the memory of Terrence Clarke, another Boston-area product who tragically died in a car accident while training for the 2021 NBA Draft in Los Angeles. Dybantsa looked up to him as a boy and trained with Clarke a few times before his death. For years, he’s heard that they looked alike, played the same way, had the same big, bright grin.
“He was like my big brother,” Dybantsa says. “Since he passed, I do this basketball stuff for him. I still talk to his mom and his little brother, who’s like 6, but he comes to the gym and shoots on the little hoop. I give his mom a hug every time I see her. Sometimes she’s crying, but I try to comfort her. That was like my idol, for real. He was a star. Just trying to carry his legacy. His mom doesn’t think I look like him, but I do think we share the same personality: goofy, laugh a lot, smile a lot, try to make other people happy.”
Maybe that’s what Dybantsa was doing when he finally caved and took up basketball, just trying to please his father. Or maybe it really was the lure of Spider-Man splashed across the backboard. Either way, this hoops thing is working out nicely. And he is all the way in on the game now.
“You don’t see many guys at 16 who have such a consistent grind,” says Ball, the trainer. “He’s very purpose-driven. He has a goal: be the best. It’s inspiring to see and be a part of. That’s one of the things he and Terrence have in common: wanting to listen and learn and work, and the ability to retain things very quickly. You’ll show him once how to do a move or make a read and he’ll pick it up right away — and then he can go teach another kid. That’s the other thing he and Terrence have in common: They want to teach other kids and have the personality that others want to listen. They share some special qualities. Terrence wanted to put this area on the map, and it’s still painful that he’s gone, but to see his legacy continue through the next generation is awesome.”
Speaking of generations, and with the important caveat that history is littered with cautionary tales of heavily hyped high school underclassmen who become busts, we end with the big question: How good can AJ Dybantsa be?
“He still has so much room to grow, to get stronger, to really understand his own game, where his sweet spots are,” Quarles says. “Like Kobe or Jordan, and I’m not saying he’s those guys, over the years getting a little stronger and developing some spots where you know you are just impossible to guard. Once AJ gets comfortable with that, I think he can be a generational talent.”
When Anicet “Ace” Dybantsa’s only son was born 16 years ago, he made a fateful decision for the child’s future: My boy will play basketball. That seems like a great call in retrospect, now that Anicet Dybantsa Jr., whom everybody calls AJ, has grown into a 6-foot-8 wing who’s A) the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2026; B) a FIBA gold medalist; C) the leading scorer at this year’s Nike Peach Jam; and D) a welcomed offseason workout partner of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Paul George. But back then, there was a fundamental problem with the plan. For the first four years of his life, the kid showed zero interest in the sport.
“I tried to force it,” Ace says, “but I couldn’t, for the life of me.”
There is no origin story for arguably the best high school hooper on the planet, regardless of class, if he never even picks up a ball. Thank goodness for the rise of superhero movies and an insatiable consumer appetite for superhero-themed merchandise. Because in those early days, while AJ didn’t like basketball, he loved Spider-Man.
“He had everything Spider-Man: socks, underwear, hat, jacket, you name it,” Ace says. “One day, I went to the store and came upon a little basketball goal, the kind you hang on your bedroom door, covered in Spider-Man graphics. I looked up to the sky and said, ‘Thank you, Jesus.’ I brought it home, and his eyes lit up. I handed him a ball, and the rest is history. He fell in love.”
Not long after, an ambitious Ace began construction on a basketball court, 25 feet by 25 feet, in the family’s backyard. That’s where he’d make his right-handed 5-year-old learn to dribble with his left. AJ was confused by that one. Why not use my good hand? “Someday you’ll understand,” Ace remembers telling him. “And that day came about 10 years later in a big game, when he hit a Eurostep and dunked it lefty. I looked at him and said, ‘Make sense now?’ He remembered, and he smiled.”
In the fall of 2019, when AJ was 12, fate intervened again. Dexter Foy, a recruiter for the Nike-sponsored and New England-based grassroots program Expressions Elite, told founder and coach Todd Quarles he needed to take a look at this athletic middle-school kid in Brockton, Mass. Expressions had mentored and molded Terrence Clarke, who became a top-10 recruit and one-and-done player at Kentucky, and Dybantsa reminded Foy so much of a young Clarke it was uncanny. Naturally, there was a snag: it wasn’t basketball season yet for AJ, who was fully focused on football at the time.
“Todd is the kind of guy you can tell, ‘This kid is LeBron James,’ or, ‘This kid is Michael Jordan,’ but he’ll still want to see it with his own eyes,” Ace says. “So they came to watch AJ play football. Traveled from Rhode Island to Massachusetts. And after five minutes watching him play — not basketball, but football — Todd came up to me and said, ‘I love your son.’ I laughed and said, ‘Yeah, me too.’ Even just watching him play football, he saw the athleticism and the size at that age, already almost 6 feet tall then, and that’s all he needed to know.”
There’s a little more to it than that. Quarles uses a number of factors to project the potential of a player that young. How big are his parents? Were they good athletes? What kind of structure and support system is there at home? Ace is a 6-foot-4, powerfully built former soccer player who was born in the Congo and raised in France. Chelsea, AJ’s mother, is a 5-foot-10 native of Jamaica. Mom and Dad both demand a high level of commitment on the court and in the classroom. Chelsea wants AJ to spend at least one year in college, which he’s promised her, despite the fact he’ll have numerous professional options straight out of high school.
“I looked at the genes, looked at quickness and explosiveness and coordination, how much he’d probably still grow, and thought he could be really, really good if he put in the time,” Quarles says of his first, football-based impression of Dybantsa. “After meeting his parents, I knew they were going to make sure he put in the time, give him as many resources as they could, and with their discipline and dedication, he would be at every workout and every practice. The parents determined how much time we were going to invest in AJ, and I came away floored. Just an unbelievable set of parents.”
Even after Dybantsa struggled his first year in Quarles’ middle school program, when the team lost every game it played, the coach stunned his father with a bold prediction.
“I was a little upset, and Todd kept telling me, ‘I really don’t care about winning in middle school. I care about developing kids. And AJ is going to be the best player I’ve ever had in my program,’” Ace remembers. “I didn’t believe him. What makes you say he’s the one? Todd goes, ‘Because he’s got you, and you’re not going to let him f— it up.’”
Further proving their commitment to AJ’s development, the Dybantsas hired Brandon Ball, a private skills coach who’d also trained Clarke, to work out their seventh-grader four or five days a week. Sometimes six. By high school, they were doing frequent two-a-days with 6 a.m. and then 7:30 p.m. sessions. Ace also hired a separate strength and conditioning coach to prepare AJ’s body for the rigors of competition against older, stronger players. It apparently worked.
