Every year, almost as important as finding the next elite freshman who can lead your franchise is finding those guys who have put in some time as college players or as professionals in a different manner that can help bolster your rotation and potentially help you get over the hump and make a championship push. Alphabetically, these are 15 of the latter sort, and while it's easy for everyone to say "but you forgot ___" but let me tell you, this is my list, and I'm sure I've forgotten someone who's going to have an incredible season, but these are just the fifteen that are the most "on my radar" for the year.
Alex Karaban - F - Connecticut (NCAA) - 6’6.5”, 220lbs, 6’11”wing - 2002.11.11
2023-24 Stats (Connecticut): 13.3ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.5apg, 49.5%FG
Karaban is a guy who tested the waters last year and was advised to return to UConn, even after a couple of national championships under his belt. He’s getting old to the point of being notable when you’re scouting him, but he’s another one of those guys who, in my opinion, is pretty much as advertised, and I’m not sure what he’ll add in yet another collegiate campaign. When you look at the body of work, an image of a modern-day shooting forward emerges pretty easily. He’s long beyond his height, which is always going to be a plus, especially for someone who’s going to make his money in the pros as a shooter and a fit within defensive schemes. His defensive IQ is very high, even if he’s not athletic to match it. He’s well aware of where his teammates and opponents are seemingly at all times, and he’s able to be most effective when he’s jumping in gaps and taking advantage of opponents’ mental lapses. While he will be a need-based selection for a team and probably not the “best player available”, it’s not hard to imagine him as an NBA bench contributor.
Coleman Hawkins - F/C - Kansas State (NCAA) - 6’9”, 215lbs, 7’0”wing - 2001.12.10
2023-24 Stats (Illinois - NCAA): 12.1ppg, 6.7rpg, 2.7apg, 1.5spg
Hawkins’ inclusion in this list is potentially over 50% personal bias, but he’s someone I’ve watched for the past couple of years at Illinois and have enjoyed as a long, versatile talent. What he’s able to do away from the basket this season will likely make or break him as a prospect, if for no other reason than this will be his last season of collegiate basketball. He’s one of a small number of high-major players to have registered a triple-double during his college career, which on its own is notably impressive. As an NBA player, Hawkins isn’t going to bring the sort of breadth you need for someone who’ll play on the block, and potentially not even in the dunker’s spot, so how he’s able to make his mark offensively this season for Kansas State will be a big determining factor in his draft position. There’s a chance that manifests itself in becoming a reliable catch-and-shoot threat, or someone who can put the ball on the deck and go to the basket. These sorts of things are going to be important as well because Hawkins is not an exceptional screen-setter, largely due in part to his size. Defensively, he could also raise his stock due to being someone who can switch from wings to bigs, at least until he’s overmatched by a stronger player on the block. On the wing, he’s pesky, and has a high steal rate for someone of his size and position. Upperclassmen have been taken more seriously as prospects the past couple of years, and I think part of that has to do with teams that are looking to make a playoff push being able to find guys that can contribute right away and improve their chances of getting over that hump (in 2024, see Kel’el Ware or Dalton Knecht). Hawkins has a chance to do that, depending on what role becomes available to him.
Collin Murray-Boyles - F - South Carolina (NCAA) - 6’7”, 231lbs, 7’2wing (UNV) - 2005.06.10
2023-24 Stats (South Carolina): 10.4ppg, 5.7rpg, 1.8apg, 1.0bpg, 1.0spg, 59.7%FG
Murray-Boyles projects to be one of the first non-freshmen off the board in a class that will likely be dominated by first years and eighteen-year-old international prospects. After his freshman season at South Carolina last year, there were many analysts who believed that he may have been worthy of a first-round pick due simply to what he can bring defensively. Ryan Dunn of Virginia (current Phoenix Sun) was widely considered to be the top defensive specialist prospect in the 2024 draft, and he went in the first round as a result. There was a measurable percentage of draft analysts who considered Murray-Boyles, one of the youngest players in college basketball last year, to be better than Dunn is on the defensive side of the ball. He’s not an overwhelming athlete, and arguably the biggest hindrance to his game is the fact that he’s really a non-shooter, as indicated by his three-point and free-throw numbers. He’s an incredibly cerebral and physically tough player, however, and even if he’s a below-the-rim athlete, he’s a good cutter, can score with his back to the basket at 6’7”, and can guard 1-5, and that will almost certainly be enough to warrant a late-lottery selection for him next June.
