Potential Deep Sleepers for the 2024 NBA Draft
Brian breaks down some of the prospects who weren't invited to the NBA Draft Combine. This includes, Isaiah Crawford, Jaylin Williams, Malevy Leons, Riley Minix, Tristan Enaruna, and many others!
This is basically my breakdown of the players that weren’t invited to the NBA Combine, but are in this draft that have my eye. Some of these guys have been previously covered in other articles. These will be listed in alphabetical order by last name in their own segments after highlighting my favorites at the top.
G League Elite Camp Invites
Isaiah Crawford
Isaiah Crawford is easily my favorite player that wasn’t invited to the combine. I think he is going to get drafted, especially considering that he could have gone back to school, but didn’t, I wonder if there’s some guarantee there. While running through Barrtorvik a bit, 3 other names stood out. Draymond Green, Taurean Prince, and Jalen Slawson. He’s obviously not the same archetype as Draymond, but Taurean Prince is a reasonable outcome for someone like Crawford. Taurean shot it better in college though.
Mark Armstrong
Unless I’m a rebuilding team, I’m not really that interested in Mark Armstrong. He’s a project that likely won’t have enough team security that will actually put resources in him.
Taran Armstrong
The comparisons are pretty lofty, but he is basically a smaller, worse version of Josh Giddey. Is that an NBA player? Chances are, probably not. However, he’s worth a flier for sure.
Keion Brooks Jr.
Keion has good size, and can score the basketball. The question is whether or not he will be able to be a role player in the NBA. He’s got good size, but time will tell. I’m worried about the shot and defense.
Terrell Burden
A sub 5 '11 guard that can’t shoot or defend at a really high level makes you question why teams brought him into the G League Elite Camp. No offense, but how is this going to work? I’m not completely writing him off, but I just don’t see it.
Branden Carlson
If we are talking about 2024 prospects, I prefer Quinten Post to Carlson. Carlson has improved quite a bit since entering Salt Lake, but the limitations to be are too much for me to want to take the chance on him in most situations. Maybe it works out, but the fit is going to need to be perfect if it's going to happen for him.
Yongxi Cui
An all around solid wing player for Cui. It’s going to be an adjustment for him in order to stick, but if he scales up, there are valuable players that he could compare to.
Clarence Daniels
I want to buy into Clarence Daniels. I think the defense is good, I really like rebounding. There’s more development needed for him, but he could be an impact player if he ends up with the right team.
Sean East II
Sean East is not my type of player. He’s got a shot, but he needs to get stronger. I don’t love the fact he was at 4 schools in 5 years. He’s going to need to learn how to defend soon though. He’ll get torn apart in the G League if he doesn’t.
Tristan Enaruna
He has some fans among the draft space. The lack of an elite skill scares me quite a bit. He’s not very young, and I don’t know how he fits in an NBA offense. If he can’t shoot and if he’s not an elite defender, why should teams play you? He’s not the defender that Cody Martin is, but that might be a best case scenario for him. Juwan Morgan had some moments for Utah. He might be in line for a similar impact.
Aaron Estrada
Aaron Estrada was a very good basketball player. I wonder if that’s where he’s going to be remembered most. I’m not writing him off, but I don’t know what he does when the ball is not in his hands, and he’s not the best player without the ball in his hands. He could be pretty good though if he improves his defense.
Allen Flanigan
I think there’s some potential here with Flannigan. He hasn’t been healthy, and there are tools there. He needs to shoot it, but as a wing with good size, there’s some potential here.
Blake Hinson
Link to article where I covered him more extensively. I still really like Hinson and expect him to be one of the first players to get a two way contract after the draft. I actually think there’s a decent chance he could get selected, but it would be a pick in the 50’s if it happens. There aren’t many players at his size that can shoot like he can.
Jaelen House
Yes, Jaelen House is really small. Jose Alvarado is only 10 pounds heavier than him. Alvarado also shot it better from the field than House. The margin of error is so small with the small guards, it's still hard to buy in, but it's possible. I can see it a lot more with him as a small guard, than some of the others.
Jaedon LeDee
I really struggle to see how he’s going to be impactful in the NBA. No team is going to want Jaedon LeDee with the ball in his hands, trying to back down 7 footers. Now when running barrtorvik simulations, a name that came up that actually made me laugh out loud, was Kelly Olynyk. Now, he’s not as skilled of a dribbler or a passer as Olynyk was, but it’s not outrageous. Da’Ron Holmes also showed up. Also, I thought it was funny how the 3 player comps that I could see him closest too, all were in the same draft class.
