Even though the 2024 NBA Draft doesn’t have a clear No. 1 pick like Victor Wembanyama was last season, there is still plenty of intrigue.
Over the past few weeks, we have developed stronger opinions on some prospects who have performed exceedingly well since their season began. With an increasingly larger sample size across college basketball as well as internationally and in the G League, some players are beginning to separate themselves from the pack.
While we did not cover all those who have stood out with pleasantly surprising performances, here are some of the players who have already made us turn our heads a few times:
1
Nikola Topic
Serbia’s Nikola Topic, named MVP at the FIBA U18 European Championship earlier this year, has improved his draft stock more than anyone else has so far this season.
The 18-year-old is a pick-and-roll dominant ball handler and a lead guard who measured at 6-foot-6 in socks with a 7-foot wingspan at Basketball Without Borders. He is currently leading the Adriatic League in scoring (18.8 ppg) and assists (7.0 apg) this season for KK Mega Basket.
If he is able to keep producing at this rate, the No. 1 pick is not out of the question.
2
Ja’Kobe Walter
Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter, who won the 2023 Men’s GEICO National Championship at Link Academy, is arguably the top freshman in men’s college basketball this season.
While at Baylor, he is mostly scoring off-ball as an efficient catch-and-shoot threat. But he is also fantastic at drawing contact on his jump shots, per CBB Analytics, recording the second-most total “and-ones” of any player so far this season.
Walter was initially viewed as a likely lottery pick but he is playing more and more like a top-five selection.
3
Carlton Carrington
Pittsburgh’s Carlton Carrington was just a four-star recruit but already looks like a legitimate one-and-done talent who could hear his name called in the first round.
He has made 2.1 unassisted 3-pointers per 100 possessions, via CBB Analytics, which is one of the highest among all players in top Division-I conferences.
He has hit a shooting slump but with a jump pass like Tyrese Haliburton, the freshman has assisted on more 3-pointers (20) than nearly all other men’s college basketball players. This makes him an impactful player even if his jumper isn’t connecting.
4
Kobe Johnson
USC’s Kobe Johnson, the younger brother of Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, is starting to have a breakout campaign as a junior.
With a quick release, he is shooting a career-high 42.1 percent on 3-pointers. Johnson is also an excellent defensive prospect. Despite a small sample size of just four games, his steal percentage (5.1 percent) ranks second-best in the Pac-12 conference thus far.
Johnson is a prototypical 3-and-D wing with a scalable skill set for the NBA.
5
Ryan Dunn
Virginia’s Ryan Dunn is an absolutely elite defensive playmaker who is able to wreak havoc on that end of the floor.
Dunn ranks second-best overall in the defensive all-in-one metric DBPM, per Bart Torvik. He is the only player with a block percentage above 10.0 percent and a steal percentage above 5.0 percent. Opponents are shockingly shooting just 1-of-19 (5.3 percent) on 2-pointers when Dunn is credited as the nearest defender, per Synergy.
He is also a willing shooter who has attempted 5.4 attempts from beyond the arc per 100 possessions. It’s very easy to imagine how he can find a role for himself at the next level.
