2024 NBA Mock Draft: UConn’s Donovan Clingan leads four stars at Final Four in latest first-round projection

Risacher has struggled of late after starting the season hot, in particular cooling after after showing improvement as a shooter. But as we sit here now I’d still project him to be the first pick because of his long-term upside. Wings at 6-9 who can handle and shoot with ease the way he can don’t slip far.

Despite coming off the bench the majority of the season for Kentucky, Dillingham flashed shades of Kyrie Irving with his twitchy ability and brilliant ball-handling skills. He can take over games when he’s hot and has the athletic pop to grow into a potent two-way player.

One of the most promising defensive prospects in this class, Sarr projects to be a shot blocking specialist in the NBA who has upside to switch onto multiple positions. It’s hard to put him into one box, though, because of the rare versatility he brings to the table on both ends.

However good you think Sheppard is, just know you’re probably wrong and underrating him. He had an historically great freshman season at Kentucky as arguably the best shooter in college basketball, and he proved to be a legitimate playmaker on offense with the ball in his hands and on defense as a savvy, smart team defender. Has a game that projects perfectly to the NBA level.

Illinois went 0-for-19 in the Elite Eight in shots contested by Donovan Clingan, which turned out to be one of his most dominant performances of the year. Clingan — known affectionately by UConn fans as “Cling Kong” — is a monster on the defensive side of the floor whose timing and anticipation on that end has changed the trajectory for the reigning champion Huskies. He’s gone from surefire lottery pick to potential No. 1 overall.

Topic is a top-five talent for me in this class so slipping to six would register as a mild surprise. He’s an excellent distributor who can play downhill and I love the vision + instincts combo he brings to the table as an electric playmaker.

Entering the year, Buzelis was my preference at No. 1 in way-too-early projections. And after a slow start to the year with G League Ignite he’s turned things around and proven himself worthy of being in that discussion. Huge frame, jumbo wing who can put the ball on the floor and move like a guard.

Even on a loaded UConn team, Castle as a freshman has managed to stand out with his defensive intensity and length affecting teams all season. He’s still a work in progress on offense, where his confidence can come and go, but there’s a nice foundation to build on here to like Castle a lot.

The younger brother of rising OKC Thunder star Jalen Williams, Cody caught the eye of NBA teams this season with his size and skill as a playmaking wing. He’s shooting above 40% from 3-point range on modest volume this season as a freshman and flashed in a number of roles with the Buffaloes this season.

I’ve long been a fan of Holland’s athleticism and potential and he’s shown growth this season with G League Ignite with his handle. He has a lot of room to develop as an offensive weapon though, still, and there’s some volatility in projecting that development in the short-term. If he can add polish on that end he’d pay off this draft capital ten-fold.

A big wing with a sturdy shooting base and a consistent release, Salaun has quickly become one of my favorites in this class. His mechanics as a shooter are excellent and his positional size as a jumbo wing make his game immediately translatable to the NBA.

Where Walter lands in this class could range between 5 and 15, but I can’t imagine it’s further than that. He’s a high-level shot maker who was a touch inconsistent at times for Baylor as a freshman but has the background and pedigree to slot into the NBA as a reliable two-guard.

Since returning from injury earlier this season, Collier helped breathe life into USC’s once-dead season and impressed with his competitive nature on a Trojans team whose NCAA Tournament hopes were nil. He’s a grinder who gets downhill in a hurry and an electric combo guard with room to develop into a two-way starting NBA guard.

Knecht did well for his draft stock on the NCAA Tournament stage with a dazzling 37-point outing vs. Purdue in the Elite Eight, flashing the type of shot-making that has launched him from Northern Colorado afterthought to potential lottery pick. He finished shooting nearly 40% from 3-point range on major volume as the SEC Player of the Year.

Filipowski led Duke in scoring and rebounding this season and showed significant improvement from his freshman to sophomore year in the process. The 7-footer has a versatile skill set that figures to be a safe projection to the NBA.

McCain had a remarkable NCAA Tournament run before NC State bounced it out of the Elite Eight. Twice during the tourney he reached 30 or more points and he showed off his versatility as one of the most willing rebounders at the guard position in the class.

A raw prospect with tremendous upside, Missi is a potential lottery pick due to his size, skill, and shot blocking ability. He’s a developmental type prospect but the flashes of “wow” he put together at the end of the season became more frequent.

The theoretical upside for Klintman as a 6-foot-10 wing is going to be tough to pass on for teams in the late teens or early 20s. Good shooter but probably falls more into the developmental category due to his slender frame and youth.

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 26, 30 and 29 points in his first three NCAA Tournament games in dragging Illinois to the Elite Eight. He’s an older player who spent five seasons in college but his polish as a scoring guard presents immediate value for teams in this range hoping to find someone to be plug-and-play.

Cal went from a 3-win team to a 13-win team largely because of the addition of Tyson, who averaged just shy of 20 points per game this season and flashed real improvement in a leading role. Big wing with big-time shooting ability. Screams role player.

The selling point for Dunn is simple: he is one of the best defensive prospects in college basketball. Dunn averaged 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game for a Virginia D that rated in the top 10 of efficiency metrics at KenPom. He has excellent timing and anticipation on defense and is one of the few on that side of the ball I’d consider a true playmaker.

No one has been more dominant in college basketball this NCAA Tournament — and the last two years — than has Edey. He’s stringing together big performance one after another with unstoppable interior play in a throwback style. Whether it translates to the NBA is yet to be considered, but teams are going to be very interested in him late in the first — if not before this.

The best player in the Big East this season was a Providence Friar. Carter was immense as a breakout junior, marrying up an already-elite defensive package with an unstoppable offensive game and improved 3-point consistency.

A former five-star who began his career at Gonzaga, Sallis has flourished this season at Wake averaging 18.3 points per game and shooting 41.6% from 3-point range. His progression as an outside scoring weapon was what previously kept him from earning first round buzz, and is now what might get him into the top 30.

Smith is a stretch big who has quietly had a strong season for G League Ignite shooting it from deep and showcasing his athleticism. He has a five-star pedigree and has flashed enough to get first round looks for a team in this range looking to develop a big for the future.

Not sure Furphy has the goods to be an impactful NBA player from day one but I’m buying his NBA future long-term. He has the handles of a polished guard and shooting ability to boot. High-upside long-term gamble.

Coming back from an oblique injury, Kolek returned to his regular self in a big NCAA Tournament run for Marquette that ended in the Sweet 16. He averaged 18.7 points and 8.3 assists per game in the Big Dance and showed off the passing instincts and scoring that made him the most exciting point guard in the sport this season.

Carrington began the season ranked just inside the top-100 of his own recruiting class but heads to the draft as a possible top-30 selection after a big year at Pitt. He led the team in assists and finished second in scoring and minutes played.

A nagging bone bruise restricted McCullar the last month-plus of the season and derailed what was on pace to be a First Team All-American season. He made significant improvement this season as a shooter while taking on a sizable role increase, though, and there’s a real chance he parlays that into a top-30 selection.

Let’s not overlook the most important piece of UConn’s team. Newton is a First Team All-American and his development into that role this season has helped the Huskies in their quest to repeat. Size, skill, defense — he brings it all to the table. He’ll end up getting more serious looks as teams dig deeper.