With Perth’s Alex Sarr (currently sidelined with a hip injury) the front-runner at the top of the 2024 NBA draft, scouts still have unanswered questions for several college prospects entering the heart of conference play.
We are two months away from the start of the NCAA tournament and players at schools such as Duke, Kentucky and USC will be under the microscope as NBA teams look closer at how this draft class progresses.
ESPN NBA draft insiders Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo spotlight 21 players who scouts will be monitoring along with our latest mock draft.
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. Detroit Pistons
Alex Sarr | Perth Wildcats | PF/C | Age: 18.7
2. San Antonio Spurs
Zaccharie Risacher | JL Bourg | SF | Age: 18.7
3. Washington Wizards
Cody Williams | Colorado | SF | Age: 19.1
4. Portland Trail Blazers
Ja’Kobe Walter | Baylor | SG | Age: 18.7
5. Charlotte Hornets
Nikola Topic | Mega MIS | PG | Age: 18.4
6. Memphis Grizzlies
Tidjane Salaun | Cholet | PF | Age: 18.4
7. Chicago Bulls
Rob Dillingham | Kentucky | PG | Age: 19.0
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Utah Jazz)
Kyle Filipowski | Duke | PF/C | Age: 20.1
9. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn Nets)
Isaiah Collier | USC | PG | Age: 19.2
10. Atlanta Hawks
Matas Buzelis | G League Ignite | SF | Age: 18.9
11. Oklahoma City ThunderHouston Rockets
Ron Holland | G League Ignite | SF | Age: 18.5
12. San Antonio SpursToronto Raptors)
Reed Sheppard | Kentucky | PG/SG | Age: 19.5
13. New Orleans Pelicans (via Los Angeles Lakers)*
Donovan Clingan | UConn | C | Age: 19.8
14. Phoenix Suns
Zach Edey | Purdue | C | Age: 21.6
15. New York Knicks (via Dallas Mavericks)
Stephon Castle | UConn | PG/SG | Age: 19.1
16. Portland Trail BlazersGolden State Warriors)
Ryan Dunn | Virginia | SF | Age: 21.0
17. Orlando Magic
Kevin McCullar Jr. | Kansas | SF | Age: 22.8
18. Atlanta Hawks (via Sacramento Kings)
Tyler Smith | G League Ignite | SF/PF | Age: 19.1
19. Indiana Pacers
Trevon Brazile | Arkansas | PF | Age: 20.7
20. Miami Heat
Yves Missi | Baylor | C | Age: 19.6
21. New York Knicks
Bobi Klintman | Cairns Taipans | SF/PF | Age: 20.5
22. Cleveland Cavaliers
Juan Nunez | Ratiopharm Ulm | PG | Age: 19.3
23. New Orleans Pelicans
Izan Almansa | G League Ignite | PF/C | Age: 18.5
24. Milwaukee Bucks
Kel’el Ware | Indiana | C | Age: 19.7
25. Philadelphia 76ers
Jared McCain | Duke | PG | Age: 19.8
26. Minnesota Timberwolves
D.J. Wagner | Kentucky | PG/SG | Age: 18.6
27. Oklahoma City Thunder LA Clippers)
Oso Ighodaro | Marquette | PF/C | Age: 21.4
28. Denver Nuggets
Tristan da Silva | Colorado | SF/PF | Age: 22.6
