2024 NBA Draft: Breaking Down Top Point Guards in This Class

The 2024 NBA Draft could potentially have four point guards selected in the lottery. What does each lead guard bring to the table?

Author:
Isaac Condra
Apr 25, 2024

In this story:

Draft

NBA

Sheppard

Collier

USC

NBA Draft

Dillingham

Rob Dillingham

Reed Sheppard

Isaiah Collier

Nikola Topic

Kentucky

Serbia Basketball

Global Scouting

There’s certainly a lot of uncertainty around this year’s draft, which makes it exciting to scout. Depending on who you talk to, there are quite a few different answers when it comes to who the top point guard in this class is.

Let’s dive into the top four point guards in this year’s draft, each of which has a case for being the best prospect of the group.

Rob Dillingham | Kentucky

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Dillingham is the shiftiest player in this year’s draft and it’s not particularly close. The combination of his elite ball-handling skills, shiftiness and speed allows him to create efficient offense for himself and others. Not only is he one of the best shot-creators in the draft but he makes a legitimate case as one of the best pure shooters in this year’s draft. Dillingham is a tough shot-maker that can make difficult pull-up jumpers look easy.

He’s one of those guys that you can give the ball to late in the shot clock and trust him getting you a bucket. The 6-foot-2 lead guard has superstar potential on the offensive end but has his limitations defensively. With the right players around him he could carry a team to the playoffs after he gets a couple years in the league under his belt.

Nikola Topic | Crvena zvezda

After missing about three months due to an injury, Topic has recently made his return to the floor. The 6-foot-7 lead guard is the tallest true point guard in this year's draft and that meshes well with his ability to pressure the rim. He does a fantastic job consistently getting paint touches and converting inside the painted area. Topic possesses a ton of versatility as a finisher and his touch inside the painted area is quite impressive.

What goes well with his elite rim pressuring ability is his high level playmaking skills. The Serbian point guard is one of the top passers in the draft as he possesses great vision and an advanced feel for the game. He does struggle to contain quicker guards off the dribble and the shooting is a bit of a red flag. If he’s given the keys to the offense in the NBA, he could be the best player out of this year’s draft.

Reed Sheppard | Kentucky

When looking at draft boards before the season started compared to now, Sheppard is by far the biggest riser. The Kentucky native stayed in his home state to play for the Wildcats and was a fan favorite due to his elite shooting ability, efficient play and playmaking chops. Sheppard shot 52.1% from behind the arc this season which was one of the best shooting seasons we have ever seen.

Not only does he bring elite shooting ability but he’s also a very good playmaker that plays very unselfish and consistently makes the right play. Although he doesn’t have great size he still managed to lead the SEC in steals per game as averaged 2.5 this season. Sheppard’s floor is the highest out of these four point guards.

Isaiah Collier | USC

Before the season started, Collier was the consensus top point guard in this draft class, but is no longer in that tier. After suffering an injury, being very turnover-prone to the start the season and USC having a very underwhelming season, his stock took a bit of a hit. It has gotten to the point where Collier is a bit underrated though as he has phenomenal size, great strength for a lead guard, high-level playmaking ability and puts very good pressure on the rim.

Collier does a great job of using his strength and handle to get consistent paint touches or to his spots on the floor. With that, he’s able to attract the defense and find the open teammate. Out of these four lead guards, he probably has the highest defensive ceiling and should be able to be a positive defender in the NBA. If Collier can become a more consistent 3-point shooter then it will open up the rest of his game significantly.

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