After his parents had him repeat eighth grade — “I wanted to see more maturity, more leadership,” Ace says — AJ won Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts as a freshman. That was last spring. Then he averaged 13.7 points, 3.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds in just 19 minutes per game for USA Basketball’s loaded, gold medal-winning U16 team this summer. Then he led the NBPA Top 100 Camp in scoring as one of only two rising sophomores in attendance. Then he averaged 25.8 points, 5.6 boards and 2.4 assists at Peach Jam, despite playing up in the U17 division. The other two candidates for best high school player regardless of class, Cooper Flagg (No. 1 in 2024) and Cameron Boozer (No. 1 in 2025), both stayed with their age group in the U16 division.
Dybantsa was not seriously in the conversation with Flagg and Boozer until that event. But now? “Hopefully I can be in it with the performance I’ve been having,” Dybantsa says.
“AJ opened a lot of people’s eyes. I don’t know how you pick,” said one high-major head coach who was granted anonymity because he’s not permitted to publicly comment on unsigned prospects. “It’s definitely one of those three, though. It’s them and everybody else. If I just need buckets, I’m probably taking AJ. He’s got a special gift for that.”
Dybantsa is eager to prove he’s more than a scorer, that he’s a willing and capable creator for others, that he’s a true two-way player. Flagg’s polished all-around game makes him the most famous teenage basketball player in the world at the moment, but Dybantsa believes he’s also capable of playing elite defense and that same kind of modern point-forward role. It doesn’t matter that he’s just beginning his sophomore year. He believes he’s already the best high school player in the country.
“Not trying to be cocky, but yeah,” Dybantsa says. Oh, and his goals? Not small. “Hall of Famer. Me and my trainer talk about it all the time. Any time I’m not going hard, he’s like, ‘You want to be a Hall of Famer, right?’ That’s the goal. It’s funny to think about: I’m just a kid from Brockton whose dad made him play basketball, was just trying to have a little fun with it, and ended up falling in love with it. Now it’s my life.”
Dreams like that require significant sacrifice, and this season that means moving clear across the country to play at Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif., where Dybantsa will be part of a ridiculously loaded team featuring three five-star recruits from the 2024 class, plus best friend Tyran Stokes, the No. 2 prospect in 2026. Many believe Dybantsa will ultimately move back into the ’25 class — he turns 17 in late January — but Ace says that’ll be “a decision for him and his mother.”
Prolific coach Ryan Bernardi describes his new star as “extremely high character, raised very well, with really high emotional intelligence and maturity and awareness of what’s going on around him.” While he loves that Dybantsa gets to the rim virtually at will, either finishing above it or drawing and making free throws at an elite rate, and that he gets buckets at all three levels no matter how well he’s defended, “it’s the work ethic that really separates him,” Bernardi says. “Yes, he’s got these measurables and this athleticism that will blow you away, but the stuff that’s allowed him to elevate is the character stuff.”
Asked how best to describe Dybantsa’s on-court demeanor, Bernardi grins. “He’s the perfect combination of humility and confidence — an alpha who carries himself the right way.”
One of the most endearing things about him, especially for those in the Expressions Elite family, is the way Dybantsa tries to keep alive the memory of Terrence Clarke, another Boston-area product who tragically died in a car accident while training for the 2021 NBA Draft in Los Angeles. Dybantsa looked up to him as a boy and trained with Clarke a few times before his death. For years, he’s heard that they looked alike, played the same way, had the same big, bright grin.
“He was like my big brother,” Dybantsa says. “Since he passed, I do this basketball stuff for him. I still talk to his mom and his little brother, who’s like 6, but he comes to the gym and shoots on the little hoop. I give his mom a hug every time I see her. Sometimes she’s crying, but I try to comfort her. That was like my idol, for real. He was a star. Just trying to carry his legacy. His mom doesn’t think I look like him, but I do think we share the same personality: goofy, laugh a lot, smile a lot, try to make other people happy.”
Maybe that’s what Dybantsa was doing when he finally caved and took up basketball, just trying to please his father. Or maybe it really was the lure of Spider-Man splashed across the backboard. Either way, this hoops thing is working out nicely. And he is all the way in on the game now.
“You don’t see many guys at 16 who have such a consistent grind,” says Ball, the trainer. “He’s very purpose-driven. He has a goal: be the best. It’s inspiring to see and be a part of. That’s one of the things he and Terrence have in common: wanting to listen and learn and work, and the ability to retain things very quickly. You’ll show him once how to do a move or make a read and he’ll pick it up right away — and then he can go teach another kid. That’s the other thing he and Terrence have in common: They want to teach other kids and have the personality that others want to listen. They share some special qualities. Terrence wanted to put this area on the map, and it’s still painful that he’s gone, but to see his legacy continue through the next generation is awesome.”
Speaking of generations, and with the important caveat that history is littered with cautionary tales of heavily hyped high school underclassmen who become busts, we end with the big question: How good can AJ Dybantsa be?
“He still has so much room to grow, to get stronger, to really understand his own game, where his sweet spots are,” Quarles says. “Like Kobe or Jordan, and I’m not saying he’s those guys, over the years getting a little stronger and developing some spots where you know you are just impossible to guard. Once AJ gets comfortable with that, I think he can be a generational talent.”