Dink Pate - F/G - Mexico City Capitanes (NBAGL) - 6’8”, 210lbs, 6’10”wing - 2006.03.10
2023-24 Stats (NBA G League Ignite - NBAGL): 8.0ppg, 2.9rpg, 3.8apg
Even after a year in the NBA G League, Pate is going to be one of the youngest prospects in the draft this summer, and if nothing else, that’s going to make people interested in what he can bring to their team. Even looking beyond his age, he offers a seriously tantalizing combination of size and skill that could make him one of the prospects likely to climb the most between now and June. He’s a legit 6’8”, and he spent most of his high school career playing point guard. He’s also a legitimate threat from outside as a shooter and slashing towards the basket, creating an image of a three-level scorer who’s able to bring the ball up and play make for others at nearly the size of a power forward. Lot to like, obviously. Defensively, he hasn’t shown as much, and to cement himself in the earlier parts of round one, he may be asked to increase his effort and responsibility on that end, but even if he doesn’t, there’s enough there that will absolutely sell a team on him in round one. He apparently tried to enter the draft last year, but couldn’t because of his age, and honestly, even at 17, he’d have probably been a first-rounder last year.
Hunter Sallis - G - Wake Forest (NCAA) - 6’5”, 185lbs, 6’10”wing - 2003.03.26
2023-24 Stats (Wake Forest): 18.0ppg, 4.1rpg, 2.5apg, 1.1spg
After he transferred from Gonzaga to Wake Forest after his sophomore year, Sallis became one of the most surprising talents in college hoops, someone clearly capable of having the keys to an offense of a major program, serving as an elite jump shot threat both off the catch and off the bounce, as well as a very effective secondary playmaking threat. While his size/skill combination is extremely enticing, it also may be the factor that the most people have questions about. When you watch Sallis, he moves like a professional guard, even if he’s on the tall side. He’s slender though, and he’s sort of caught between these places where he either “should” put on 15+ pounds and become a real scoring wing, or raise his floor as a guard defender and solidify himself as a tall, two-way point guard. Offensively, he’s remarkably consistent, and he is a better rebounder than you would think for someone of his size and position, but beyond his being a fourth-year player, what could hold him back the most is his lack of being a really defined…well, anything, as a pro.
Izan Almansa - F/C - Perth (NBL) - 6’9”, 220lbs, 7’1”wing - 2005.06.07
2023-24 Stats (NBA G League Ignite - NBAGL): 11.7ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.2apg, 51.4%FG
Another victim of the NBA G League Ignite’s folding, Almansa decided to take his talents to the NBL like players before him (LaMelo Ball, AJ Johnson). While there area few fairly notable misses when looking at a player profile and watching him play, there’s also a lot of intangibles to like. As a big, he’s not really a stretch threat or a lob threat in the pick-and-roll, and lacking both those skills could be detrimental. The team that ends up selecting Almansa will most certainly be resigned to the fact that they aren’t drafting an offensive (or defensive) centerpiece, but rather a consistent, “lunch pail” player who’s going to show up, use his length around the basket to score with post moves that might not make SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays, but get the job done, and snag 7-10 rebounds a game most nights. After his success in the G League at such a young age last year, it will be interesting to see what his valuation is as an NBA prospect, especially after his campaign down under this season.
JT Toppin - F - Texas Tech (NCAA) - 6’7”, 221lbs, 7’0”wing - 2005.06.14
2023-24 Stats (New Mexico - NCAA): 12.4ppg, 9.1rpg, 1.9bpg, 62.3%FG
Rebounding is going to be the biggest selling point for Toppin, beyond the obvious physical gifts. He uses those gifts in tandem with being absolutely relentless in his pursuit of his ball off the rim. On the defensive glass, he has the ability (like his brother Obi) to either take it end-to-end on his own or pass the ball to a lead guard and become an immediate, serious lob threat. His length compared to his height makes him an obviously tantalizing defensive prospect, and he uses said length compared with ridiculous athleticism to affect (and block) a good amount of shots. He transferred from New Mexico to Texas Tech, and it will be interesting to see how his game is affected by that, or if he’s going to show up and be the immediate impact guy that many think he can. He’s wildly efficient around the rim but hasn’t at this point proven himself as much of a jump-shooting threat as you’d like from someone who doesn’t stand at 6’8”, even. The poor free-throw numbers indicate he may never be, and there’s certainly an argument to be made that that hole will be the biggest indicator of where he falls, but what he’s able to bring from a pure length and athleticism standpoint, and as a defensive prospect, that will keep him in round one.
