Top 10 Freshmen to Watch in 2023-24 Men's College Basketball Season
Gone from men's college basketball are one-and-done wonders such as Brandon Miller, Gradey Dick and Jarace Walker. But in their place come the likes of Aden Holloway, Ja'Kobe Walter and Isaiah Collier to dominate in 2023-24.
Just so we're all clear up front, this ranking is not meant to be any sort of way-too-early 2024 NBA mock draft. (We've got Jonathan Wasserman to handle that sort of thing.) Rather, these are the first-year phenoms who we feel will shine brightest this season, regardless of how well their game might translate to the next level.
All the same, the majority our top 10 freshmen to watch likely won't be back as sophomores in 2024-25, so soak them up while you can.
We usually put this list out right before the season begins, but we thought it would be fun to wait a week this time around and get a glimpse or two of these highly touted prospects in their homes.
For what it's worth, it didn't change who landed in the No. 1 spot, and the top nine is the same nine we would have had a week ago. But early returns did shake up the order of that nine a bit and vaulted our new No. 10 freshman very much onto the national radar.
Honorable Mentions
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Coen Carr, Michigan State: Whether he has the all-around game to be a one-and-done prospect remains to be seen, but there's no question Carr has the hops to be a staple in highlight reels throughout the season. He's only 6'5", but he might mess around and try to jump over 7'4" Zach Edey when the Spartans run into Purdue in March.
Carlton Carrington, Pittsburgh: When you put up a triple-double in your collegiate debut, you officially have our attention. Carrington finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists (in 29 minutes) in Pitt's opener against North Carolina A&T, and he put up another 18 points a few nights later against Binghamton. Early January games against Duke and UNC will be the real test.
Elmarko Jackson, Kansas: Jackson was a non-factor in Kansas' exhibition loss to Illinois, but he combined for 17 points and 15 assists in the Jayhawks' first two wins over NC Central and Manhattan. Can't wait to see what sort of impact he has in the Champions Classic against Kentucky.
Aday Mara, UCLA: This 7'3" center from Spain wasn't cleared by the NCAA until three days before the season began, and it might take some time for the Bruins to fully work him into their plans with both Adem Bona and Kenneth Nwuba starting in the frontcourt. But Mara is going to be a matchup nightmare by the end of the season.
Mackenzie Mgbako, Indiana: After losing all four of their leading scorers from last season, the Hoosiers brought in a versatile 6'8" freshman who could fill a good chunk of that void. Mgbako was quiet in the season-opening nail-biter against FGCU for just four points and even quieter in Sunday's close call against Army. Once he gets comfortable, though, he's going to be a double-digit scorer more often than not.
Bronny James, USC: We don't know at this point if or when the son of NBA superstar LeBron James will be able to take the court as he recovers from suffering cardiac arrest in July, but you're probably going to want to tune in if he does play.
10. Yves Missi, Baylor
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Is this an overreaction to Yves Missi's highlight-reel impact late in the season-opening win over Auburn?
Maybe a bit.
But when you inevitably turn on Baylor games this season to watch Ja'Kobe Walter do his thing, are you also going to be impressed by Missi?
Absolutely.
Originally listed by 247 Sports at 6'10", 210 lbs, Missi has apparently grown two inches and put on 25 pounds, now listed by Baylor at 7'0", 235 lbs.
That's still a bit on the slender side for a center, but at least at that size, he now might stand a chance in the games later this year against Kansas' Hunter Dickinson.
Missi is pretty raw, even by "one week into your freshman season" standards, but he has impressive instincts on both ends of the floor, as well as Tigger-like bounciness. This has resulted in multiple dunks and blocks in each of the first three games of his college career, as well as five total steals. (He had four dunks and five blocks Sunday against Gardner-Webb.)
NBA scouts will be eager to find out if he can develop an even remotely reliable jumper as the season progresses, but Missi is going to be a problem at this level, with or without any sort of offensive range.