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Uh, why dude saying sarr is with ignite lol
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My guy, wonder how tall he is now— remind me of a less saucy lamelo
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Can easily see the high floor, especially if he stays committed to defending
still also looking very awkward at times on offense. With his stride and dribbling and jumper
Not sure if ignite had always did these fiba tournaments but pretty dope
still also looking very awkward at times on offense. With his stride and dribbling and jumper
Not sure if ignite had always did these fiba tournaments but pretty dope
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2024 NBA mock draft: Why Alex Sarr is vying for consideration at No. 1
2024 NBA mock draft
The 2024 draft order is based on ESPN projections and reflects the current state of picks owed and owned:
FIRST ROUND
1. Washington Wizards
Ron Holland | G League Ignite | SF | Age: 18.2
2. Detroit Pistons
Isaiah Collier | USC | PG | Age: 18.9
3. Charlotte Hornets
Matas Buzelis | G League Ignite | SF | Age: 18.9
4. Portland Trail Blazers
Alex Sarr | Perth Wildcats | PF/C | Age: 18.4
5. San Antonio Spurs
Justin Edwards | Kentucky | SG/SF | Age: 19.7
6. Indiana Pacers
Donovan Clingan | UConn | C | Age: 19.5
7. Utah Jazz
Stephon Castle | UConn | PG/SG | Age: 18.9
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Houston)
Izan Almansa | G League Ignite | PF/C | Age: 18.2
9. Orlando Magic
Kyle Filipowski | Duke | PF/C | Age: 19.8
10. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn)
D.J. Wagner | Kentucky | PG/SG | Age: 18.4
11. Chicago Bulls
Zaccharie Risacher | JL Bourg | SF | Age: 18.4
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
Kel'el Ware | Indiana | C | Age: 19.4
13. New Orleans Pelicans
Aday Mara | UCLA | C | Age: 18.4
14. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tyrese Proctor | Duke | PG | Age: 19.4
15. Atlanta Hawks
Ja'Kobe Walter | Baylor | SG | Age: 18.7
16. San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto)
Jared McCain | Duke | PG | Age: 19.6
17. New York Knicks
Elmarko Jackson | Kansas | PG/SG | Age: 19.4
18. Atlanta Hawks (via Sacramento)
Tidjane Salaun | Cholet | PF | Age: 18.1
19. New York Knicks (via Dallas)
Cody Williams | Colorado | SF | Age: 18.8
20. Cleveland Cavaliers
Terrance Arceneaux | Houston | SG/SF | Age: 19.8
21. Memphis Grizzlies
Ryan Dunn | Virginia | SF | Age: 20.7
22. Indiana Pacers (via LA Clippers)
Baba Miller | Florida St. | PF | Age: 19.6
23. Miami Heat
Bobi Klintman | Cairns Taipans | SF/PF | Age: 20.5
24. Boston Celtics (via Golden State)
Freddie Dilione | Tennessee | PG | Age: 19.4
25. Los Angeles Lakers
Juan Nunez | Ratiopharm Ulm | PG | Age: 19.3
26. Philadelphia 76ers
Nikola Topic | Mega MIS | PG | Age: 18.1
27. Milwaukee Bucks
Melvin Ajinca | Saint Quentin | SG/SF | Age: 19.2
28. Phoenix Suns
Dillon Mitchell | Texas | SF/PF | Age: 19.9
29. Boston Celtics
AJ Johnson | Illawarra Hawks | SG | Age: 18.8
30. Denver Nuggets
Ugonna Onyenso | Kentucky | C | Age: 19.0
SECOND ROUND
31. Detroit Pistons (via Washington)
Mark Mitchell | Duke | SF/PF | Age: 20.8
32. New York Knicks (via Detroit)
Adem Bona | UCLA | C | Age: 20.5
33. Portland Trail Blazers (via Charlotte)
Reece Beekman | Virginia | PG | Age: 21.7
34. Milwaukee Bucks (via Portland)
Mackenzie Mgbako | Indiana | SF/PF | Age: 18.8
35. San Antonio Spurs
Aaron Bradshaw | Kentucky | C | Age: 19.3
36. Indiana Pacers
Xavier Booker | Michigan St. | PF/C | Age: 19.0
37. New York Knicks (via Utah)
Riley Kugel | Florida | SG | Age: 19.8
38. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Houston)
Tyler Smith | G League Ignite | SF/PF | Age: 18.8
39. Orlando Magic
Kwame Evans | Oregon | PF | Age: 19.1
40. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn)
Pacome Dadiet | Ratiopharm Ulm | SG/SF | Age: 18.1
41. New Orleans Pelicans (via Chicago)
Kylan Boswell | Arizona | PG | Age: 18.4
42. Denver Nuggets (via Minnesota)
Robert Dillingham | Kentucky | PG | Age: 18.7
43. Boston Celtics (via New Orleans)
Tristan Da Silva | Colorado | SF/PF | Age: 22.3
44. Houston Rockets (via Oklahoma City)
J.J Starling | Syracuse | SG | Age: 19.5
45. Portland Trail Blazers (via Atlanta)
Berke Buyuktuncel | UCLA | PF | Age: 19.0
46. LA Clippers (via Toronto)
Zacharie Perrin | Antibes | PF/C | Age: 19.0
47. Philadelphia 76ers (via New York)
Zach Edey | Purdue | C | Age: 21.3
48. Sacramento Kings
Babacar Sane | G League Ignite | SF/PF | Age: 20.0
49. Boston Celtics (via Dallas)
Judah Mintz | Syracuse | PG/SG | Age: 20.2
50. Indiana Pacers (via Cleveland)
Andrija Jelavic | Mega MIS | PF/C | Age: 19.3
51. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Memphis)
Baylor Scheierman | Creighton | SG/SF | Age: 23.0
52. Los Angeles Lakers (via LA Clippers)
Ajay Mitchell | UC Santa Barbra | PG | Age: 21.2
53. Atlanta Hawks (via Miami)
Trey Alexander | Creighton | PG/SG | Age: 20.4
54. Houston Rockets (via Golden State)
Ryan Kalkbrenner | Creighton | C | Age: 21.6
55. San Antonio Spurs (via LA Lakers)
Ariel Hukporti | Melbourne | C | Age: 21.4
56. Indiana Pacers (via Milwaukee)
Nae'Qwan Tomlin | Kansas St. | PF/C | Age: 22.7
57. Washington Wizards (via Phoenix)
Trevon Brazile | Arkansas | PF | Age: 20.7
58. Charlotte Hornets (via Boston)
Lachlan Olbrich | Illawarra | PF | Age: 19.7
59. Orlando Magic (via Denver)
Miles Kelly | Georgia Tech | SG | Age: 20.6
Ron Holland | 6-foot-7 | SF | Age: 18.2 | G League Ignite
Holland looks to be en route to a huge season as indicated by his two-game performance a few weeks ago against Perth (56 points in 60 minutes). He's the unquestioned go-to guy for G League Ignite who brings an exceptional blend of aggressiveness and intensity on both ends of the floor.
Holland wasn't quite as effective last week in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, fouling out in both of Ignite's opening games -- disappointing losses to teams from Egypt and Brazil in which he shot just 10-for-25 from the field. He rebounded with a 21-point, 11-rebound performance in a win over a subpar Bahrain team in which his tenacity and open-court scoring prowess again shined.
Holland's confidence in firing up shots from beyond the arc in the early going is a welcome sign for NBA scouts. His shooting is one of the big question marks teams have along with his somewhat average physical profile. He's converted 35% of his 3-pointers thus far through five games, and 85% of his free throws, showing some versatility with his shot-making and good mechanics that leave room for optimism long-term.
Holland is the early favorite for the No. 1 pick with a very high floor as a prospect because his relentlessness pushing in transition, crashing the glass, getting over screens, sliding his feet one-on-one and ability to generate turnovers. To maintain that status, he'll need to continue to show growth with his half-court shot-creation ability, decision making and shooting consistency.
