2024 NBA Draft: Justin Edwards Rising Up Draft Boards
As of today the Kentucky Wildcats are projected to be a three or four seed in the NCAA tournament.
What has made this Kentucky squad so successful is their elite guard play and their elite offense. They do a great job of spacing the floor, run a lot of ball-screens and get consistent paint touches from their guards. Here lately it seems like they have taken another step forward as freshman Justin Edwards has finally figured out his role and has been playing amazing.
In his last six games Edwards is shooting a ridiculous 66.7% from behind the arc while averaging a little over 12 points per game. He has looked much better and more comfortable on the offensive end which has really helped the Wildcats take their game to another level. Before the season started the 6-foot-7 wing was widely considered a consensus top ten prospect in the 2024 NBA Draft but he had a really hard time adjusting to the college game.
The freshman struggles he went through are completely normal, as we often see it takes a lot of time for college freshmen to fully get adjusted to how different it is transitioning from high school to college. After falling out of the first round in just about every mock draft you would see, Edwards is firmly back into first round conversations with his floor spacing ability, solid pull-up shooting, straight line slashing and defensive tools.
The SEC tournament is up next for Edwards and the Kentucky Wildcats as they’re looking to win their 33rd SEC tournament and almost guarantee themselves a two-seed in the NCAA tournament. March madness is a great opportunity for fringe first round, second round and even under the radar prospects to skyrocket their stock on draft boards. If Edwards continues his hot play then there’s a chance he could sneak his way back into lottery conversations.
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