Roaring 20's: SEC players in the NBA Mock Drafts

[jbcarol]

2024 NBA Mock Draft 1.0:

Projecting first-round after entry deadline passes

by: James Fletcher III
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3. Charlotte Hornets: Reed Sheppard, Kentucky


The basketball pedigree and lack of off-court stories surrounding him also add value in this circumstance.

7. Memphis Grizzlies: Rob Dillingham, Kentucky
Rob Dillingham fits that mold. His electric offensive upside will immediately translate if used in the right role, while his defense could hold him back.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder*: Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
Dalton Knecht is the type of player who could plug and play in this — or any — offense in the NBA — he promises to fill the role well early on.

17. New Orleans Pelicans*: Kel'el Ware, Indiana
18. Orlando Magic: Ron Holland, G-League

21. New Orleans Pelicans*: Justin Edwards, Kentucky

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@JonRothstein
Early entry candidates for the 2024 NBA Draft.

https://bit.ly/3WfbhAm
11:30 AM · Apr 30, 2024

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2024 NBA Draft Big Board: Ranking the Top 40 prospects combine

by: James Fletcher III
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3. Reed Sheppard, Kentucky


Sheppard is likely the best shooter in the NBA Draft this year, knocking down 52.1% on 4.4 attempts per game. The ability to also contribute as a playmaker and rebounder gives him one of the highest floors.

In addition to the 6-foot-3 guard's established offensive impact, he is an intriguing defensive prospect. He boasts great numbers while often gambling for steals. This approach could look drastically different based on the defenders he plays with in the NBA.

5. Rob Dillingham, Kentucky
Dillingham is an electric scorer and probably the most NBA-ready offensive weapon in the draft class. However, he is also among the least prepared for the nightly challenge of guarding professional guards.

The 6-foot-2 guard came off the bench for Kentucky, shooting 44.4% from 3 and 47.5% overall.

11. Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
Dalton Knecht left no doubt that he can score the basketball at any level. Upping his production while moving from Northern Colorado to Tennessee makes him one of the highest floor players on offense.

The 6-foot-6 wing will now go head-to-head with athletic defenders more often

17. Ron Holland, G-League

Ron Holland was also part of the disastrous G-League Ignite season which saw every player's stock fall.

19. Justin Edwards, Kentucky

Justin Edwards struggled early in the season to make an impact for Kentucky. Despite his high rankings as a recruit, the wing had little offensive impact until turning a corner late.

By the time the season was over, Edwards had raised his shooting percentage to a 48.6, 36.5 split and was able to showcase his defensive ability on the wing.

23. Kel'el Ware, Indiana

Kel'el Ware is a 7-foot center who had a breakout season at Indiana after starting at Oregon as a five-star prospect.

27. Zach Edey, Purdue

28. Mark Sears, Alabama

Mark Sears burst onto the scene as a senior at Alabama, leading his team to the Final Four with clutch plays while averaging 21.1 points

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SEC sends 7 players to NBA Draft Combine, including 3 players voted as 'top 10 players'
Paul Harvey | 12 minutes ago

SEC is prepared to send a strong group of players to the 2024 NBA Draft Combine later this month, including a group of players from John Calipari's final team at Kentucky.

The NBA revealed a list of 78 players invited to the event that will take place from May 12-19 in Chicago. These players will be joined by a small group of standout players from the NBA's G League Elite Camp.

Kentucky will send 4 players to the combine while Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama will each send 1. Here is the group of SEC players:

Trevon Brazile, Arkansas
Rob Dillingham, Kentucky
Justin Edwards, Kentucky
Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
Antonio Reeves, Kentucky
Mark Sears, Alabama
Reed Sheppard, Kentucky

Follow @ShamsCharania
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NBA released a 78-player list for the 2024 Draft Combine in Chicago this month. Teams vote on participants, which include Bronny James.

New "Top 10 Players" ranked for which teams are able to access Combine information:



UConn, fresh off its 2nd straight NCAA Tournament title, is one of the stories of the invites. Dan Hurley's entire starting 5 received invites with star big man Donovan Clingan headlining that group.

[jbcarol]

Alabama Basketball Forward Invited to NBA G League Elite Camp

Joe Gaither

Alabama basketball's Jarin Stevenson is one of 44 prospects invited to the NBA G League Elite Camp in Chicago. The impressive freshman entered his name into the NBA Draft, but did not get invited to the combine.

