NBA Draft Scouting Reports

Underrated likely 1st-round picks

Dalton Knecht, Tennessee

Dalton Knecht was by far the best player in college basketball this season, but he’ll almost certainly be drafted way too low.  He’s a complete player and an already elite offensive player, and a real argument could be made for him being the best player in this draft.

Knecht has shown the ability to create with the ball in his hands, for himself and for his teammates.  He’s got a great handle, and can get to the rim and finish with a crafty touch around defenders, or with power and acrobatic athleticism OVER defenders.  He’s an explosive athlete who understands how to change speeds to keep defenders off balance, and he’s always looking to attack.

Knecht is a deadly shooter and scorer who can knock down a wide array of shots from pretty much anywhere on the floor.  He makes tough fadaways and deep 3’s look routine, and he’s a great passer and decision-maker who finds the open man when the defense collapses on him.

He’s comfortable running the offense, or playing off the ball.  He’s got great size, allowing him to get his shot off against most any defender.  He can post up smaller defenders, convert contested shots around the basket and in the mid-range, and finish with strength and accuracy through contact.  He’s really good shooting both off the dribble and the catch, and he moves extremely well without the ball.

Knecht is incredibly clutch, delivering more often than not with the game on the line. He’s got a relentless will to win, and while he’ll probably never be an All-NBA defensive player, he’s an intelligent defender who will always compete.  He made it look easy at the college level this season, and he’s probably the most NBA-ready player in this draft.

Isaiah Collier, USC

It’s safe to say this season didn’t go quite like Isaiah Collier planned.  He entered college basketball as one of the top projected picks in this draft, but a difficult freshman season looks like it will cause him to fall much further than he should.

A hand injury caused Collier to miss a month in the middle of the season, and his USC squad never quite put things together and ultimately missed the NCAA Tournament. Despite struggling with turnovers and his team’s sub-par record, Collier has some skills and traits that give him a chance to be the best player from this draft.

He’s got great size and strength, and he uses it to get to the rim and finish through contact.  He’s one of the toughest and most competitive players in this class, attributes I believe will lead him to put in the work to take his game to the highest level.

Collier plays extremely aggressively, constantly putting pressure on his opponents on both ends of the floor.  He’s got a great handle that allows him to get any shot he wants, along with the court vision to find his teammates when the defense collapses on him. He’s shown the ability to knock down tough step-backs and fadaways, but he still has a lot of room to improve his shot.

Collier is always extremely confident and has the mentality to absolutely destroy his opponents.  He uses his size and strength to bully opponents and relentlessly attack the basket, and while he did struggle with decision-making at times this year, I fully expect him to continue fine-tuning his game and eventually become one of the better point guards in the league.

 

Ja’Kobe Walter, Baylor

Ja’Kobe Walter was one of my favorite players coming out of high school.  He started his college career with a monster performance in a marquee nationally televised game, looking like he would dominate on a nightly basis at the college level.  What happened from there was tough to figure out on a week-to-week basis, as he seemed to alternate between being a future all-star and a freshman with a lot to learn.  The one thing that was always consistent was his effort.

Walter struggled with his ball-handling, shot creation, and decision-making.  He looked awkward and confused at times offensively, and he went through multi-game stretches where he looked nowhere near ready for the NBA level.  His court vision wasn’t very good, and he wasn’t creating many plays for his teammates.

Despite these offensive challenges off and on throughout the year, Walter always played tremendous defense.  His size, strength, length, and athleticism makes life difficult on anyone he’s guarding, and he always plays with relentless effort and intensity.  He’s only beginning to scratch the surface of what he can become.

Walter is a great shooter when he takes good shots.  He gets great elevation on his jumper and comes off screens shot-ready, but it seemed to take him most of the year to start figuring out what a smart shot really looked like.  He’s certainly capable of making difficult shots, but I expect his percentages to continue to rise as his handle improves and he doesn’t settle as much.

Walter showed the ability to post-up smaller defenders and finish through contact.  He flashed glimpses of every offensive skill you’d want, but it’s his ball-handling that will truly unlock his game.  It will make everything easier, allowing him to get to his favorite spots on the floor more often and take more advantage of his physical gifts. It’s only a matter of time.

Ja’Kobe has the confidence to take the biggest shots in the high-pressure moments, and he’s come up clutch on many occasions. Despite taking a lot of questionable shots at times and really struggling to create his own shot off the dribble for much of the year, he seemed to be figuring it out late in the season.  He has a tremendous work ethic, and I fully expect that he’ll put in the work to be great.  The fact that it’s taken him a little longer to develop will likely cause him to fall farther than he should in the draft, and provide a great opportunity for someone to get a steal.