NBA teams do have some doubts about whether he has the physical and offensive upside to justify being such a high lottery pick. He'll have a huge runway with Ignite all season to test the boundaries of his limits and continue to expand his game, which should position him well come June.
Alex Sarr | 7-1 | PF/C | Age: 18.4 | Perth Wildcats
Between the FIBA U19 World Cup, the G League Ignite games and the NBL Blitz, NBA scouts have gotten no shortage of exposure to Sarr already.
Sarr has been very impressive for the most part -- with notable highs coming in Las Vegas where he posted 43 points, 18 rebounds, 12 blocks and 4 assists in a pair of contests against G League Ignite. He's done enough to earmark himself as one of a half dozen or so prospects vying for consideration as the No. 1 pick at this point.
At 7-1, Sarr brings an impressive combination of size, length, mobility, defensive versatility and skill. His motor continues to run hot and cold, the biggest gripe scouts have with him currently, but when he's operating at full intensity, he's an absolute game-changer defensively with the way he covers ground, mirrors smaller players on the perimeter and rotates to protect the rim with exceptional quickness getting off his feet.
Sarr's offensive versatility has been similarly notable thus far. He looks quite natural stepping into pick-and-pop or fake dribble handoff 3-pointers, has impressive acumen as a pick-and-roll target and has shown excellent passing ability when being utilized as the trigger man in Perth's half-court offense.
Things haven't been as easy for Sarr against more physical NBL competition, which should prove to be a good test for the 18-year-old Frenchman as the season moves on. His standout showing in Las Vegas created significant buzz, propelling him into our top 5. He appears to be in a strong situation development-wise. He will have a good platform to continue to showcase his unique skill set on both ends of the floor as the season moves on to maintain the momentum he's built.
Matas Buzelis | 6-10 | SF | Age: 18.9 | G League Ignite
NBA teams are still trying to figure out what Buzelis' go-to skill is as he was a mixed bag in the G League Fall Invitational and where exactly he stacks up among this group of prospects at the top of the 2024 draft. He put up solid numbers against Perth (33 points in 54 minutes) but left a lot to be desired defensively with the lack of physicality and intensity he showed against older players, struggling to create his own offense at times. He unfortunately missed all three FIBA Intercontinental Cup games in Singapore with an ankle injury, meaning scouts will have to wait for Ignite's season opener in November to get a better handle on his evaluation.
Jared McCain | 6-3 | PG | Age: 19.2 | Duke
McCain was a major standout at the CP3 Elite Camp and Nike Academy in August, two highly regarded summer camps that were heavily attended by NBA executives. The preseason buzz from Durham has been just as strong as it appears it will be very difficult to keep him off the floor despite Duke returning their starting backcourt from last season in Tyrese Proctor and Jeremy Roach.
McCain has noticeably cut up his frame and appears to be on another level conditioning-wise with his peers. His reported maniacal work ethic is paying off with the outstanding skill level he displays as well. He's got tremendous shot-making prowess to go along with every shot-creation move under the sun using his strong frame, fluid body control, creative ballhandling and tremendous pace. NBA players at those camps had a handful guarding him one-on-one.
While he doesn't have elite physical tools in terms of length or explosiveness, NBA scouts have been throwing around names like Malcolm Brogdon and Jalen Brunson when discussing how his elite feel for the game, physicality and skill level might translate to the next level. He'll have to back up the hype when the season starts in November, but McCain will have a huge platform to be a very high draft pick if he does what we saw this summer on a bigger stage at Duke.
Tidjane Salaun | 6-10 | SF/PF | Age: 18.1 | Cholet
Coming off a strong showing at the U18 European Championship, Salaun has carved out a solid rotational role in the French first division for Cholet. He entered the starting lineup this week and had his best game of his career with 24 points in 33 minutes in a crucial FIBA Champions League qualifying game win. From spotting up off the dribble to running off a screen, he hit a barrage of 3-pointers from all over the floor.
At 6-10, with good length, fluidity and defensive versatility, NBA scouts will be very intrigued if Salaun's shot-making display continues as the season moves on, especially with the way he contributes in other areas running the floor, crashing the glass and generating turnovers with intense defense.
Salaun's ballhandling ability is a work in progress and his technique and awareness defensively leaves something to be desired at times off the ball. Still, considering he just turned 18 last month and is very much a late bloomer who wasn't considered good enough to play for the French national team a year ago, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about his long-term outlook. France will be a mini-hub for NBA teams to explore with at least four legitimate prospects who could hear their names called next June, so Salaun will be scouted very closely this season.
Bobi Klintman | 6-10 | SF | Age: 20.5 | Cairns Taipans
Klintman had a strong three-game showing at the NBL Blitz, posting 40 points in 73 minutes while showing he can contribute in a variety of ways on both ends of the floor.
Known as mostly a spot-up shooter at Wake Forest, Klintman only made one 3-pointer (eight attempts) in his three games on the Gold Coast but did a little bit of everything else. He pushed in the open floor, showing vision as a passer, cutting to the rim and crashing the offensive glass while playing with a lot of freedom and aggressiveness at both forward spots for Cairns. His defensive engagement and versatility looked better than expected as he did a good job of handling guards, wings, forwards and big men alike while generating turnovers at a solid rate.
NBA scouts say they are still learning more about what Klintman's go-to skill is, as he's a jack of all trades who still has work to do with the consistency of his perimeter shooting, ballhandling, decision-making and defensive awareness. Showing growth in those areas, while making strides with his feel for the game and toughness as the season moves on could give the 6-10 Klintman a very high floor on draft night.
Nikola Topic | 6-7 | PG | Age: 18.1 | Mega Mozzart
We highlighted Topic, the FIBA U18 European Championship MVP, as a serious NBA prospect to watch last month and, if his preseason is any indication, it appears the 18-year-old is ready to back that up in a major way.
Topic averaged 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in three Adriatic Supercup games, showing off his skill as a pick-and-roll passer and being extremely difficult to contain getting downhill with a head of steam, even against men. You won't find many 18-year-olds with the type of vision and creativity Topic displays and he's drawn some comparisons to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey in that realm.
He notably made 5-for-12 3-pointers (after going just 2-for-21 at the U18s) in the Supercup, an important aspect NBA teams will be tracking, especially as opponents inevitably go under ball screens and test his pull-up game. Defense is another area he'll be scrutinized, as his energy and effectiveness ebb at times and some of his physical limitations in terms of his quickness and length can be more apparent.
Topic has an ideal platform as the starting point guard of an Adriatic League squad to show NBA teams just how talented he is with the ball in his hands, which gives him a real runway to emerging as a first-round pick depending on how his (and his team's) season goes.