Jalen Lewis
Now, the reason I put all California teams for him is because he really did seem like California is a comfort zone. Now, he may not get much of a choice on where he goes, but if he does end up in California, it might be a little interesting.
Emanuel Miller
Link to article where I covered him more extensively. I still like Emanuel Miller and he should get a two way contract. I think he’s been a little under the radar this year but I think he could carve out a role if he ends up in the right situation.
Judah Mintz
Link to article where I covered him more extensively. My thoughts on Judah haven’t changed at all and I just don’t see it. Like I’m sorry, I know there’s some people that like him, but I have no idea how this is going to work at all.
Jameer Nelson Jr.
Nelson is pretty strong and does have NBA blood. A team is going to need to rework his shot, but he could have value as a defensive guard, and teams liked him enough to go straight to the Elite Camp, so there’s curiosity.
Zyon Pullin
Zyon Pullin is pretty interesting. He’s been a really good college player for the past couple seasons. What does worry me is that a lot of the comparisons that have come up for Barrtorvik, are players that struggled to translate into the league. Now, I think Pullin could have more growth in him because he wasn’t at a high level basketball program for most of his career. I can’t rule him out, but I’m interested how he does in the G League next season.
Mantas Rubstavicius
Link to article where I covered him more extensively. I think Mantas has been flying a little bit under the radar but he’s likely just going to be a stash pick. Thoughts haven’t changed a lot since I made this report back in early March.
Isaiah Stevens
Link to article where I covered him more extensively. He’s a smart player, I just don’t know how it's going to work. He’s just really small and the margin for error is so small with these guys.
Anton Watson
Link to article where I covered him more extensively. However, my thoughts on him haven’t changed a lot. I don’t think he gets drafted, but he’s one of the first players I expect to get two ways after the draft.
Bryson Warren
I think Warren is worth a flier. The fact that he stayed in was a little bit surprising. Is it because he has a promise? Or is it because he just wants to go pro and shoot his shot? WE will see, but considering he’s younger than a lot of the players in the second round, I’d give him a two way just to have a crack.
Not Invited to the G League Elite Camp
Malevy Leons
While the Robert Covington comparison might be a little shocking, their numbers were shockingly similar. They both played at smaller schools and similar sizes. Leons shot it worse and Covington was a star at Tennessee State. The idea is there though and Leons could be a steal if he ends up in the right spot.
Jaylin Williams
Running through Barrtorvik for Jaylin Williams, there are some names that stand out like crazy. Jarace Walker, Miles Bridges, Dorian Finney Smith (which is probably the idea for him), Jaime Jaquez Jr., Brandon Miller, Kenrich Williams, etc… Now he’s obviously not those players, but if he shoots like he has this season, then he’s going to be a big steal for someone. The fact that teams are bringing him in for workouts and want to get a look at him, suggests that they can see how this works if he shoots.
DJ Burns
I really don’t know what to say about DJ Burns. I don’t think he’s an NBA guy to be honest, but if he wanted to play basketball he could. It’s also possible we see him on the football field in a few years when an NFL team comes and offers him more money than any basketball team. I still give him a lot of credit for going in on basketball. Still, his Final Four run was nuts. Kyle Filipowski was struggling with him both games which was pretty funny. It shouldn’t matter too much though. Only Kenny Lofton is in the NBA that has similar size to Burns.
Jermaine Couisnard
Jermaine Couisnard started to get more attention in the tournament. He’s interesting but he needs to become more efficient to have a chance. He’s someone that could start cooking in summer league and maybe land a two way deal. However, he’s 25. If he doesn’t dominate, it could be curtains pretty quickly.
Kevin Cross
Kevin Cross is a really good passer, but he needs another skill. Whether the shot or defense improves, either way he could stick with his size. Keep in mind he played in the American Conference at Tulane though.
Dylan Disu
I did find it weird that he wasn’t at Portsmouth to say the least, but there’s still some buzz as a prospect. He’ll likely be undrafted, but he could be someone to watch at summer league.
