With the NBA Draft Combine taking place in Chicago this week, we’ve entered the final stretch to the 2024 NBA Draft. With the draft scheduled to unfold starting on June 26 in Brooklyn, players are jockeying for position and GMs are pouring over data.
Today, Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy takes stock of draft projections and explores four prospects he’s higher on than the larger draft-projection industry and outlines the reason why below.
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STEPHON CASTLE, UCONN
Average projection: No. 6-10
Where I like him: Top college prospect
People get caught up in arguing about what Castle is and isn’t from a positional standpoint, which seems like a moot argument when it comes to modern basketball. What’s extremely clear, however, is that the UConn star, who measured 6-foot-5 at the combine, brings a rare versatility and is able to play on ball or off in the NBA.
The more legitimate criticism of his game is the fact that his college shooting numbers (26 percent from 3-point range) left plenty to be desired. The optimist in me thinks that his mediocre shooting year may have been the product of a small sample size, based on the fact that Castle always seemed to be an above average shooter in settings such as elite camps and all-star games where he wasn’t asked to carry the full load of his team’s offense.
In a draft that seems to be thin at the top, I’ll bet on a long, hyper-versatile tough-shot-maker that has an encouraging shooting stroke and endless two-way potential.
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ISAIAH COLLIER, USC
Average projection: Fringe Lottery
Where I like him: Top 10
Back when Collier was a high school senior I used to refer to him as The Volvo based on his high floor, a trait that made him a safe option to list as the No. 1 overall prospect in his class. In my opinion, that same floor makes him unlikely to make a GM look stupid for selecting him in the top 10.
Collier has impressive physical attributes and was possibly the best at-the-rim finisher in college hoops a season ago, and gets to the free-throw line with incredible regularity. He shot the ball a little better than many expected as a freshman at USC and would have posted even better numbers had he stayed healthy or found himself surrounded by more talent.
He will need to start making wiser decisions from a passing standpoint at the NBA level, but the Atlanta-born point guard is coachable on that front. Defensively, he has his limitations but I’m not sure that's enough to drop him to the bottom of the lottery.
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BAYLOR SCHEIERMAN, CREIGHTON
Average projection: Late second round
Where I like him: Late first round
Scheierman has been one of the most buzzed-about prospects at the combine, but we’ve long been on the train here at Rivals. The knock on the former Creighton star has always centered on his lack of elite athleticism, but I’m not as bothered by such a criticism for multiple reasons.
First, the 6-foot-7 Scheierman is a bit more athletic than he gets credit for being. He’s not going to throw down highlight reel dunks or produce jaw-dropping chase-down blocks, but he clearly has a level of functional agility and dexterity that allow him to be a better defender than many think at the next level. His ability to impact games on the offensive end, particularly from perimeter, has never been in doubt.
If he’s able to become even a serviceable defender in the league, his offensive role is both defined and valuable. Scheierman made great strides as a member of a loaded Creighton roster a year ago and his reputation doesn’t seem to have caught up with what the tape actually says on that front just yet.
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ZACH EDEY, PURDUE
Average projection: Second round
Where I like him: Late first round
Do I think Edey will be an NBA star? Probably not unless he finds a time machine to take him back to 2002, but he’s capable of outperforming expectations. I also think he might be worth a first-round pick in a weak draft.
Yes, he’s always going to be a bit of a defensive liability in the NBA, but his testing numbers suggest he has some room to improve on that front. Edey’s athletic testing numbers were similar to, and in some cases better than, those belonging to UConn 7-footer and projected lottery pick Donovan Clingan.
I’m not suggesting somebody select Edey over Clingan, obviously, but Edey’s performance at the combine was definitely a positive. The 7-foot-3 Edey also showed better-than-expected shooting touch from outside the paint and from three-point range during workouts in Chicago.
Taking a flyer in the late first round wouldn’t raise my eyebrows at all, and I could probably talk myself into selecting him a little higher than that if I tried.