A.J. Johnson | 6-6 | SG | Age: 18.8 | Illawarra Hawks
A few weeks removed from a broken nose, the 18-year-old didn't have a great showing at the NBL Blitz -- nine points in 38 minutes on 4-for-14 shooting from the field through three games. He had his best outing in his team's final contest after electing to shed the facemask he was slated to wear for another month. He showed some flashes of the dynamic shot-making, live-dribble passing and explosiveness that made him such a highly regarded high school recruit.
Johnson's youth, slight frame, average ballhandling and inexperience both defensively and as a decision-maker were all evident on the Gold Coast. He's added some bulk in the past year, but still looks very slight compared with the professional players he's matching up with in the NBL, which hampers him navigating the lane, getting over screens and looking fairly lost off the ball defensively.
While his talent changing gears, shooting off the dribble and dishing on the move is apparent in small doses, NBA teams sitting courtside on the Gold Coast say they want to see how much growth he shows over the next few months to get a better gauge for his long-term upside and just how far off he is in being ready to play real minutes at the NBA level.
Andrija Jelavic | 6-11 | PF/C | Age: 19.3 | Mega MIS
Topic's teammate, Jelavic had an equally impressive Supercup averaging 17 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting a scorching 8-for-14 (57%) from 3 over three games. The 6-11 power forward has built up his frame and found another gear athletically while demonstrating impressive versatility offensively, giving him significant intrigue for the modern game.
Jelavic has the freedom to initiate pushing off the defensive glass, making plays passing out of short rolls, shooting 3s from well beyond the arc, and punishing switches in the post while playing with an impressive level of confidence for a 19-year-old against seasoned pros. He's looked pretty switchable on the perimeter defensively as well with his solid physical tools, mobility and effort, even if he has some questions to answer here long-term that we'll learn more about as the regular season gets going.
After converting 31% of his 3-pointers last season (and 65% of his free throws), it will be interesting to see how sustainable Jelavic's shooting, a major key to his NBA intrigue, is over the course of the season. Showing he can continue to hold up as a small-ball center in stretchy lineups at 225 pounds would help as well, but there's little doubt that Jelavic is a real prospect that NBA teams will have to account for this season while playing for a Mega MIS team that is a one-stop draft shopping target for NBA teams with three prospects on its roster (Topic and Nikola Djurisic).
Ariel Hukporti | 7-0 | C | Age: 21.4 | Melbourne Tigers
Coming off a ruptured Achilles that sidelined him a year, expectations were not particularly high for Hukporti in light of his relatively underwhelming performances early on in the preseason. Hukporti bounced back and finished the NBL Blitz on a strong note, posting 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks in 45 minutes over his final two games while looking even more explosive athletically than he did pre-injury. He's clearly worked hard on improving his gait and has been running the floor much better in turn. He had several highlight-reel plays on both ends of the floor getting off the ground powerfully and coming up with some impressive dunks and blocks.
At 7-feet, 250 pounds, Hukporti stands out immediately from a physical standpoint and was difficult for NBL big men to contain when catching the ball in stride with a runway and exploding off two feet. He even flashed some touch on lefty floaters and footwork on up-and-under moves, but remains a work in progress as a passer and all-around decision-maker because he does not possess the highest skill level or a great feel for the game. NBA scouts will want to get a better feel for his ability to step out and defend in space as he's fairly upright guarding pick-and-roll even if he clearly has some instincts as a rim-protector when parked inside the paint.
Turning 22 in April and draft-eligible next June, Hukporti should have a good stage to show he's worthy of a draft pick in an NBL campaign that will have significant NBA eyeballs every time he steps on the floor due to the plethora of prospects on virtually every team. The market for non-shooting, non-passing big men is somewhat limited these days, but the strides Hukporti is making as a pick-and-roll finisher and shot-blocker certainly give him a fighting chance.
Lachlan Olbrich | 6-foot-10 | PF/C | Age: 19.2 | Illawarra Hawks
Olbrich was one of the big winners of the NBL Blitz, taking advantage of the huge amount of NBA attention the event garnered by posting 38 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in 44 minutes over his final two contests.
The 19-year-old was the Big West freshman of the year at UC Riverside last season but elected to turn pro and return to his home country of Australia, a decision that appears to be paying off so far with the strong role he's carving out for a deep Illawarra squad.
Olbrich comes into games looking to make things happen, playing with nonstop energy as a rim-runner and cutter, but also showing some real skill pushing the ball off the defensive glass and taking slower-footed big men off the dribble with strong ball-\handling, nice finishing and passing creativity. He's sturdily built at 6-10, 236 pounds, allowing him to play through contact better than you'd expect at his age, but has some questions he'll have to answer on the defensive end, where he lacks a degree of length and explosiveness to be much of a rim-protector and isn't always fleet of foot enough to guard more skilled players on the perimeter.
NBA scouts say they'd like to learn more about Olbrich's perimeter shooting ability to better gauge exactly what his role would be at the NBA level. He's just a career 59% free throw shooter and took only two shots from beyond the arc in three NBL Blitz games. To his credit, Olbrich made 44% of his 3s in the NBL1 this spring and summer, where he won the central conference championship and was named Grand Final MVP.
Olbrich cemented himself as a prospect worth monitoring last week and will have an opportunity to continue to build his candidacy as a draft prospect all season in a league that will be as heavily scouted as any outside the college basketball ranks.
Trentyn Flowers | 6-8 | SG/SF | Age: 19.2 | Adelaide 36ers
Flowers' NBL Blitz got off to a rough start, turning the ball over seven times in 22 minutes in his team's opener, prompting his team to wisely rethink his role as their starting point guard and move him to a more compact role on the wing. He showed some real talent in flashes over the course of the week, hitting a couple of good-looking 3-pointers, making some interesting live-dribble passes and exploding for one memorable poster finish over Sarr.
He's also shown he's a major work in progress as a decision-maker and defensively, especially off the ball. The size, shot-making, aggressiveness and overall scoring instincts make the 18-year-old Flowers someone NBA teams will want to monitor closely to see how much growth he shows as the season moves on. It's clear the transition he's trying to make from high school to the highest levels of professional basketball is a steep one, which could potentially require multiple seasons to fully maximize his draft stock.