Underrated likely 2nd-round picks

Trentyn Flowers

Several factors have contributed to Trentyn Flowers flying under the radar in this draft. His decision to decommit from Louisville to go play in Australia greatly reduced his exposure, and his limited playing time there combined with a couple minor injuries further added to his mystery.  It’s hard to understand why he only played 14 minutes a game when he was clearly Adelaide’s best player, but these overseas teams seem to stubbornly love keeping young stars on the pine.

The NBA Combine gave everyone a small glimpse of what Flowers can do, but unfortunately that event just isn’t set up to really help too many players show their best stuff.  Flowers has great size, length, and athleticism, and plays with an energy and enthusiasm that will rub off on his teammates.  He’s always attacking on both ends of the floor, and he’s shown the ability to do most everything very well.

Flowers is a great ball-handler with the explosive quickness to easily get by his man. He’s extremely dangerous in transition, and he’s a flashy passer who makes good decisions and finds the open man with well-timed deliveries.  He’s a great shooter with deep range, and he also finishes extremely well around the basket with all kinds of acrobatic highlights.  His effortless athleticism results in lots of easy dunks, which he gets both off the dribble and from cuts off the ball.

Flowers changes speeds effectively to keep defenders off balance, which is especially devastating considering the elite speed he has. His constant movement and aggression makes him nearly impossible to defend, and he can make defenses pay with drives to the basket, mid-range pull-ups, or long-range bombs.  He can create a shot whenever he wants, and the elevation he gets on his jumper allows him to get his shot off over most defenders.  His basketball IQ is extremely high, and his versatility allows him to play anywhere on the floor.

As tantalizing as his offensive skill-set is, Flowers has just as many tools defensively. His explosive quickness and athleticism combined with his never-ending energy and aggression make him a relentless pest.  His length and activity results in lots of steals and deflections, and he’s extremely dangerous chasing down defenders and blocking them from behind.  He goes hard after rebounds, often getting easy putbacks or pushing the tempo and taking it coast-to-coast the other way in a flash.

As a confident and brash 19-year-old, the sky is the limit for Trentyn Flowers.  He appears to be an extremely nice and intelligent kid off the court while being a ruthless competitor on it, as he exhibited by going straight at potential #1 pick Alex Sarr after a huge dunk. While the sample size is certainly smaller than most of the players in this draft, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this kid’s game and feel like he will end up being the biggest steal in 2024.

Harrison Ingram

It doesn’t appear that Harrison Ingram is being thought of as a first-round pick, but he’s a 10+year NBA starter in my eyes and should certainly be taken inside the top-30.  He’s extremely strong, he’s an elite rebounder, and he plays with great energy, effort, and versatility on both ends of the floor.  He does all the dirty work and thrives on physicality.

Offensively Ingram has shown glimpses of every skill you’d want. He’s already a very good shooter with deep range, but he continued to expand his offensive game as the season progressed and I expect him to keep improving in all areas moving forward.  He needs to continue working on his ball-handling and finishing around the basket, but he made great strides in these aspects late in the season.  

He displayed a great mid-range game including floaters and fadaways, while also using his size and strength to take advantage of smaller defenders in the post.  He finishes through contact around the basket, and showed the ability to find open teammates when the shot wasn’t there for him.

Defensively Ingram is a beast.  He has the size, length, and quickness to guard nearly every position, and he seems to thoroughly enjoy contact and the battle for positioning. He plays with a joy and competitive toughness that rubs off on his teammates and makes him a leader in the locker room.  He’d be an absolute steal in the 2nd round.

Keshad Johnson

Keshad Johnson is a winner.  He was a huge piece on the San Diego State team that reached the championship game in 2023, and a major contributor for an Arizona team that won the Pac-12 and earned a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2024.  

Keshad is the kind of guy who can do whatever you need him to on both ends of the floor.  He’s a lock-down defender who can guard all positions, his size, length, strength, and effort causing problems for anyone he’s matched up against.  He does all the dirty work, disrupting opponents with deflections, using physicality to position himself for loose balls and rebounds, setting and fighting through screens, and generally making winning plays throughout every game.

Offensively Johnson isn’t elite, but he’s versatile and does everything pretty well. He improved his three-point shooting tremendously this season, and the confidence gained from that should result in a more aggressive mentality on the offensive end. He’s not a great shooter just yet, but I believe he has the ability to make defenses pay for leaving him open, and the work ethic to continue improving.

Johnson is a strong ball-handler who uses his length and powerful frame to get by his man.  He’s undeterred by contact, as he’s usually stronger than most defenders and gets past them and through them with relative ease. He uses his elite athleticism to finish well around the basket, often with powerful, high-flying dunks. He can put on a show worthy of a dunk competition, igniting the crowd and building momentum for his team.

