2024 NBA Draft: Prospects in the Final Four

Let's dive into the top three NBA prospects remaining amongst the Final Four teams.

Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA

After an exciting few months of college basketball, we are now down to four teams left in the NCAA Tournament. While we’ve seen some teams with talented NBA prospects lose early, a handful of prospects remain on the teams left in the Final Four.

Let’s dive into the three best NBA prospects remaining amongst the Final Four teams.

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Zach Edey

Purdue center Zach Edey (15) and guard Fletcher Loyer (2) battle for a rebound against Tennessee / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The 7-foot-4, 300 pound big is one of the most well-known and productive players in all of college basketball. Edey, who turns 22 years old in May, is averaging an outstanding 25 points and 12.2 rebounds per game to go along with two assists and 2.2 blocks per game. Additionally, he's shooting 71% from the free throw line this season and has the 24th-highest free throw rate in the country (.848). This means he's shooting two free throw attempts for approximately every 2.35 field goals attempted. The senior is also recording an 18.5 offensive rebounding percentage, 25.6 defensive rebounding percentage, and a block percentage of seven.

Lastly, Edey is in the 97th percentile in points per possession in Pick-and-Roll Roll Man possessions and 85th percentile in points per Post-Ups (including passes) possessions. He's also adept at finding the open man when doubled, as he's in the 80th percentile in points per possession in Post-Ups (Hard Double) possessions. Edey is in the 97th percentile in points per shot at the rim as well.

While some NBA scouts may worry about the lack of mobility that comes with his size, especially defensively, others may buy into the rebounding, finishing at the rim, post up possessions, and potential as a screener Edey can bring to the NBA. He's currently considered a guarantee to go in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

Stephon Castle

Mar 28, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Stephon Castle (5) dribbles the ball / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The 6-foot-6, 215 pound guard and former five-star recruit is averaging 10.7 points, 2.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game while converting 61.4% of his attempts at the rim (140 attempts), 35.6% of his non-rim twos (59 attempts), and 26.2% of his threes (65 attempts). Castle, who doesn't turn 20 years old until November, is also in the 85th percentile in points per possession for pick-and-roll (including passes) possessions (107 possessions).

Overall, Castle is known for his positional size, on-ball defense, slashing, and playmaking ability. While he's shooting 76% from the free throw line (100 attempts), Castle has only made 26.9% of his catch-and-shoot threes (52 attempts) and is shooting only 26.5% on dribble jumpers (34 attempts). He's currently projected to go in the lottery of the 2024 NBA Draft.

Donovan Clingan

Mar 30, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Connecticut Huskies center Donovan Clingan (32) dunks the ball / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Clingan is a 7-foot-2, 280 pound big for the Huskies who turned 20 years old in February. He's averaging 12.9 points, 1.5 assists, 7.5 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game while recording a 14.6 offensive rebounding percentage, 24 defensive rebounding percentage, and 11.7 block percentage. The sophomore has been extremely productive this season, qualifying for the most difficult threshold of my Productive Sophomore Query. 71% of sophomores who meet the same criteria play five or more years in the NBA or are currently in the NBA.

Finally, Clingan is in the 91st percentile in points per shot at the rim, the 83rd percentile in points per possession in Pick-and-Roll Roll Man possessions (56 possessions), and the 94th percentile in points per Post Ups (including passes) possessions (144 possessions). He's currently projected as a top ten pick after showcasing increased mobility as the season progressed, especially in drop coverage.

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All play-by-play data referenced is courtesy of Synergy Sports.

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