29. Indiana PacersOklahoma City Thunder
Melvin Ajinca | Saint Quentin | SG/SF | Age: 19.5
30. Boston Celtics
Baba Miller | Florida St. | PF | Age: 19.9
* The Pelicans can defer the Lakers’ first-round pick to 2025
SECOND ROUND
31. Toronto Raptors (via Detroit Pistons)
Justin Edwards | Kentucky | SG/SF | Age: 20.0
32. San Antonio Spurs
Dalton Knecht | Tennessee | SF | Age: 22.6
33. Detroit Pistons Washington Wizards)
Tyler Kolek | Marquette | PG | Age: 22.7
34. Milwaukee Bucks (via Portland Trail Blazers)
Adem Bona | UCLA | C | Age: 20.7
35. Portland Trail Blazers (via Charlotte Hornets)
Pelle Larsson | Arizona | SG | Age: 22.8
36. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Memphis Grizzlies)
Carlton Carrington | Pittsburgh | PG/SG | Age: 18.4
37. Boston Celtics (via Chicago Bulls)
Kylan Boswell | Arizona | PG | Age: 18.4
38. New York Knicks (via Utah Jazz)
Keshad Johnson
39. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn Nets)
Ulrich Chomche | NBA Academy Showcase | PF/C | Age: 18.0
40. Portland Trail BlazersAtlanta Hawks)
Aaron Bradshaw | Kentucky | C | Age: 19.5
41. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Houston Rockets
Harrison Ingram | North Carolina | SF/PF | Age: 21.1
42. LA Clippers (via Toronto Raptors
Dillon Jones | Weber State | SF/PF | Age: 21.1
43. San Antonio SpursLos Angeles Lakers)
Devin Carter | Providence | PG/SG | Age: 21.8
44. Washington WizardsPhoenix Suns)
Tyrese Proctor | Duke | PG | Age: 19.7
45. Boston Celtics (via Dallas Mavericks)
Jaxson Robinson | BYU | SF/SG | Age: 21.2
46. Houston Rockets (via Golden State Warriors)
Pacome Dadiet | Ratiopharm Ulm | SG/SF | Age: 18.4
47. Orlando Magic
Trey Alexander | Creighton | PG/SG | Age: 20.6
48. Sacramento Kings
Dillon Mitchell | Texas | SF/PF | Age: 20.2
49. Indiana Pacers
Alex Karaban | UConn | PF | Age: 21.1
50. Miami Heat
PJ Hall | Clemson | PF/C | Age: 21.8
51. Philadelphia 76ers (via New York Knicks)
KJ Simpson | Colorado | PG | Age: 21.4
52. LA ClippersCleveland Cavaliers)
AJ Johnson | Illawarra Hawks | SG | Age: 19.1
53. New Orleans Pelicans
Ajay Mitchell | UC Santa Barbara | PG | Age: 21.5
54. Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks)
Ariel Hukporti | Melbourne | C | Age: 21.7
55. Minnesota Timberwolves
Baylor Scheierman
56. Los Angeles Lakers (via LA Clippers)
Mantas Rubstavicius | NZ Breakers | SF | Age: 21.6
57. Houston RocketsOklahoma City Thunder
Payton Sandfort | Iowa | SF | Age: 21.4
58. Charlotte Hornets (via Boston Celtics
Kobe Johnson | USC | SG | Age: 20.9
Note: The Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns forfeited a 2024 second-round draft pick.
