The *Unranked* Top 15 Returning 2024 NBA Draft Prospects

All prospects have to have to played at least one year in college, and are presented in alphabetical order.

Baba Miller - Florida State - F/C - Sophomore - 6’11” - 205lbs

After missing the beginning of his freshman season due to a recruiting violation, Miller, a Spaniard who grew up a guard before growing nine inches as an adolescent, will look to make an impact as a scoring wing for the Seminoles. His combination of ball-handling, slashing, defense, and playmaking should make him effective in the ACC, and if he can speed up his jump shot release and consistently put on muscle between now and next June, there’s no reason to think he can’t make his way into the first round. 

Bobi Klintman - Cairns (NBL) (TRANSFER FROM WAKE FOREST [NCAA]) - F - “Sophomore” - 6’10” - 225lbs

After being invited to last year’s combine after putting up just five points and four rebounds a contest as a freshman, scouts and GMs’ opinion of Klintman was shown as clearly high. As another oversized but slender wing, his fluidity and height is attractive to anyone looking to add shooting and wing depth. His defense needs a little bit of work, and not dissimilar to Miller, he’s more of a smooth, fluid athlete than he is an explosive leaper. Offensively, he’s well rounded, and more than anything on defense, he just needs to increase his consistency and figure out if he’s going to be a ball-stopper or a scheme defender. His move from the NCAA to the NBL will be interesting to track, undoubtedly. 

Coleman Hawkins - Illinois - F/C - Senior - 6’10” - 225lbs

While he’s one of the older prospects in the 2024 group as a whole, Hawkins was part of a select group to rack up a triple double in the NCAA season last year. At this point, coming into the draft after his senior year, he likely projects as a two-way guy or G League journeyman, but he was one of my favorite upperclassman prospects in 2023 and shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s long, smooth, able to guard on the ball and away from it, and has steadily improved as a jump shooter. His first step and lateral quickness suggests someone who could guard at least 3-5 and maybe even certain smaller wings. Perhaps his most underrated skill is his passing, which makes him a much more dynamic threat with the ball in his hands. 

DaRon Holmes II - Dayton - C/F - Junior - 6’10” - 225lbs

Holmes is a powerful paint presence whose return to Dayton made some analysts (including myself) wonder what spurred it. In an admittedly thin draft in the frontcourt, he may have been able to sneak into the later parts of round one, but this year as a junior, he should still be firmly in play as a second round “energy guy”. His field goal percentage is regularly insane (66%, with 76% of his attempts coming at the rim), and he was the NCAA’s top dunker (quantitatively) last year. His pure energy will be valued by someone this year, and playing for a smaller school like Dayton in a conference like the Atlantic 10, his numerical stats will be interesting to track, though peoples’ weight of said stats will maybe be more so. 

Dillon Mitchell - Texas - F - Sophomore - 6’8” - 205lbs

Mitchell’s return to Austin was well-advised, as he seemed to struggle with a willingness to shoot the ball during the back half of the season last year, and ended up as more of a niche super athlete within the Longhorns’ scheme, reminiscent of a Texas alum like Greg Brown. If Mitchell comes into this season with a sense of confidence in himself, and has developed his game further on the offensive side, there’s no reason to think a team wouldn’t spend a late first round pick on an athlete of this caliber. Also working in his favor is his defensive ability, which is fairly exceptional. Even as just a specialist on that side of the ball, it’s hard to envision a world where an athlete like him who can play the three or the four falls out of the draft completely. 

Donovan Clingan - Connecticut - C - Sophomore - 7’2” - 265lbs

After a fairly high-profile high school career, Clingan went pretty under the radar for most of the NCAA regular season due to low minutes, but when the tournament came around he ended up being one of the most valuable contributors for the Huskies, who of course were the eventual national champions. While he may not have had the eyes on him that someone like Jordan Hawkins did, his immense physical profile and surprising fluidity drew attention last year, and will much more this year. He needs to up his coordination a little bit, but that will just come with age. At this point, he’s no threat outside the paint, but if he comes into this season with any sort of jumper, we’ll be talking about him as a potential lottery prospect. His efficiency and rim protecting at this point will make him valuable even in a draft fairly loaded with frontcourt talent. 

JJ Starling - Syracuse (TRANSFER FROM NOTRE DAME) - G - Sophomore - 6’4” - 200lbs

If Starling becomes even a remotely efficient scorer during his sophomore year alongside Judah Mintz in Syracuse, there’s little doubt he’ll be a first rounder. He’s as pure as they get on that side of the ball, even if he doesn’t project as much of a point guard or playmaker at the next level. His use of the midrange and willingness to put his body into a defender to get to a spot IN the midrange is something you are starting to see a little more in collegiate prospects, as guys know that it’s not just about being the highest volume three-point guy, it’s about being able to make decisions in the pick and roll. Even without much of a sample size from a defensive standpoint, his 6’9” wingspan suggests he could be capable if effort is applied. 

Judah Mintz - Syracuse - G - Sophomore - 6’2” - 175lbs

Mintz electing to stay in college and stay at Syracuse after Starling decided to transfer in will have peoples’ eyes on the Orange when the season comes around. While he’s similarly attack-minded as Starling, he’s not as jump shot oriented, and definitely has more of the point guard mold of the two of them. What’s held him back at this point is his lack of a real three point presence, but he’s a dog by any standard, and is a better-than-average rebounder for someone of his size. If his profile doesn’t change much between now and June, he’ll be one of the lighter players in the entirety of the NBA when he comes in as a rookie. There’s a real argument to be made in favor of someone as raw as Mintz is, because he’s moldable into any sort of small combo guard that a team may need, be that a score-first energy guy, a playmaker for more talented second units, or a defensive specialist. 