Johni Broome - F/C - Auburn (NCAA) - 6’10”, 240lbs, 7’0”wing - 2002.07.19
2023-24 Stats (Auburn): 16.5ppg, 8.5rpg, 2.2apg, 2.2bpg
Broome is another guy who’s going to enter the NBA older than certain guys in their third year or further in the NBA, but should he maximize his particular skill set during his fifth year in college, he has just as good of a chance to be effective regardless of his age. While he may need to impose his will a little more, his 6’10”/250lb frame is more than enough to bang under the rim as a professional. He’s got great touch with both hands around the rim, and his ability to carve out space under the rim as an offensive rebounder is always something that will be valued by professional organizations. A unique skill he possesses is the high-level DHO and high-post playmaking that he demonstrates, and those things combined with his ability to set screens should catch peoples’ attention come June. His free throw percentage is startling, and it does make you wonder if that’s the main reason that he was advised to return to Auburn because beyond that, there’s been a lot of people who wonder what else he has to offer at the collegiate level before his being there does more harm than good.
KJ Lewis - G - Arizona (NCAA) - 6’4”, 205lbs, UNVwing - 2004.08.03
2023-24 Stats (Arizona): 6.1ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.9apg, 46.6%FG (18.3mpg)
Lewis considered the NBA Draft last year, and unless he takes a real jump as a playmaker or a three-point shooter, what he’ll bring to a team after his sophomore year may be similar to what he’d have offered last year. Ideally, his volume at Arizona is going to increase, and with that, his efficiency (that can be a lot to ask for an athletic wing). There have been flashes of a primary guard/wing defender when you watch Lewis play, but he fouls a good amount, so it will be interesting to see how his wingspan measures up come Combine time. Arizona’s roster has thinned out a little bit on the wing, so Lewis in a starting role alongside Caleb Love (I cannot BELIEVE he’s still in college) will likely define his role early. What doesn’t need to be worried about with him is what he will bring to a team from an athleticism standpoint and how that will translate as a pro. Weak side offensive rebounds, the ability to constantly be a transition weapon for his team, things of that nature. If he emerges as one of the top defenders in the NCAA, he may usurp any and all early season draft projections.
Kam Jones - G - Marquette (NCAA) - 6’5”, 200lbs, UNVwing - 2002.02.25
2023-24 Stats (Marquette): 17.2ppg, 2.9rpg, 2.4apg, 50.1%FG
Throughout his entire campaign at Marquette, Kam Jones has found himself a continuously improving talent on the offensive end especially. After Tyler Kolek departed for the NBA in this past June’s draft, a slot opened up for Jones as a secondary playmaker and if he can present himself as someone who can make plays for others while being the microwave scorer that he is (especially as a lefty), I would be surprised if he even makes it to the second round. He’s not really much of a factor on the defensive side of the ball at this point, and this is, according to “experts”, inarguably the biggest gap in his game and potential as a prospect. While defense can largely be chalked up to effort (especially since Jones’ physical profile is nothing to sneeze at), I’m more interested in what he’s going to bring as a pick-and-roll navigator and playmaker, since he already excels as a scorer. I’m inclined to think that as someone who is going to be looked at as more of a leader this year, especially with the departure of Kolek, will shoulder more of the “less fun” responsibilities like playmaking and defense (they’re fun for ME and like, Herb Jones, but that’s not the point). Look for Jones to be one to have potentially the greatest rise between their preseason draft position and their final spot come June.
Kwame Evans Jr. - F - Oregon (NCAA) - 6’9”, 220lbs, 7’0”wing - 2004.08.02
2023-24 Stats (Oregon): 7.3ppg, 4.9rpg, 1.1apg, 1.0bpg, 1.2spg
The name of the game for Evans Jr., and many of the older players who will appear and have appeared on this list, is how they make use of the role they have at their respective programs. Physically, Evans is the whole package, the ideal modern long forward. A lefty with a promising jump shot and legitimate ambidextrous finishing ability, if he can streak together some strong performances in a strong PAC-12, he could be an easy first-round pick for a team looking to add some offensive and defensive versatility. Like many young players, he could stand to add some muscle to his frame to allow him to be a more significant paint presence, but his ability to affect the game in multiple ways on both sides of the ball is going to make him valuable no matter what. Where we could start talking about him as a higher-first-round prospect is if he becomes a lights-out three-point shooter or becomes one of the premier multi-position defenders in the NCAA at 6’9”. The physical tools are all there, and in an increased role during his sophomore season, he should take care to put his whole game on display.