2024 NBA mock draft
The 2024 draft order is based on ESPN projections and reflects the current state of picks owed and owned:
FIRST ROUND
1. Washington Wizards
Ron Holland | G League Ignite | SF | Age: 18.2
2. Detroit Pistons
Isaiah Collier | USC | PG | Age: 18.9
3. Charlotte Hornets
Matas Buzelis | G League Ignite | SF | Age: 18.9
4. Portland Trail Blazers
Alex Sarr | Perth Wildcats | PF/C | Age: 18.4
5. San Antonio Spurs
Justin Edwards | Kentucky | SG/SF | Age: 19.7
6. Indiana Pacers
Donovan Clingan | UConn | C | Age: 19.5
7. Utah Jazz
Stephon Castle | UConn | PG/SG | Age: 18.9
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Houston)
Izan Almansa | G League Ignite | PF/C | Age: 18.2
9. Orlando Magic
Kyle Filipowski | Duke | PF/C | Age: 19.8
10. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn)
D.J. Wagner | Kentucky | PG/SG | Age: 18.4
11. Chicago Bulls
Zaccharie Risacher | JL Bourg | SF | Age: 18.4
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
Kel'el Ware | Indiana | C | Age: 19.4
13. New Orleans Pelicans
Aday Mara | UCLA | C | Age: 18.4
14. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tyrese Proctor | Duke | PG | Age: 19.4
15. Atlanta Hawks
Ja'Kobe Walter | Baylor | SG | Age: 18.7
16. San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto)
Jared McCain | Duke | PG | Age: 19.6
17. New York Knicks
Elmarko Jackson | Kansas | PG/SG | Age: 19.4
18. Atlanta Hawks (via Sacramento)
Tidjane Salaun | Cholet | PF | Age: 18.1
19. New York Knicks (via Dallas)
Cody Williams | Colorado | SF | Age: 18.8
20. Cleveland Cavaliers
Terrance Arceneaux | Houston | SG/SF | Age: 19.8
21. Memphis Grizzlies
Ryan Dunn | Virginia | SF | Age: 20.7
22. Indiana Pacers (via LA Clippers)
Baba Miller | Florida St. | PF | Age: 19.6
23. Miami Heat
Bobi Klintman | Cairns Taipans | SF/PF | Age: 20.5
24. Boston Celtics (via Golden State)
Freddie Dilione | Tennessee | PG | Age: 19.4
25. Los Angeles Lakers
Juan Nunez | Ratiopharm Ulm | PG | Age: 19.3
26. Philadelphia 76ers
Nikola Topic | Mega MIS | PG | Age: 18.1
27. Milwaukee Bucks
Melvin Ajinca | Saint Quentin | SG/SF | Age: 19.2
28. Phoenix Suns
Dillon Mitchell | Texas | SF/PF | Age: 19.9
29. Boston Celtics
AJ Johnson | Illawarra Hawks | SG | Age: 18.8
30. Denver Nuggets
Ugonna Onyenso | Kentucky | C | Age: 19.0
SECOND ROUND
31. Detroit Pistons (via Washington)
Mark Mitchell | Duke | SF/PF | Age: 20.8
32. New York Knicks (via Detroit)
Adem Bona | UCLA | C | Age: 20.5
33. Portland Trail Blazers (via Charlotte)
Reece Beekman | Virginia | PG | Age: 21.7
34. Milwaukee Bucks (via Portland)
Mackenzie Mgbako | Indiana | SF/PF | Age: 18.8
35. San Antonio Spurs
Aaron Bradshaw | Kentucky | C | Age: 19.3
36. Indiana Pacers
Xavier Booker | Michigan St. | PF/C | Age: 19.0
37. New York Knicks (via Utah)
Riley Kugel | Florida | SG | Age: 19.8
38. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Houston)
Tyler Smith | G League Ignite | SF/PF | Age: 18.8
39. Orlando Magic
Kwame Evans | Oregon | PF | Age: 19.1
40. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn)
Pacome Dadiet | Ratiopharm Ulm | SG/SF | Age: 18.1
41. New Orleans Pelicans (via Chicago)
Kylan Boswell | Arizona | PG | Age: 18.4
42. Denver Nuggets (via Minnesota)
Robert Dillingham | Kentucky | PG | Age: 18.7
43. Boston Celtics (via New Orleans)
Tristan Da Silva | Colorado | SF/PF | Age: 22.3
44. Houston Rockets (via Oklahoma City)
J.J Starling | Syracuse | SG | Age: 19.5
45. Portland Trail Blazers (via Atlanta)
Berke Buyuktuncel | UCLA | PF | Age: 19.0
46. LA Clippers (via Toronto)
Zacharie Perrin | Antibes | PF/C | Age: 19.0
47. Philadelphia 76ers (via New York)
Zach Edey | Purdue | C | Age: 21.3
48. Sacramento Kings
Babacar Sane | G League Ignite | SF/PF | Age: 20.0
49. Boston Celtics (via Dallas)
Judah Mintz | Syracuse | PG/SG | Age: 20.2
50. Indiana Pacers (via Cleveland)
Andrija Jelavic | Mega MIS | PF/C | Age: 19.3
51. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Memphis)
Baylor Scheierman | Creighton | SG/SF | Age: 23.0
52. Los Angeles Lakers (via LA Clippers)
Ajay Mitchell | UC Santa Barbra | PG | Age: 21.2
53. Atlanta Hawks (via Miami)
Trey Alexander | Creighton | PG/SG | Age: 20.4
54. Houston Rockets (via Golden State)
Ryan Kalkbrenner | Creighton | C | Age: 21.6
55. San Antonio Spurs (via LA Lakers)
Ariel Hukporti | Melbourne | C | Age: 21.4
56. Indiana Pacers (via Milwaukee)
Nae'Qwan Tomlin | Kansas St. | PF/C | Age: 22.7
57. Washington Wizards (via Phoenix)
Trevon Brazile | Arkansas | PF | Age: 20.7
58. Charlotte Hornets (via Boston)
Lachlan Olbrich | Illawarra | PF | Age: 19.7
59. Orlando Magic (via Denver)
Miles Kelly | Georgia Tech | SG | Age: 20.6
Ron Holland | 6-foot-7 | SF | Age: 18.2 | G League Ignite
Holland looks to be en route to a huge season as indicated by his two-game performance a few weeks ago against Perth (56 points in 60 minutes). He's the unquestioned go-to guy for G League Ignite who brings an exceptional blend of aggressiveness and intensity on both ends of the floor.
Holland wasn't quite as effective last week in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, fouling out in both of Ignite's opening games -- disappointing losses to teams from Egypt and Brazil in which he shot just 10-for-25 from the field. He rebounded with a 21-point, 11-rebound performance in a win over a subpar Bahrain team in which his tenacity and open-court scoring prowess again shined.
Holland's confidence in firing up shots from beyond the arc in the early going is a welcome sign for NBA scouts. His shooting is one of the big question marks teams have along with his somewhat average physical profile. He's converted 35% of his 3-pointers thus far through five games, and 85% of his free throws, showing some versatility with his shot-making and good mechanics that leave room for optimism long-term.