Kel’el Ware - Indiana (TRANSFER FROM OREGON) - C/F - Sophomore - 7’0” - 210lbs

Similarly to Holmes, new Hoosier Ware electing to stay in school drew some eyes, but at least for him, it was easier to point to the idea that he was behind in the rotation at Oregon, and didn’t have the statistical output some thought he may. Ware’s ceiling is clear, a shot blocker with three-point potential. He’s bouncy, and he has a little bit of handling ability, to the point where he could be equally effective facing the basket or with his back to it. If he fills out his frame and finds a real role under Mike Woodson within a rapidly improving Indiana program, we could be talking about Ware as a potential first rounder this year. He’s the kind of guys where you see what everything could be, so it’s a matter of if we’ll get to see what it all is. 

Kyle Filipowski - Duke - F/C - Sophomore - 7’0” - 230lbs

While there are multiple players that could be called “surprising” when you’re referring to their return to college, there’s probably not one more than Duke’s Kyle Filipowski. Even beyond the 2023 draft being a little thin up front, Filipowski’s combination of size and skill had him in most peoples’ top twenty. He’s a monster rebounder with a shooting touch, and hustles in a way that some players just don’t. It’s always worth considering that we could have a Laettner/Ferry situation on our hands, a great white hope who crushes at Duke and doesn’t put it all together as a pro, but I don’t think so. There are too many facets to Filipowski’s game to have him be completely ineffective at the next level. If he comes in as a legit three-point threat this year and firmly emerges as a visible and vocal leader, he could still be a solid first round option for many teams. 

Mark Mitchell - Duke - F - Sophomore - 6’8”- 220lbs

The second of a trio of Blue Devils to make this list, Mitchell flew under a lot of peoples’ radars last year. He gives extreme “solid NBA role player” energy, and could even usurp that if he’s one of Duke’s best players this year. He’s long and athletic, he can defend many positions, and he just looks like a modern NBA wing. He’s most effective near the rim, but that doesn’t mean he’s not able to be a jump shooter as a function of the offense. Not a natural playmaker and likely won’t be, committed more turnovers than assists last season. Good rebounder, especially for his position, which sort of creates a “small four” image in mind, someone who can step into a role as needed and provide juice and highlights. He loves to get out in transition and run, either as a defensive rebounder/one man show or as a dunker on the receiving end of an outlet pass. Imagining a “discount Aaron Gordon” world for Mitchell doesn’t feel out of the question. 

Riley Kugel - Florida - G - Sophomore - 6’5” - 210lbs

Kugel will be an interesting player to track in the 2023-24 season due mostly to the image that he presented himself as last year, a bit of a spastic, yet effective slasher with legit 20 point-per-game potential. He kind of plays like a bigger version of Judah Mintz, putting multiple double-moves on defenders and using picks strategically to get to his spots, many of which are finished with tough floaters and runners. Didn’t attempt many threes last year, but converted nearly 38% of them, which makes you think that in a situation where the ball isn’t in his hands as a playmaker, he could be an effective catch and shoot option. His energy and frenetic pace of play translates to the defensive side of the ball too, racking up nearly a steal a game last year. When you watch a guy like Kugel it’s clear that the talent is there for the modern NBA, especially with all of the pick-and-roll based offense that there is now. 

Terrance Arceneaux - Houston - G - Sophomore - 6’5” - 195lbs

Arceneaux couldn’t crack the rotation much at Houston last year, as their guard play was a huge factor in that teams’ success. When he was on the floor though, it was clear that there was something hiding on that Cougar bench. 6’5” with a nearly 7’0” wingspan, he was one of the most visibly effective defenders in all of college basketball last year, especially amongst his fellow freshmen. He’s a smooth athlete, but a good leaper as well, effective as a jump shot blocker and a weak side threat. It’s a thrill to watch him completely synthesize a defensive possession, especially when you can sort of “see him coming” a second or two before he flies over and swats an ill-advised layup into the eighth row. Depending on the evolution of his offensive game, and the amount of eyes on Houston without stars like Walker, Sasser, and Walsh, Arceneaux could be a real lottery threat and one of the better two-way players in the whole draft. 

Trevon Brazile - Arkansas - F/C - Junior - 6’10” - 215lbs

After blowing out his knee and requiring an ACL surgery part way through last season, peoples’ opinions of Brazile may never be the same. They should remember he’s still young for his class, and even if he never gets some of the ridiculous leaping ability back (remember THAT dunk he had last year?), he’s still a very effective long forward. He can shoot, put the ball on the floor, rebound, and block shots. I’m interested to see what his game turns into post-surgery. His shooting is effective to the point that he could easily become a pick-and-fade star if his athleticism (either up and down or side to side) fades. Let’s just hope that the Jonathan Isaac comparisons can stop before people start talking about his knees. 

Tyrese Proctor - Duke - G - Sophomore - 6’5” - 175lbs

Finally (thanks to nothing else but the alphabet) we get to potentially the most intriguing player that returned to college for a second season. Tyrese Proctor came out slow, and while he never emerged as an elite three-point threat, his potential as an oversized playmaker with a savvy feel for the pick-and-roll and what to do within it. He’s not afraid of taking a midrange when it’s available to him, and even though he’s very light, he’s willing to go into the paint here and there, and is a good free throw shooter when he does get fouled. A key for Proctor will be putting on a little bit of mass. It’s fairly clear he projects as a point guard, so the rotation that emerges of Proctor and freshmen Jared McCain and Caleb Foster will be curious to follow.