What scouts want to see from these 21 college prospects
Cody Williams | 6-8 | SG/SF | Age: 19.1 | Colorado | Mock draft: No. 3
As Williams nears a return from a wrist injury, a huge opportunity lies ahead for him to solidify himself as a top-five pick, and potentially a candidate at No. 1. Teams are eager to see him return based on what he showed in his first seven games, flashing playmaking and scoring ability combined with his size and length. There are still several areas scouts want to learn more about: Williams hasn’t been getting up many 3s, his shot-creation has been inconsistent and he can be somewhat predictable playing off the bounce. Showcasing that creation upside, adding value without the ball alongside KJ Simpson and being consistently aggressive in attacking defenses will go a long way in solidifying Williams’ place near the top of the draft. There simply aren’t many players with his potential mix of skills in this class. — Jeremy Woo
Rob Dillingham | 6-2 | PG | Age: 19.0 | Kentucky | Mock draft: No. 7
Watch the Game Highlights from Kentucky Wildcats vs. Vanderbilt Commodores, 01/11/2024
Few players in this class can handle and pass as exquisitely as Dillingham, a jet with the ball who gets anywhere he wants and has equally wowed NBA scouts with his shot-making prowess. Going into conference play, scouts want to see how Dillingham’s frame and below-average size and length hold up versus SEC competition, especially on the defensive end where he’s had some struggles, despite ramping up his intensity from high school. Coming off the bench and sharing playmaking responsibilities with Reed Sheppard, Dillingham doesn’t always have the freedom to play through mistakes the way starting point guard D.J. Wagner does, which may lead to some uneven performances such as this past weekend against Florida, where he struggled with turnovers (four) and shot-selection. — Jonathan Givony
Kyle Filipowski | 7-0 | PF/C | Age: 20.1 | Duke | Mock draft: No. 8
A 7-footer who can handle, pass and shoot, Filipowski is the most skilled big man in college basketball, especially now that his jumper is starting to fall with more regularity (37% from 3). Filipowski, who doesn’t have ideal length or explosiveness for a center, has always been a better defender than he’s been given credit, but continuing to play with toughness in the paint and discipline on the perimeter will help solidify his candidacy as a top-10 pick. At times he is prone to slow starts and mental lapses and scouts want to see Filipowski bring consistency in Duke’s biggest games while impacting them on both ends of the floor. — Givony
Isaiah Collier | 6-5 | PG | Age: 19.2 | USC | Mock draft: No. 9
Kentucky goes up 11 as Rob Dillingham comes off the screen and knocks down the 3-pointer.
Collier’s season has been a roller coaster, which hampered his early candidacy for the No. 1 pick. Coming off his best game against Stanford on Jan. 6, it will be up to Collier to demonstrate consistency, as his volatility — particularly with turnovers — will likely be a major detractor for teams in search of a young point guard to build around. The emergence of other viable guard prospects such as Nikola Topic, Dillingham and Sheppard places the onus on Collier. His sheer speed with the basketball and physical profile at his position will always carry appeal, but his inconsistent 3-point shooting could use improvement. But a steady stretch of winning basketball at USC would help assuage some of the concerns surrounding Collier’s performance. — Woo
Reed Sheppard | 6-2 | PG | Age: 19.5 | Kentucky | Mock draft: No. 12
Tyrese Proctor catches the pass from Jeremy Roach and knocks down the triple for Duke.
D.J. Wagner | 6-3 | PG | Age: 18.6 | Kentucky | Mock draft: No. 26
Kel’el Ware rises for big swat vs. Auburn
Wagner had extreme highs and lows in the first half of the season, leading to significant variance in opinions among scouts for where he might be drafted and how to evaluate his long-term outlook. Finding more consistency with his outside shooting, decision-making, finishing and defensive impact will be important for Wagner to regain his footing as a prospect after entering the season as a projected lottery pick. He’s looked too tentative at times attacking out of pick-and-rolls, leading to stagnant moments for Kentucky and questions about his ability to make reads and generate efficient offense for himself and others. With more than a dozen college games, it will be interesting to see how he can build off that experience as opposing scouting reports are geared to stop him and the pressure mounts with plenty of big games. — Givony
Baba Miller | 7-0 | SF/PF | Age: 19.9 | Florida State | Mock draft: No. 30
Still more of an idea than a fleshed-out player, Miller, who turns 20 in February, has flashed improvement in his sophomore season. Fluid 7-footers with perimeter skill tend to get the benefit of the doubt and receive longer developmental opportunities. There are games where he looks intriguing defensively, but his offense has been a work in progress, shooting a respectable clip from the field (48.4%) while struggling to make free throws (45.9%). While teams aren’t going to see Miller expecting perfection — he’ll be a long-term bet no matter what — his draft position will hinge on how many positive flashes he can string together, and teams will want to see him play more physically and do a better job working in the trenches at his size. — Woo