Holland is the early favorite for the No. 1 pick with a very high floor as a prospect because his relentlessness pushing in transition, crashing the glass, getting over screens, sliding his feet one-on-one and ability to generate turnovers. To maintain that status, he'll need to continue to show growth with his half-court shot-creation ability, decision making and shooting consistency.
NBA teams do have some doubts about whether he has the physical and offensive upside to justify being such a high lottery pick. He'll have a huge runway with Ignite all season to test the boundaries of his limits and continue to expand his game, which should position him well come June.
Alex Sarr | 7-1 | PF/C | Age: 18.4 | Perth Wildcats
Between the FIBA U19 World Cup, the G League Ignite games and the NBL Blitz, NBA scouts have gotten no shortage of exposure to Sarr already.
Sarr has been very impressive for the most part -- with notable highs coming in Las Vegas where he posted 43 points, 18 rebounds, 12 blocks and 4 assists in a pair of contests against G League Ignite. He's done enough to earmark himself as one of a half dozen or so prospects vying for consideration as the No. 1 pick at this point.
At 7-1, Sarr brings an impressive combination of size, length, mobility, defensive versatility and skill. His motor continues to run hot and cold, the biggest gripe scouts have with him currently, but when he's operating at full intensity, he's an absolute game-changer defensively with the way he covers ground, mirrors smaller players on the perimeter and rotates to protect the rim with exceptional quickness getting off his feet.
Sarr's offensive versatility has been similarly notable thus far. He looks quite natural stepping into pick-and-pop or fake dribble handoff 3-pointers, has impressive acumen as a pick-and-roll target and has shown excellent passing ability when being utilized as the trigger man in Perth's half-court offense.
Things haven't been as easy for Sarr against more physical NBL competition, which should prove to be a good test for the 18-year-old Frenchman as the season moves on. His standout showing in Las Vegas created significant buzz, propelling him into our top 5. He appears to be in a strong situation development-wise. He will have a good platform to continue to showcase his unique skill set on both ends of the floor as the season moves on to maintain the momentum he's built.
Matas Buzelis | 6-10 | SF | Age: 18.9 | G League Ignite
NBA teams are still trying to figure out what Buzelis' go-to skill is as he was a mixed bag in the G League Fall Invitational and where exactly he stacks up among this group of prospects at the top of the 2024 draft. He put up solid numbers against Perth (33 points in 54 minutes) but left a lot to be desired defensively with the lack of physicality and intensity he showed against older players, struggling to create his own offense at times. He unfortunately missed all three FIBA Intercontinental Cup games in Singapore with an ankle injury, meaning scouts will have to wait for Ignite's season opener in November to get a better handle on his evaluation.
Jared McCain | 6-3 | PG | Age: 19.2 | Duke
McCain was a major standout at the CP3 Elite Camp and Nike Academy in August, two highly regarded summer camps that were heavily attended by NBA executives. The preseason buzz from Durham has been just as strong as it appears it will be very difficult to keep him off the floor despite Duke returning their starting backcourt from last season in Tyrese Proctor and Jeremy Roach.
McCain has noticeably cut up his frame and appears to be on another level conditioning-wise with his peers. His reported maniacal work ethic is paying off with the outstanding skill level he displays as well. He's got tremendous shot-making prowess to go along with every shot-creation move under the sun using his strong frame, fluid body control, creative ballhandling and tremendous pace. NBA players at those camps had a handful guarding him one-on-one.
While he doesn't have elite physical tools in terms of length or explosiveness, NBA scouts have been throwing around names like Malcolm Brogdon and Jalen Brunson when discussing how his elite feel for the game, physicality and skill level might translate to the next level. He'll have to back up the hype when the season starts in November, but McCain will have a huge platform to be a very high draft pick if he does what we saw this summer on a bigger stage at Duke.
Tidjane Salaun | 6-10 | SF/PF | Age: 18.1 | Cholet
Coming off a strong showing at the U18 European Championship, Salaun has carved out a solid rotational role in the French first division for Cholet. He entered the starting lineup this week and had his best game of his career with 24 points in 33 minutes in a crucial FIBA Champions League qualifying game win. From spotting up off the dribble to running off a screen, he hit a barrage of 3-pointers from all over the floor.
At 6-10, with good length, fluidity and defensive versatility, NBA scouts will be very intrigued if Salaun's shot-making display continues as the season moves on, especially with the way he contributes in other areas running the floor, crashing the glass and generating turnovers with intense defense.
Salaun's ballhandling ability is a work in progress and his technique and awareness defensively leaves something to be desired at times off the ball. Still, considering he just turned 18 last month and is very much a late bloomer who wasn't considered good enough to play for the French national team a year ago, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about his long-term outlook. France will be a mini-hub for NBA teams to explore with at least four legitimate prospects who could hear their names called next June, so Salaun will be scouted very closely this season.
Bobi Klintman | 6-10 | SF | Age: 20.5 | Cairns Taipans
Klintman had a strong three-game showing at the NBL Blitz, posting 40 points in 73 minutes while showing he can contribute in a variety of ways on both ends of the floor.
Known as mostly a spot-up shooter at Wake Forest, Klintman only made one 3-pointer (eight attempts) in his three games on the Gold Coast but did a little bit of everything else. He pushed in the open floor, showing vision as a passer, cutting to the rim and crashing the offensive glass while playing with a lot of freedom and aggressiveness at both forward spots for Cairns. His defensive engagement and versatility looked better than expected as he did a good job of handling guards, wings, forwards and big men alike while generating turnovers at a solid rate.
NBA scouts say they are still learning more about what Klintman's go-to skill is, as he's a jack of all trades who still has work to do with the consistency of his perimeter shooting, ballhandling, decision-making and defensive awareness. Showing growth in those areas, while making strides with his feel for the game and toughness as the season moves on could give the 6-10 Klintman a very high floor on draft night.
Nikola Topic | 6-7 | PG | Age: 18.1 | Mega Mozzart
We highlighted Topic, the FIBA U18 European Championship MVP, as a serious NBA prospect to watch last month and, if his preseason is any indication, it appears the 18-year-old is ready to back that up in a major way.
Topic averaged 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in three Adriatic Supercup games, showing off his skill as a pick-and-roll passer and being extremely difficult to contain getting downhill with a head of steam, even against men. You won't find many 18-year-olds with the type of vision and creativity Topic displays and he's drawn some comparisons to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey in that realm.