Marcus Domask
He played well off the ball this season and can pass a little bit. He’s going to need to shoot it if he's going to stick. The shot selection also needs to be cleaned up, but he’s got good size so it’s possible that teams give him more than one chance.
Alex Ducas
A pure sharpshooter that can do it efficiently. I think if given time, he could develop into a difference maker. He’ll need to get more aggressive, but I like Alex Ducas and think there is something there.
Eric Gaines
Super athletic but needs to fill out. It’s likely that he won’t be an NBA guy, but he’ll probably play pro basketball for a while. I don’t have much more to say about him.
Jack Gohlke
A pure shooter that does nothing else. He’s pretty undersized and limited defensively. He likely won’t be more than a spot rotation player, but he might have value as a guy that could come in and hit 2 3’s in 6 minutes.
DJ Horne
Horne obviously has limitations but there’s a possibility he could be used in a similar way to Jamal Murray playing off of Jokic. Obviously Horne isn’t as good as Murray, but as an off ball shooter. He needs a big playmaker though. Jokic, Doncic, Sengun, LeBron, Banchero, Wemby. Horne will need to improve to be able to play with those guys though.
Daniss Jenkins
At first glance, Jenkins doesn’t stand out. His film is actually pretty interesting for a start. On top of that, the barrtorvik simulations are pretty interesting. I was pretty conservative with the player comparisons, but being able to be 1/12 guys on a list of 30% AST, 6’3-6’5 size and a BPM of above 8 is something. Especially when 4 of the guys are Stephen Curry, Tyrese Haliburton, Marcus Smart, and D’Angelo Russell. Obviously they are very different as prospects. My gut feeling is he’s going to stick around a little bit.
Xavier Johnson
While running barrtorvik to see who he could comp out too. Trae Young, Trey Burke, Jevon Carter, and Cameron Payne where all names he could come to in addition to the ones listed. Johnson is going to need to be either an elite shooter or defender in order to stick. Furthermore, we need to be skeptical of the sudden jump when the lack of better players were around. He’s worth a flier though.
KJ Jones
KJ Jones is interesting, and I think he’s going to get a two way contract. He’s an upside swing because of his scoring ability and a bit of the unknown here.
Spencer Jones
Spencer Jones has intrigue as a 3nD wing. He’s good at what he does but he has some limitations. I do like him, if a team drafted him, I wouldn’t be surprised, but I wouldn’t be betting on it.
Chris Ledlum
There’s a lot there for someone like Ledlum. He’s already honed in his game quite a bit. As a defender that could maybe hit catch and shoot shots, he could provide value in a rotation at some point.
Riley Minix
The numbers look great for Minix, and they should because of the competition. If he played better at Portsmouth, I’d have him higher. He can score for sure, but is he good enough to have the ball in his hands? I doubt it. The rebounding is very interesting though.
Tre Mitchell
Link to article where I covered him more extensively
Josh Oduro
I do like Josh Oduro, I just don’t know how he translates to the NBA. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective, and he’s not a shooter. However, if he can develop a jump shot, then he could be someone that could play and be a big body on the floor.
Drew Pember
Numbers look fantastic. He’s a 24 year old dominating in a bad conference. When he plays against good competition, he struggles. If he fills out somehow at age 24, then I’m more interested. For now, I’m pretty out on him.
Kyle Rode
He’s another pure shooter and limited defense that’s playing in a smaller conference. Rode is a good playmaker as well, but it's all the defense. If that improves, there’s a chance he could crack a rotation.
Cormac Ryan
Cormac Ryan is a shooter that can handle the ball a little bit. He’s old and there isn’t any upside with this, but he’s got decent size and he can shoot. He needs to improve defensively though.
Tyrese Samuel
He’s really athletic, has great length, and can score the ball pretty well with potential to shoot it. It’s pretty easy to see why teams are interested in Samuel. I don’t know if he’s going to be good enough, but if he hits, he could hit in a big way.
Tolu Smith
Tolu Smith did some things in college that you don’t really see very often. Especially with that high of FTR. Given that he can’t knock them down, or stretch the floor, it's hard to get too excited. Very old school big man. If it was the year 2000, he’d probably be a top 10 prospect. But now, there’s not much point.