Justin Edwards | 6-7 | SF | Age: 20.0 | Kentucky | Mock draft: No. 31
Edwards has shown flashes of the two-way ability and shot-making prowess that made him a projected top-five pick entering the season, not having any real signature moments to point to. He’s struggled to consistently make wide-open 3s, generate offense for himself or others, or be any kind of defensive stopper, looking sped up and limited on both ends. Considering he’s already 20 years old and older than many sophomores, scouts will want to see considerably more in the second half of the season to feel comfortable with him as a first-round pick, let alone where we had him to start the season. Playing time might not be that easy to come by if Edwards doesn’t pick things up. Adou Thiero will be returning from injury and Kentucky’s frontcourt has gotten considerably more crowded over the past few weeks, as Calipari will be under significant pressure to take Kentucky on a deep NCAA tournament run after an extended drought. — Givony
Carlton Carrington | 6-5 | PG | Age: 18.4 | Pitt | Mock draft: No. 36
Carrington has been a polarizing prospect among NBA scouts, making him difficult to peg in terms of draft range. He’s one of the youngest players in college basketball at 18 years old and shows terrific size, playmaking creativity and shot-making prowess, while making clear strides defensively as the season moves on. However, he’s rail thin, very green and has struggled to score efficiently against the better teams he’s faced, shooting 42% from 2 and 27% from 3 with a high turnover rate against top-100 opponents on a Pitt team that is 1-4 in ACC play. Some NBA teams view him as a clear first-round talent, nevertheless, citing his youth, feel for the game and off-the-dribble shooting, as well as this being his first year playing point guard full-time. If he enters the draft, there’s little doubt he would draw considerable interest, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he returned to Pitt and made a run at being a top-20 pick next season. — Givony
Kylan Boswell | 6-2 | PG | Age: 18.7 | Arizona | Mock draft: No. 37
Kentucky guard D.J. Wagner comes off the screen and puts in the jumper from the top of the key.
Boswell doesn’t turn 19 until April, making him arguably the most intriguing long-term player at Arizona, where he’s settled in as their starting point guard. He’s still young enough as a sophomore that he shouldn’t need to rush into the draft, but he’s begun to make a better case of late, making seven 3s over his past two games and showcasing the shot-making ability that will play a big determinant in his professional ceiling. Boswell is an excellent passer and sturdy defender who plays hard consistently, while still growing into his own as a leader and learning how to control the flow of a game. Proving he can lead a team with conference title expectations and Final Four potential will help build his profile and should position him to hear his name called if he does turn pro. — Woo
Aaron Bradshaw | 7-0 | PF/C | Age: 19.6 | Kentucky | Mock draft: No. 40
Bradshaw missed the first seven games with a foot injury, so we likely still haven’t seen the best of what the 7-footer has to offer. He’s been inconsistent in what he has shown, struggling to make a consistent impact as a rebounder, defender, passer or finisher, looking physically weak dealing with older, stronger opponents and sped up on both ends. Showing he can consistently stretch the floor as an outside shooter — the most appealing element of Bradshaw’s NBA intrigue — is likely the best thing he can do over the second half of the season to prove he’s worthy of being a first-round pick, as well as making a bigger impact as a rim-protector and pick-and-roll defender. — Givony
Devin Carter | 6-3 | PG/SG | Age: 21.8 | Providence | Mock draft: No. 43
A tenacious defender and great positional rebounder who has earned himself fans around the league, Carter has taken a step forward in the scoring department as the leader of a solid Providence team. The onus to generate points will likely fall even more on him with Bryce Hopkins out for the season, and his recent 25-point showing against Creighton bodes well. While not a true point guard nor an excellent jump shooter — a combo role at best — Carter has the right type of makeup to succeed as a glue guy in the long run, as long as he can find ways to add a little value on offense. It helps that teams will be envisioning him in a scaled-down role, so continuing to shoot well from 3 (39% on 6.6 attempts per game) and better at limiting turnovers (3.1 per game to 3.2 assists) will help. — Woo
Tyrese Proctor | 6-5 | PG | Age: 19.7 | Duke | Mock draft: No. 44
Bronny James breaks away and throws down a massive one-handed dunk for USC.