He notably made 5-for-12 3-pointers (after going just 2-for-21 at the U18s) in the Supercup, an important aspect NBA teams will be tracking, especially as opponents inevitably go under ball screens and test his pull-up game. Defense is another area he'll be scrutinized, as his energy and effectiveness ebb at times and some of his physical limitations in terms of his quickness and length can be more apparent.
Topic has an ideal platform as the starting point guard of an Adriatic League squad to show NBA teams just how talented he is with the ball in his hands, which gives him a real runway to emerging as a first-round pick depending on how his (and his team's) season goes.
A.J. Johnson | 6-6 | SG | Age: 18.8 | Illawarra Hawks
A few weeks removed from a broken nose, the 18-year-old didn't have a great showing at the NBL Blitz -- nine points in 38 minutes on 4-for-14 shooting from the field through three games. He had his best outing in his team's final contest after electing to shed the facemask he was slated to wear for another month. He showed some flashes of the dynamic shot-making, live-dribble passing and explosiveness that made him such a highly regarded high school recruit.
Johnson's youth, slight frame, average ballhandling and inexperience both defensively and as a decision-maker were all evident on the Gold Coast. He's added some bulk in the past year, but still looks very slight compared with the professional players he's matching up with in the NBL, which hampers him navigating the lane, getting over screens and looking fairly lost off the ball defensively.
While his talent changing gears, shooting off the dribble and dishing on the move is apparent in small doses, NBA teams sitting courtside on the Gold Coast say they want to see how much growth he shows over the next few months to get a better gauge for his long-term upside and just how far off he is in being ready to play real minutes at the NBA level.
Andrija Jelavic | 6-11 | PF/C | Age: 19.3 | Mega MIS
Topic's teammate, Jelavic had an equally impressive Supercup averaging 17 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting a scorching 8-for-14 (57%) from 3 over three games. The 6-11 power forward has built up his frame and found another gear athletically while demonstrating impressive versatility offensively, giving him significant intrigue for the modern game.
Jelavic has the freedom to initiate pushing off the defensive glass, making plays passing out of short rolls, shooting 3s from well beyond the arc, and punishing switches in the post while playing with an impressive level of confidence for a 19-year-old against seasoned pros. He's looked pretty switchable on the perimeter defensively as well with his solid physical tools, mobility and effort, even if he has some questions to answer here long-term that we'll learn more about as the regular season gets going.
After converting 31% of his 3-pointers last season (and 65% of his free throws), it will be interesting to see how sustainable Jelavic's shooting, a major key to his NBA intrigue, is over the course of the season. Showing he can continue to hold up as a small-ball center in stretchy lineups at 225 pounds would help as well, but there's little doubt that Jelavic is a real prospect that NBA teams will have to account for this season while playing for a Mega MIS team that is a one-stop draft shopping target for NBA teams with three prospects on its roster (Topic and Nikola Djurisic).
Ariel Hukporti | 7-0 | C | Age: 21.4 | Melbourne Tigers
Coming off a ruptured Achilles that sidelined him a year, expectations were not particularly high for Hukporti in light of his relatively underwhelming performances early on in the preseason. Hukporti bounced back and finished the NBL Blitz on a strong note, posting 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks in 45 minutes over his final two games while looking even more explosive athletically than he did pre-injury. He's clearly worked hard on improving his gait and has been running the floor much better in turn. He had several highlight-reel plays on both ends of the floor getting off the ground powerfully and coming up with some impressive dunks and blocks.
At 7-feet, 250 pounds, Hukporti stands out immediately from a physical standpoint and was difficult for NBL big men to contain when catching the ball in stride with a runway and exploding off two feet. He even flashed some touch on lefty floaters and footwork on up-and-under moves, but remains a work in progress as a passer and all-around decision-maker because he does not possess the highest skill level or a great feel for the game. NBA scouts will want to get a better feel for his ability to step out and defend in space as he's fairly upright guarding pick-and-roll even if he clearly has some instincts as a rim-protector when parked inside the paint.
Turning 22 in April and draft-eligible next June, Hukporti should have a good stage to show he's worthy of a draft pick in an NBL campaign that will have significant NBA eyeballs every time he steps on the floor due to the plethora of prospects on virtually every team. The market for non-shooting, non-passing big men is somewhat limited these days, but the strides Hukporti is making as a pick-and-roll finisher and shot-blocker certainly give him a fighting chance.
Lachlan Olbrich | 6-foot-10 | PF/C | Age: 19.2 | Illawarra Hawks
Olbrich was one of the big winners of the NBL Blitz, taking advantage of the huge amount of NBA attention the event garnered by posting 38 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in 44 minutes over his final two contests.
The 19-year-old was the Big West freshman of the year at UC Riverside last season but elected to turn pro and return to his home country of Australia, a decision that appears to be paying off so far with the strong role he's carving out for a deep Illawarra squad.
Olbrich comes into games looking to make things happen, playing with nonstop energy as a rim-runner and cutter, but also showing some real skill pushing the ball off the defensive glass and taking slower-footed big men off the dribble with strong ball-\handling, nice finishing and passing creativity. He's sturdily built at 6-10, 236 pounds, allowing him to play through contact better than you'd expect at his age, but has some questions he'll have to answer on the defensive end, where he lacks a degree of length and explosiveness to be much of a rim-protector and isn't always fleet of foot enough to guard more skilled players on the perimeter.
NBA scouts say they'd like to learn more about Olbrich's perimeter shooting ability to better gauge exactly what his role would be at the NBA level. He's just a career 59% free throw shooter and took only two shots from beyond the arc in three NBL Blitz games. To his credit, Olbrich made 44% of his 3s in the NBL1 this spring and summer, where he won the central conference championship and was named Grand Final MVP.
Olbrich cemented himself as a prospect worth monitoring last week and will have an opportunity to continue to build his candidacy as a draft prospect all season in a league that will be as heavily scouted as any outside the college basketball ranks.
Trentyn Flowers | 6-8 | SG/SF | Age: 19.2 | Adelaide 36ers
Flowers' NBL Blitz got off to a rough start, turning the ball over seven times in 22 minutes in his team's opener, prompting his team to wisely rethink his role as their starting point guard and move him to a more compact role on the wing. He showed some real talent in flashes over the course of the week, hitting a couple of good-looking 3-pointers, making some interesting live-dribble passes and exploding for one memorable poster finish over Sarr.
He's also shown he's a major work in progress as a decision-maker and defensively, especially off the ball. The size, shot-making, aggressiveness and overall scoring instincts make the 18-year-old Flowers someone NBA teams will want to monitor closely to see how much growth he shows as the season moves on. It's clear the transition he's trying to make from high school to the highest levels of professional basketball is a steep one, which could potentially require multiple seasons to fully maximize his draft stock.
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