Joel Soriano
Like Tolu Smith, if it was 2000, Joel Soriano would be in the top 10. Soriano is good at what he does well, but his limitations are going to be tough to ignore. Enes Kanter had moments in the league, maybe Soriano can too. He’ll need to defend at a much higher level though. He’ll be a good pro, it might not be in the NBA though.
Moses Wood
A spot shooter that did it really well. If he improves defensively, he could be a pretty interesting player with his size and shooting ability. Everything else is going to be a problem though.
Jahmir Young
Jahmir Young is pretty interesting in my opinion. I mean he was at Charlotte for 3 seasons, so I think there could be more development physically at a higher level basketball program. He’s a smaller guard that I’d be willing to take a crack at.
A Few Other Names of Note
I couldn’t get these ones in time for this article, but I did want to give them a short shout out given that they are on some draft boards. I highly doubt they’ll get drafted but they might be on two ways.
Josiah Jordan-James has been around for a while as a draft prospect. He’s a defensive minded wing that has improved his shot a bit. Only issue is he’s so limited offensively that its hard to see him having an impact. Averaging 8 points per game on a Tennessee team that struggled to score outside of Dalton Knecht is a concern to me. However, he’s got NBA size at least.
Continuing with Tennessee, Santiago Vescovi is a guard from Uruguay. He’s a defensive minded guard who’s shot just randomly disappeared. He has good impact metrics, and if the shot comes back, he could be interesting for sure.
Jamison Battle from Ohio State is a really good scorer and shooter. He’s just not good defensively at a college level which is a massive concern. He’ll be a good player in the G League but probably doesn’t amount to more than that.
RaeQuan Battle is another player with good size that can score a bit. West Virginia was a mess this season and him as a lead option clearly isn’t going to cut it. Similar to Jamison Battle, he’ll be a good G League guy.
Tyler Burton was really cooking at the University of Richmond for a while before he transferred to Villanova. He became a bit of a non-factor there but Kyle Neptune’s system hasn’t worked for some (Mark Armstrong). He had some buzz last year as a potential two way, but time will tell if that’s still a case. I know Zach Reifschneider (my co-writer) still really likes Tyler Burton as a late flier.
Boo Buie is an interesting player at Northwestern. He stayed there all 5 years and developed as a scorer. He hasn’t gotten much buzz and he’s undersized. Good college star. Probably won’t amount to much more than that.
Gabe McGlothan has good size for a wing. He played at Grand Canyon this season and was one of the better players in the WAC. I don’t know if he’s talented enough to make it, and he’s already 25, but he might get a cup of coffee somewhere.
Jamarion Sharp out of Ole Miss has a bit of intrigue as a defensive big. He’s just very limited offensively and there. There is a pending legal case so I doubt he plays anytime soon. He might never get a chance because of it though.
Tyson Walker became a mini version of what Cassius Winston was for Michigan State. He’s not as good as Cassius and Cassius really wasn’t given much of a chance. Tyson will probably be a decent overseas guy.
Other International Prospects
Quinn Ellis
Now when I say Killian Hayes, I do talk about what Killian Hayes could have been. It doesn’t help he’s a lefty and wears the #7, but his film is very similar to what Killian Hayes looked like.
Yanick Kraag
Kraag is interesting as an athletic wing flier. If the shot isn’t real, it really won’t work out, especially considering that he’s not really getting on the court for Joventut either. However, if the shot is real, there could be some rotation player upside.
Roko Prkacin
I will raise my hand and say I had him as a potential lottery pick in 2021. Now, his stock has completely fallen off. Now, I still think there’s a chance but I’m not betting on it at this point.
Babacar Sane
I think he’s going to end up overseas anyway next season. Maybe if he doesn’t think he’s getting drafted next season with the loaded class, maybe he thinks there’s a chance now. However, I’m not that interested in Babacar Sane.
Armel Traore
A wing with defensive upside. He can pass and with his upside, could be a very interesting flier in the draft. He’s still pretty young too and knows how to play off the ball well.
Players in My Top 85
So to help you through the weeds on this here are the players listed above that I have in my top 80 so you can have a bit of an idea of who the better players are.
Isaiah Crawford is in my 35-40 range. I think in terms of talent, he’s probably a first round pick, just the injuries and the lack of high level competition knock him down a bit for me. I wouldn’t touch him in the first round because of the contracts. However, if I could get some injury insurance on Crawford, I’d be all over him in the second round. I think he will get drafted and has the best chance out of anyone here.
