Shooting Will be Swing Skill for Several Top 2024 NBA Draftees

Shooting has become a near-universal skill for basketball prospects to have in order to find themselves in the NBA Draft.

There’s, of course, been a few prospects here and there to burrow their way into the top five to ten without relying on shooting. But even then, they possessed some sort of innate trait: size, athleticism, basketball IQ, etc.

In that vein, nearly all of the prospects in the 2024 NBA Draft cycle will be looking to prove they can extend beyond the arc this season. And it could very well be the skill that propels the No. 1 pick to that very status.

Ron Holland, Matas Buzelis and Justin Edwards are the three most likely to contend for the top pick, per draft experts. And all three will need to prove their worth from beyond the arc in order to quell fears about their games.

All three have shown level of comfortability from 3-point land. But any sort of boost to their percentages could easily propel them into a tier of their own.

For Holland, a 6-foot-8 hyper-athlete with strong two-way chops, proven shooting could make him a highly coveted prospect. And would potentially even put him on-par with No. 1 picks of draft’s past.

Buzelis, at 6-foot-11, possesses a more perimeter-oriented game than most his size. But knocking down shots at a good rate would further cement that he can succeed at higher levels with his skillset.

Edwards, a 6-foot-7 wing, projects to be a capable shooter, and has already shown confidence from range. But with some creation concerns in his offensive game already, consistency when shooting the ball would lock him in as a viable option to draft in the upper ranks.

The need to see good shooting numbers extends far beyond just the top group. Role players will secure themselves as just that with solid outings. And lesser known prospects can put themselves on the map with perimeter prowess.

In the past few seasons, shooting has become a must for most prospects. And that won’t be changing anytime soon.

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