2024 NBA Draft Prospect Team Previews: Connecticut Huskies
Fresh off their 2022-2023 National Championship run the Connecticut Huskies will be right back at the top of the preseason rankings with returning, and incoming, NBA talent.
That 2024 NBA Draft Talent starts with the biggest — literally and figuratively — name on this Huskies team, Donovan Clingan.
Playing behind Adama Sanogo — currently on a Two-Way contract with the Chicago Bulls — limited the minutes last season for the 7-foot-3 freshman but not his overall impact.
In just 13 minutes per game he still averaged just under seven points, over five and a half rebounds and nearly two blocks per game.
Being able to produce at that same level in minutes per game that should go up two or two-and-a-half times is something to keep an eye on during his sophomore campaign.
The 19-year-old can really run the floor in a straight line which gives him upside as a rim runner in transition and is obviously a play finisher in a multitude of play types in the half court.
He even does a really nice job of transition from one play type into the next (ex. Pick-and-pop into a DHO or screen right into a re screen).
Defensively, while he does move well for his size, it still stands to reason that he will be used as mostly a drop coverage big in ball screen situations.
His sheer size — and that solid movement ability — makes him one of the more impactful big man defenders and rebounders.
There are rumblings that Clingan has worked on his jump shot this offseason which would add a whole other dynamic to his offensive game.
Extending his range is something we saw from Sanogo in his junior season — one career attempt to 52 last season — and perhaps the Huskies staff will be giving Clingan the same freedom.
One of the players tasked with getting Clingan the ball is freshman guard, Stephon Castle.
Tristan Newton does return for his super senior season but the size and top end talent that Castle offers will make it hard to not make him a focal point of the offense and put the ball in his hands.
Coming out of Newton high school in Covington, GA he was a four star recruit for much of his senior season before vaulting into the top 10 and eventually getting his five star ranking.
The 6-foot-6 guard — who has drawn some comparisons to Cade Cunningham due to his style of play — is now a name you will find in many 2024 Mock Draft top 10s and even top five for some.
He led the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game during their foreign tour and also showed off his ability to be a playmaker on defense with over two steals per game.
Castle has a strong build and plays with a unique pace that throws defenders off and leaves driving lanes that his incredible contact balance allows him to take full advantage of.
A couple things to watch this season is the progression of the 3-point shot and how much he is used on and off the ball.
The talent pool is rich in Storrs, CT as three more names to monitor are returning wing Alex Karaban and freshman Jaylin Stewart and Jayden Ross.
Karaban is a 6-foot-8 sophomore who was a major contributor for the Huskies, starting 36 of 39 games in his first year on campus.
He averaged just under 10 points per game on impressive shooting splits of 48-40-81 while also pulling down 4.5 rebounds.
While defenses load up to stop Clingan and Castle, Karaban may end up being a player with a lot of open shooting opportunities that his freshman season showed he is more than capable of knocking down.
According to 247sports, Stewart was the No. 56 player in the 2023 recruiting class as a 6-foot-7 wing from Washington and Ross was No. 113 as a wing out of New York.
The Huskies did lose plenty of talent on the wing to the NBA - Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr. (and Joey Calcaterra to the NBA G League) - but it still remains to be seen how much playing time and usage these two talented freshmen will receive.
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