After that, I have a big tier that goes from 50 and on to 85. (Which is why I put 85 and not 80). The only one I have in my top 60 is Malevy Leons but the margin is very small. Zach and I amazingly have him at 58 currently. (That wasn’t planned). Here’s a link to his big board on twitter!
From there quickly, I have Quinn Ellis at 63, Armel Traore at 66, Blake Hinson at 70, Anton Watson at 71, Jaylin Williams at 72, Emanuel Miller at 75, Yanick Kraag at 76, Mantas Rubstavicius at 77, Tristan Enaruna at 78, Daniss Jenkins at 81, Bryson Warren at 82, Zyon Pullin at 83, Riley Minix at 84, and Spencer Jones at 85. These are the guys I’d be looking at getting on two ways without drafting if possible. Quinn, Armel, and Yanick are possible stashes so I think they probably should get drafted. Hinson is the only other one I’d consider spending capital on but only very late. The others should be good priority two way guys.
Final Thoughts For Returners
Now, I’m not going to go into every returner obviously, but I want to highlight a few of the guys that ended up returning that I think are really interesting.
All of these guys were invited to the G League Elite Camp.
Jarin Stevenson is a wing that played at Alabama. He’s really raw, like more raw than Noah Clowney from last season. Now, Jarin is more of a wing, but I think he’s going to end up in the NBA at some point. He could be in the lottery conversation next season very easily. So I’d watch that name.
I had Garwey Dual in my top 10 in the first month of the season. His offense is just still really far away. However, his defense is really good and he has great size for a guard. If he has a bounce back year, he could be someone in the lottery conversation next season.
Malique Lewis was someone that a lot of people were really interested to see what he would do. He played a role for the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League this season and he played well. He’s an interesting top 40 type of prospect for next season at this point. Interested to see if he stays in the G League or heads overseas.
Baye Ndongo is an interesting name to watch down the line as a big man. He was invited to the Elite camp as a freshman too. I think he could end up being a first rounder but time will tell. Georgia Tech was a mess this season though.
Xaivian Lee is a name to watch down the line. If he ever decides to transfer up to a high major, he could get some buzz. He was one of the best players in the Ivy League this season and this kid is fun to watch. I was really bummed that Princeton lost to Brown in the Ivy League Conference Tournament. Lee could have started to cook and maybe made a name for himself as a top 60 guy this season.
Walter Clayton Jr. was a monster in the tournament. He’s my favorite prospect from the Florida trio of guards with him, Zyon Pullin and Riley Kugel. Some people like Pullin and I get it, but Clayton can play. He’s a little undersized but he can really shoot it.
I did a scouting report on Adama Bal but he decided to go back to school. Despite the buzz that he received at Santa Clara, I didn’t really see it and it seems like feedback wasn’t that positive from teams, so he went back. If he improves, he could enter my top 60 again, his archetype of player hasn’t made a lot of success in the league.
I did a scouting report on Wooga Poplar as well. His second half to the season really plummeted his stock. He’s still interesting but he needs to continue to improve offensively. Interested to see how he plays at Villanova but with Kyle Neptune on the hot seat, he could be betting his job on how well Poplar plays.
Coleman Hawkins is interesting. Here’s his report. He got 2M from Kansas State to go get him. He’s a solid player whose stock will be about the same a year from now. Doubt it goes up or down. It was clearly the right call for him to go back. Speaking of Kansas State, I also did a scouting report on Ugonna Onyenso. I was never a huge fan of his and I don’t know how much is going to change unless he really improves offensively. I think it's a bit of a make or break season for him as a draft prospect this upcoming season. Then, Arthur Kaluma is interesting but I didn’t do one on him. I just never really felt he had much of a chance of staying in the draft.
Noah Penda was someone that was growing on me but decided to go back overseas. I’d really keep an eye on him if he develops a jump shot. He could be a real impact player.
And lastly!
Us at Dizzle Dynasty are big fans of Jamir Watkins. He didn’t really stand out the way that I was hoping and teams didn’t think of him high enough to keep him in the draft. He decided to stay at Florida State for next season. Hope he continues to shoot the ball well. Having more engagement defensively will help too.
Thank You!
This cycle has been crazy and super fun! Thank you all for your support throughout the season! If you got to the end of this article, you are a true draft sicko!