Johnson has great court vision to spot open teammates and delivers passes on time and on target.  He doesn’t waste time holding the ball and dribbling for no reason, but instead makes quick decisions and keeps the ball moving.  He’s just a really solid player who should be an NBA starter and integral contributor to winning for a long time to come.

 

Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Memphis

NaeQwan Tomlin seems to be flying way under the radar.  He’s not even listed on most mock drafts, and while I’m sure being stuck on a dysfunctional Memphis team along with his arrest and subsequent dismissal from Kansas State has a lot to do with this, I don’t see Tomlin as a problem and I do think he has the skill-set to be a long-time starter in the NBA.

Tomlin has great size, length, and athleticism.  He’s very skilled and moves extremely well for someone his size, and he’s shown the ability to do a little bit of everything on the offensive end.  He’s an underrated scorer who can put the ball in the basket in every way imaginable.  He’s really good on the offensive glass and has a great touch around the basket.  He has a good handle and can create his own shot off the dribble or find an open teammate.  He’s actually a very good three-point shooter, but it took him until late in the season to find his bearings with his new team and get more aggressive looking for his shot.

Tomlin is a very good rebounder and shot-blocker who uses his length to disrupt his opponents.  His size and mobility makes him extremely versatile on both ends, and while he definitely needs to add some strength, he plays tougher than his slender frame would suggest.  He’s a smart, efficient player who shoots a high-percentage and makes good decisions, and he very well could end up being one of the biggest steals in this draft.

Tristan Newton

Tristan Newton was arguably the best player on what was by far the best team in the country.  He led UCONN to back-to-back titles, yet he’s still falling late into the second-round or going undrafted on most mock drafts.  He’s a triple-double threat who can deliver whatever his team needs from him, and his versatility on both ends would make him a valuable part of any team he goes to.

Newton has a really good handle that allows him to get wherever he wants on the floor. His size and length helps him see over the defense and finish through contact and in traffic around the rim, and he consistently displays the ability to create for himself and his teammates.  He has great court vision and understands spacing and how to use screens effectively.  He moves extremely well without the ball, and he uses his deceptive strength and great timing and footwork to create separation and get positional advantages on his defender.  Once he has the ball he has an arsenal of crafty fakes and release-points to keep his defender off balance and get his shot off.

While he’s not an elite shooter, Newton will definitely make defenses pay for leaving him open.  He’s shown the ability to make tough floaters and fadaways, as well as knock down threes with deep range.  He delivered under pressure time and time again, and while many will probably use his age as a negative, he’s a polished player with championship DNA who can step in and contribute right away.  Tristan Newton is a winner, a leader, and an intelligent player who can do it all.

Defensively Newton can guard almost anyone.  He’s stronger and tougher than he appears, and his quiet, stoic demeanor can often lead to his effectiveness getting overlooked.  He’s also a great rebounder who can transition from defense to offense quickly, often finding teammates for easy baskets before the defense can get back.

Guys like Tristan Newton are consistently underrated coming out of college.  It seems most teams would usually rather take a chance on a young, explosive athlete with an undeveloped skill-set than select an already polished “older” player, so Newton presents an opportunity to take advantage of this faulty thinking and add a player who will help your team now.

Kevin McCullar

Injuries derailed McCullar’s final season and certainly hurt his draft stock.  Nagging knee pain had him in and out of the lineup and finally forced him to sit out the postseason, but if he’s able to get his medical issues cleared up that absence will end up making him a steal in this draft.

McCullar was one of the most versatile players in college basketball.  He has great size, length, and athleticism, and possesses every skill you’d want on both ends of the floor. McCullar is an elite defender who can guard both smaller and bigger opponents.  He’s very disruptive both on the ball and in the passing lanes, and he brings a toughness and physicality that sets the tone for his team.  

Offensively McCullar is a very good ball-handler who uses his size and strength to get wherever he wants to go.  He can get to the rim and finish strong amongst the bigs, or pull-up for a reliable mid-range jumper.  He makes great decisions and sees the floor extremely well, easily finding open teammates with pinpoint passes when the shot isn’t there for him.  McCullar will probably never be an elite three-point shooter, but he’s certainly capable of making defenses pay for leaving him open, and his corner three was looking pretty dependable before injuries ended his season.  He’s also shown the confidence and ability to take and make big-time shots under pressure.

McCullar is just as effective off the ball.  He uses screens well and understands spacing, while also taking advantage of smaller defenders by getting good position in the post. He’s often the first player to loose balls and rebounds, and his well-rounded skill-set makes him a triple-double threat every night.

The injuries are certainly a concern and I’d want the medical team to look deeply into his issues, but if nothing devastating showed up I’d feel great about getting McCullar in the 2nd round.