2024 NBA Draft: The Top Prospect in Each Region of the NCAA Tournament
The first four of the NCAA tournament begins today, so let the madness begin.
In each region there are a ton of talented prospects that will be drafted in this year’s draft. Instead of diving into each individual prospect, let’s dive into the top prospect in each region for the 2024 NCAA tournament:
East Region | Stephon Castle
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Stephon Castle is a 6-foot-6 wing that plays for the defending national champions. UConn is looking to be the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Florida back in the early 2000’s. Castle is a high-level slasher that possesses enticing secondary playmaking skills. He has the ability to create off the dribble and put pressure on the rim.
His rim pressure allows him to be a very good secondary playmaker, which is important for teams to have as it takes a load off of primary creators. The shooting is still a work in progress for the potential top 10 pick, but the combination of his slashing, playmaking and size allows him to be the best prospects out of the East region.
West Region | Ja’Kobe Walter
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Ja’Kobe Walter is a 6-foot-5 wing that plays for the Baylor Bears. He excels as a shot-maker and scorer. Walter has the ability to score it at all three levels despite being inefficient while doing so.
He has a smooth jumper off the catch and off the dribble. Although he shoots just 34% from behind the arc, the eye test suggests he’s a much better shooter than what percentages show.
His ability to space the floor allows him to play next to really good rim-pressuring lead guards. Walter shows the ability to create his own shot and score when it’s really needed. His defense can be a tad bit underrated due to how talented of a scorer he is. Walter is a potential top ten pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
South Region | Rob Dillingham
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Rob Dillingham is one of the most exciting players to watch in all of college basketball. The 6-foot-3 lead guard is an electric scorer that has an argument to make as the best pure scorer in this year's draft. The Kentucky freshman is an elite shooter off the dribble as he excels as a shot-maker. It doesn’t matter if there’s a defender in his face or not, he’s able to consistently knock down tough pull-ups.
Dillingham also is a very good spot-up shooter which allows him to play off the ball when it’s needed which is a great skill for point guards to have. As a finisher the potential top five pick is one of the most creative below the rim finishers in the draft which is why he has drawn some comparisons to Kyrie Irving in that aspect. Dillignham has a case as the top point guard in this year’s draft.
Midwest Region | Dalton Knecht
Steven Erler-USA TODAY Sports
Dalton Knecht is a senior that plays for the Tennessee Volunteers. In his first season in Knoxville he won SEC player of the year as he averaged 21 points while shooting 46.5% from the field and 39.7% from behind the arc. The 6-foot-6 wing excels as a scorer and has an NBA like game with his ability to make difficult shots off the dribble, finish at the rim and excel as a spot-up shooter.
Although Knecht is much older than your typical lottery pick, he brings elite scoring versatility which a ton of teams could use in the NBA. Unlike most sharpshooters, Knecht has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble which makes him so loved as it’s rare to have in his archetype. The defense is a bit concerning, but the offense outweighs the defensive miscues.
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