Stevenson will have an opportunity to compete in Chicago in front of scouts, general managers and more. Those who stand out at the G League Elite Camp can earn a combine invitation.

Other SEC players invited to the G League Elite Camp include Florida's Walter Clayton Jr., Missouri's Sean East, Ole Miss's Allen Flanigan and Kentucky's Ugonna Onyenso.

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@DraftExpress
G League Elite Camp participant list. 44 players will scrimmage for two days in Chicago starting May 11. At least a half dozen will move on to the NBA Draft Combine.

[jbcarol]

Tre Mitchell snubbed from G League Elite Camp invite list

by: Adam Stratton
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According to Jonathan Givony, Kentucky's Tre Mitchell was one of just nine players in the ESPN Top 100 NBA prospect list to not receive an invite to the G League's Elite Camp. He joined Armel Traore, Zaccharie Perrin, Andrija Jelavic, Yannick Kraag, Ilias Kamardine, Dylan Disu, Riley Minix, and Tennessee Volunteer-turned-Arkansas Razorback, Jonas Aidoo on this list of disappointment.

Mitchell was a godsend for the Wildcats last season, coming over from West Virginia thanks to Bob Huggins' not-so-subtle firing. He was averaging 13 points per game through the first 20 games of the season, before, unfortunately, a shoulder injury derailed him and he was never the same.

It seems the injury and subsequent plummet in production also cost him a shot at the G League Elite Camp, a sort of feeder session into the NBA Combine. The only Kentucky player to receive an invite was Ugo Onyenso, although, the most likely scenario is a return to college. Where, exactly, is still up in the air, but it most certainly will not be back in Lexington.

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@jeffborzello
BREAKING: Kentucky transfer Adou Thiero, a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft, has committed to Arkansas, he told me and @DraftExpress. Started 19 games this past season for the Wildcats and becomes the fifth player to follow John Calipari from UK to Arkansas.

[jbcarol]

New CBS Sports mock draft

by: Drew Franklin
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Reed Sheppard's draft stock appears to still be in good standing ahead of the upcoming NBA Combine. Today, Gary Parrish over at CBSSports.com released his updated mock draft for the 2024 class. In it, Sheppard is the projected No. 2 overall pick

"Sheppard was among the biggest surprises this season as it pertains to prospects launching themselves into the lottery conversation," writes Parrish. "Nobody had him projected as a one-and-done top-10 pick — but that's what he'll be after shooting 52.1% from 3-point range in his one season at Kentucky while earning CBS Sports National Freshman of the Year honors. Simply put, Sheppard is a plus-athlete who can guard his position, and an elite shooter who can also dribble and pass. The floor here is very, very high. So is the ceiling."

Behind Sheppard, Rob Dillingham doesn't wait long to hear his name called in the green room, according to Parrish's projection. He has Dillingham going fifth overall.

"Dillingham was one of two projected top-five picks coming off of Kentucky's bench this season for reasons that will never make sense," Parrish says. "Either way, most NBA evaluators now believe he'll be the latest guard to flourish in the NBA after not really doing it as much as his talent suggested he should've in one year at Kentucky. I agree with them, for what it's worth."

Pick 7 Dalton Knecht Arguably no player helped his NBA Draft stock this past season more than Knecht. The former JUCO player who then spent two years at Northern Colorado was fabulous in his fifth year of college basketball at Tennessee — averaging 21.7 points while shooting 39.7% from 3-point range on 6.5 attempts per game while earning SEC Player of the Year honors and leading the Vols to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Knecht should be one of the most impactful rookies in the NBA next season.

Pick 12  Ron Holland


Justin Edwards also gets picked in the CBS Sports mock draft. The third Kentucky freshman drafted goes to the Knicks at No. 25.

Edwards was the highest-ranked prospect in Kentucky's top-ranked recruiting class


NBA Combine
May 12-19: NBA Draft Combine (Chicago, IL)

NBA Draft 2024
June 26-27: First and Second Rounds

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NBA Draft Lottery: Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT on ABC

By Thomas Lagrone |

The four NBA teams that finished the regular season with the worst records will have the highest odds to receive the first overall pick. The four worst records in the 2024 regular season belonged to the Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and Portland Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers and Hornets received a top four pick during the 2023 NBA draft, and they have some of the highest probabilities at obtaining those picks again this year.