Milan Momcilovic - F - Iowa State (NCAA) - 6’8”, 220lbs, UNVwing - 2005.01.01
2023-24 Stats (Iowa State): 10.9ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.2apg, 35.9%3FG
Early in his NBA career, Momcilovic will make his money on the offensive end, bringing a ready-made jump shot to whichever franchise selects him, as well as an extremely effective off-ball game that allows him to get open in a variety of manners from beyond and inside the arc. He is also very comfortable with his back to the basket, using a combination of his size for a wing player and crafty moves with the ball in his hands to get himself free for easy looks. It’s hard to tell what he will bring defensively, especially since he’s definitely not a traditional modern run-and-jump NBA wing. What could boost his stock throughout the year at Iowa State would either be to solidify himself as a competent defender of better athletes than him, or to make himself into a “real” secondary playmaker from the wing or high post area, as that’s another part ofhis game that’s not especially refined at this point. As far as “upperclassmen” go, he has as good of a chance to dramatically rise as anyone else on this list.
Tyrese Proctor - G - Duke (NCAA) - 6’5”, 185lbs, 6’7”wing - 2004.04.01
2023-24 Stats (Duke): 10.5ppg, 3.0rpg, 3.7apg, 42.3%FG
Two years ago, when Proctor arrived at Duke from Australia, there was talk that he (just like fellow freshman Kyle Filipowski) could have been lottery picks in the 2023 NBA draft. Due to some combination of a lack of team success and lack of potential positive feedback from scouts at the NBA Draft Combine, we’re now entering our third season of Tyrese Proctor, who presents as a different player than he was as a freshman. Now, he’s a tall, savvy playmaking guard who excels in the pick-and-roll and in catch-and-shoot situations, and has a very high basketball IQ. He’s inconsistent near the rim, both being slight, and not especially quick or athletic, so that will almost certainly be something that affects his stock more than anything else. Without Jared McCain next to him (2024 first-round selection for the 76ers), Proctor may have a chance to become a high-usage guard again for the Blue Devils, though there are more than a couple (one in particular) NBA prospects that will certainly take eyes off of him specifically. Depending on how he’s able to maximize his role this season, Proctor could be another player who usurps expectations of him and makes himself available as a high-value option in the early parts of the second round.
Xavier Booker - F - Michigan State (NCAA), 6’11”, 220lbs, 7’4”wing - 2004.09.09
2023-24 Stats (Michigan State): 3.7ppg, 1.7rpg, 43.9%FG (9.3MPG)
After what many would deem to be a “disappointing” freshman season for Michigan State, the exceedingly long and lanky Booker hopes to remind people why he was such a highly touted recruit coming out of high school. He didn’t play many minutes, nor did the statistical output necessarily reflect the good stuff he did contribute (and it wasn’t all good). When it was, you saw a guy with an NBA body who has a good understanding of where to put himself within set plays, solid athleticism, and stretch potential. He’s not much of a playmaker from a long forward spot as you’d maybe like in a modern player, and he doesn’t necessarily have one offensive calling card, which does make you wonder what role he will serve as a pro. The word “adequate” could be and has been used to describe a lot of what Booker does on the floor, both offensively and defensively. If he can put on some strength and become more of a low post bruiser, especially without losing what shooting touch seems to be there, we could be talking about someone who’s valuation exceeds what pick they may end up going at. Not dissimilar to Johni Broome, Booker is another guy who could draw eyes if he imposes his will on his opponent and truly shows that if he wants to, no one can stop a 7-footer with a 7’4” wingspan going downhill or in pick-and-pop.
Zvonimir Ivisic - C - Arkansas (NCAA) - 7’2”, 234lbs, UNVwing - 2003.08.09
2023-24 Stats (Kentucky - NCAA): 5.5ppg, 3.3rpg, 1.3bpg (11.7MPG)
There are stretches of about four minutes per contest where Zvonimir Ivisic looks like Kristaps Porzingis with a touch of Victor Wembanyama. He’s been one of the most intriguing prospects since the first videos of him torching European U18’s showed up, eventually landing him with John Calipari at Kentucky. When Cal left, so did Ivisic, and on a reloaded Arkansas team, he’ll look to make himself a potential first round prospect. For his size, he moves pretty well with specific regards to fluidity, and he’s demonstrated the ability to be a potential stretch threat both this season and going forward as a pro. He definitely needs to put on a little bit of strength so that he’s able to bang in the paint and isn’t relegated to being a 7’2” small forward with more limited creation ability. His statistical output juxtaposed with his minutes leads to some pretty insane per-36 numbers, and as big men become more and more of a premium, depending on what kind of year he has, there’s no reason he couldn’t be in first round conversations. Bigs seem to be more and more of either fully “needs-based” selections, which can cause them to fall past maybe where they “should” get picked, or they’re picked to be franchise cornerstones. See Victor Wembanyama for a good example of this, and James Wiseman (poor guy) for a terrible example of this. Ivisic is one of the biggest question marks this year, but has some of the greatest space to rise in the entire class.
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