the long awaited 2023 NBA Draft It has come and gone, but fans of this event may already be looking forward to the next generation of new stars.
Although the class of 2024 doesn’t seem to be as good as this year, there are plenty of names worth watching this season.
Outside of the NCAA, G League Ignite has a roster full of future stars, headlined Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland. Away from the United States, the main name is Zachary Risacher, who competes in the French league.
In the university world we have to highlight it freshmen USC’s Bronny James and Isaiah Collier or D. Wagner and Justin Edwards. Of the second-year players, Tyrese Proctor from Duke or Donovan Clingan from UConn stand out.
Next, Sports news brings 10 players to watch in the 2024 NBA draft.
More | The winners and losers of the 2023 NBA draft
Which players to watch in the 2024 NBA Draft?
Matas Buzelis, G League Ignite
- Age: 18
- Position: Eaves
- Weight and height: 2.11 meters, 88 kg
The vast majority of make fun of coming out in the coming months will have Buzelis at the top, projecting as the next #1 pick. The 18-year-old has plenty of height, but he’s on the perimeter rather than inside.
Bouzelis handles the ball with confidence, can create his own shot, hit 3-pointers or score near the rim. He is a coordinated player who can defend inside or outside and should be the star of the game. G League Ignite next season.
Zaccharie Risacher, ASVEL (France)
- Age: 18
- Position: Eaves
- Height and weight: 2.03 meters, 92 kg
Risacher is coming off his first season in France’s LNB Pro A, where Wembanyama and Coulibaly hail from. In fact, he plays for the same team that formed Wembley and is owned by Tony Parker.
The player, born in Malaga (Spain) but with a French passport, he had hardly any minutes in ASVEL, but has a lot to offer in his next season. Risacher is a confident shot maker thanks to a good technical package that is more than advanced for its size. He’s not an explosive athlete, but he has the tools to be a top five draft pick.
Ron Holland, G League Ignite
- Age: 17
- Position: Eaves
- Height and weight: 2.03, 88 kg
Holland was a five-star prospect and the No. 2 prospect in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports. He was originally committed to Texas, but eventually chose to play with the G League Ignite, forming a top-level pairing with Bouzelis.
Holland is an athletic forward who works tirelessly on defense and under the basket. He’s a versatile offensive weapon who could improve some of his skills over a full season of practice and games at the NBA level.
Bronny James, USC
- Age: 18
- Position: Guard
- Height and weight: 1.90 meters, 86 kg
All eyes will be on you LeBron’s son with dazzling attention for his first season at USC. This combo guard He will play alongside the No. 1 player in the class of 2023, Isaiah Collier, to form one of the Trojans’ best outside pairings.
James is known for his elite defense, outside shooting and good reading of the game reminiscent of his father. Although he didn’t initially receive much publicity as a potential first-round draft pick out of high school, it wouldn’t be unusual to see Broney in the lottery slots next year.
Isaiah Collier, USC
- Age: 18
- Position: Guard
- Height and weight: 1.93 meters, 92 kg
Collier is the highest rated player in the United States Started his first year in the NCAA. The young man is a guard physical who can score from anywhere on the field.
He has incredible vision as an elite playmaker, elevating his teammates with his passing ability. Collier will stand out with shooters like James and Boogie Ellis, putting the Trojans on the map.
Justin Edwards, Kentucky
- Age: 19
- Position: Eaves
- Height and weight: 2.00 meters, 81 kg
Edwards was long considered the best player in the 2023 class, but ultimately finished as the 3rd best and 5-star player.
He is a fluent scoring striker with his game. Edwards makes everything look easy with his shooting accuracy, being able to create his own shot and score from anywhere. He has an interesting mid-range shot and is hard to contain when going to the basket. He will be the big pick for Kentucky.
DJ Wagner, Kentucky
- Age: 18
- Position: Base
- Height and weight: 1.90 meters, 79 kg
Wagner joins Edwards as two of four five-stars who will play for the Wildcats this year. The crafty 1.90 point guard is deadly off the dribble, using his quick first step and steady movement to score off both the shot and penetration. He is a solid and interesting on-ball defender and budding playmaker who should thrive with the talent around him at Kentucky.
Wagner will seek to make it first third generation player in NBA history, following in the footsteps of his father, DaJuan, and grandfather, Milt.
Cody Williams, Colorado
- Age: 18
- Position: Eaves
- Height and weight: 2.03, 84 kg
Considered by On3 to be the best project in this class, Williams is a versatile scorer who handles the ball like a point guard. He can now create his own shot or for others, but he also knows how to move without the ball and execute.
With a reported 2.13 wingspan and solid athleticism, Williams also projects as an NBA-ready defender. He is the brother of OKC Thunder player Jalen Williams. and this shows through a similar style of play.
Tyrese Proctor, Duke
- Age: 19
- Position: Guard
- Height and weight: 1.96 meters, 80 kg.
My bet is that Proctor is in the conversation to be the next No. 1 in the next Draft even if it doesn’t look like it right now.
This playmaker got better as the games went on at Duke during his freshman year of college. He showed flashes of clearly developing his shooting skills, both from mid-range and from 3-point range. He is a fluid pick-and-roll operator and is slowly improving on defense.
With another year of growth under his direction Jon Scheyer it is very possible that Proctor will raise his value significantly in the Draft.
Donovan Clingan, UConn
- Age: 19
- Position: Inside
- Height and weight: 2.18 meters, 120 kg
Clingan could have been selected in this Draft at the end of the First Round, but ultimately chose to return to UConn.
This inside played a key role as a backup in his team’s title run, but I think he could be a talent with options to be the Big East Defensive Player of the Year with more responsibility in his second year.
He’ll need to show offensive improvements beyond just being an enforcer, but the Klingon trajectory looks a little like the Klingon. Walker Kessler, who greatly increased his value after staying in the NCAA for one more class.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