Proctor missed four weeks with an ankle injury and is still working his way back, coming off the bench for the past four games. It hasn’t been the breakout sophomore season scouts were hoping, but there’s still time as Duke enters the heart of its schedule. While Proctor has been Duke’s best defender and shows vivid flashes of his excellent vision and feel for the game when he’s not playing passively, scouts want to see him be more aggressive beating defenders off the dribble and finishing in the paint, while finding more consistency with his streaky outside shot (32% from 3). Still only 19, Proctor could make a jump with his play and return to the lofty draft projections he entered the season with, but it’s also possible another season at Duke and offseason to build up his thin frame could be advantageous. — Givony
Dillon Mitchell | 6-8 | SF/PF | Age: 20.2 | Texas | Mock draft: No. 48
Mitchell has looked much more comfortable in his second season at Texas, where he’s found consistent playing time and more patience to play through mistakes. His improved production is a step in the right direction, although there are still very salient concerns about his feel and his ability to read the floor and make decisions at the pace required to succeed in the NBA, where the power forward spot has become more skill-driven than ever. Still a hesitant jump shooter, Mitchell hasn’t exhibited real floor spacing ability, which further narrows the types of roles he can play at the next level. He’s the type of athlete most likely to help his draft stock in private workouts, but exhibiting consistency as a rebounder and finisher against higher level competition in the Big 12 will help raise interest. — Woo
Bronny James | 6-3 | SG | Age: 19.3 | USC | Mock draft: Not ranked
Kylan Boswell has a nice look downcourt to Pelle Larsson for an Arizona bucket.
A month into his college career, James is still finding his footing at USC, having some strong offensive performances (15 points in 20 minutes at Oregon State) and some lackluster ones (two points vs. Stanford, zero points vs. Washington State), as he is not the type of player who will consistently carry a team with his scoring. He’s been excellent defensively, though, locking up in one-on-ones with his quick feet and strong frame, and flying around off the ball generating turnovers in bunches. Mostly a spot-up shooter and transition finisher, James has plenty of room to grow as a ball handler to become more of a true combo guard than an undersized 3-and-D wing like he currently appears. Finding another notch with his aggressiveness and scoring proficiency would make James a more clear-cut candidate for this year’s draft, and it’s not clear what his outlook will be if he doesn’t break out in the coming months. — Givony
Jonathan Mogbo | 6-8 | PF/C | Age: 22.2 | San Francisco | Top 100: No. 81
Mogbo is one of the more unique stories in college basketball. He told ESPN he was a 5-9, 125-pound combo guard entering high school with zero Division I offers when he graduated, sending him to the junior college route at 6-foot-7, 180 pounds. He transferred from Independence Community College in Kansas to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M to Missouri State before eventually landing at the University of San Francisco in the WCC this summer, where he now stands 6-8 and 225 pounds. Mogbo has been lighting up NBA teams’ analytics models, filling up the stat sheet averaging 21.3 points, 15.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.6 blocks per 40 minutes. He is shooting 67.5% from the field (No. 2 in Div. I) with 47 dunks (No. 1 in Div. I) through 16 games. Mogbo’s combination of mobility, explosiveness and intensity gives him a great framework to build off, but he’s also had some impressive moments as a passer, thanks to the guard skills he has retained from high school. USF runs a good amount of offense through him on the perimeter where he shows intriguing ability out of dribble handoffs and short rolls. Not blessed with elite size or bulk for a big man, and not showing much shooting range at this stage (but improving his free throw percentage from 43% last season to 72%), scouts will want to see how Mogbo looks against some of the better competition his team faces in the WCC, especially Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. While Mogbo plays with great energy, his technique and discipline defensively have looked questionable at times, especially on the perimeter. He has another year of eligibility at his disposal and a little more upside than your average 22-year-old. — Givony
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.
Jeremy Woo is an NBA analyst specializing in prospect evaluation and the draft. He was previously a staff writer and draft insider at Sports Illustrated.
