The 2024 NBA Draft Big Board Draft Guide
With March Madness around the corner, the climax and finale of college hoops, it’s a great time to update the NBA Draft Big Board Guide for 2024. 2024 has been widely regarded as a weak class, especially in comparison to the previous class of 2023, featuring Victor Wembanyama, Amen Thompson, Brandon Miller, and Dereck Lively.
While 2024 lacks the game-breaking, generational prospects of 2023, the talent is nonetheless there. This draft guide outlines those talents/skillsets in a digestible, fun manner.
KEY
Roles
Primary: Initiators of the offense. Typically whoever is taking the ball up the floor, directing the offense. Primary ball-handlers usually run a relatively high volume of PnR (e.g., Jayson Tatum, Fred Van Vleet, Donovan Mitchell).
Secondary: Secondary initiators on offense. Increased off-ball scoring, with scaled down ball-handling duties (e.g., DeJounte Murray, Jamal Murray, De’Aaron Fox).
Shot Creator: Specializes in high-volume isolation and PnR perimeter/downhill scoring (e.g., Luka Doncic, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson).
Play Finisher: Off ball scorers with minimal roles as facilitators (e.g., Trey Murphy III, Michael Porter Jr, Cam Whitmore).
C&S: Perimeter-dominant scorers who shoot from a standstill (e.g., Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, OG Anunoby).
Movement Shooter: Perimeter dominant scorers with the ability to score off-screens (e.g., Bogdan Bogdanovic, Luke Kennard, Sam Merrill).
Roll Big - Bigs whose offense is overwhelmingly assisted, generating offense as rollers and cutters (e.g., Clint Capela, Daniel Gafford, Nicholas Claxton).
Versatile Big: Bigs whose offense can scale outside the paint, by way of perimeter scoring or post-play (e.g., Chet Holmgren, Karl Anthony-Towns, Kristaps Porzingis).
Skillset
Shot-Making: The ability to convert jumpers off-the-dribble, and/or score efficiently from three, on volume (e.g., Devin Booker, Cam Johnson).
Rim Pressure: Non-Centers elevating pressure on defenses to protect the rim when on-ball (e.g., Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo). For centers, it’s the efficiency as rollers and cutters (e.g., Jarrett Allen and Anthony Davis).
Touch: The application of hand dexterity, wrist mobility, rhythm, and proprioception, conjointly. Best identified when shooting floaters and contested layups (e.g., Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving).
Playmaking: Facilitating an offense by way of making simple reads, or creating open shots for teammates by leveraging shot gravity (e.g., Trae Young and Tyus Jones).
Efficiency: Non-centers shooting ≥52% eFG, and/or ≥58% TS. Centers shooting ≥58% eFG.
Wingspan: Players whose wingspan measures ≥3 inches longer than their height in shoes.
Defense: Players who do not project as liabilities as both individual or team defenders.
Athleticism: Those who create advantages with their athleticism. Athleticism is a weighted combination of strength, speed, burst, flexibility, mobility, and coordination.