9. Cody Williams, Colorado
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The younger brother of Jalen Williams—a lottery pick out of Santa Clara who has been mighty impressive thus far in his NBA career—Cody Williams was by far the highest-rated recruit (in 247 Sports' history) to ever sign with Colorado.
Among this year's class, only Kentucky's Justin Edwards, USC's Isaiah Collier and G League Ignite's Ron Holland received a higher rating from 247 Sports.
Williams is one of those guys who just makes everything look effortless, to the point where there will be questions about whether he's giving it his all out there.
He is very much on the raw side, though, and might not even be a featured piece of a veteran Colorado team, at least initially. He did start in the opener against Towson, but only had four field-goal attempts in 28 minutes. And he missed the subsequent game against Grambling State with a minor injury.
The career trajectory for Williams could be similar to that of Texas' Dillon Mitchell.
Mitchell was a top-10 recruit in last year's class who started all 38 games for the Longhorns, but he didn't make that much of an impact outside of the occasional fast-break dunk. In year No. 2, though, he already looks like he could be Texas' MVP and the type of breakout sensation who vaults back into mock drafts in a hurry.
That isn't to say they are similar players. Williams has already attempted more threes one game into his college career than Mitchell has in 40 games. Williams is a 3-and-D wing with some point-forward tendencies whereas Mitchell is more of a thinner Blake Griffin who's liable to jump through the ceiling.
However, from a "highly touted recruit dripping with athleticism and potential that might not be actualized until his second season" perspective, they might be a match.
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8. Jared McCain, Duke
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Per usual, Duke put together one of the best recruiting classes in the country, featuring four top 25 players. But with Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor, Mark Mitchell and Kyle Filipowski all coming back for another season, there's not much room for those newbies to shine.
Jared McCain is clearly going to be the exception to that rule, though.
The 6'3" combo guard started in each of Duke's first two contests, logging more minutes against Arizona (29) than the rest of his freshman teammates combined (16). And he made a legitimate impact in that marquee game, finishing with nine points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
The shooting will be what sets him apart from the crowd. He is 3-for-7 thus far from three-point range, and you can bank on there being plenty more of that as the season progresses and he gets even more comfortable in Duke's five-out offense.
He's a pretty good facilitator, too, which plays into what could make the Blue Devils so dangerous. He, Roach and Proctor should each average multiple assists and made triples per game.
McCain may well lead the team in steals, too, already showing active hands and good lane-jumping instincts on that end of the floor.
7. Elliot Cadeau, North Carolina
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Not surprisingly, the North Carolina Tar Heels have allowed veteran leaders RJ Davis and Armando Bacot to do a lot of the heavy lifting through two games that were closer for longer than the final margins would have you believe.
But Elliot Cadeau has shown some flashes to suggest he will be the main man running this offense sooner rather than later.
Granted, those flashes did not come from his shooting stroke. He's 0-for-4 from distance and just 2-for-5 from the charity stripe. That should improve in time, though, as he was a respectable shooter in high school.
Rather, he had a team-high six dimes in just 19 minutes in the opener against Radford, which is where he can be special.
Cadeau has unbelievable court vision, which is going to result in a lot of assists, as well as a good number of steals. He's almost like a chess player who can see things happening three moves before they actually occur.
And when he's not setting up his teammates for fast-break dunks or otherwise easy buckets, he is adept at getting to the rim and is going to be downright lethal once the Tar Heels master the art of running pick-and-roll with him and Bacot.
Cadeau has been coming off the bench for now, but at some point in the upcoming grind of the Battle 4 Atlantis and subsequent games against Tennessee, Connecticut and Kentucky, UNC is going to realize this freshman needs to have the ball in his hands as often as possible.
6. D.J. Wagner, Kentucky
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Teammate Justin Edwards ranks a bit higher both on this list and in most way-too-early mock drafts, but D.J. Wagner might be the more important factor in deciding whether Kentucky gets back to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019.
While his ceiling doesn't appear to be as high as John Wall's was, Wagner does have a similar affinity for driving the lane as often as possible. Through two games, he has already attempted 20 two-pointers, 14 of which were classified as layups. (Wall averaged 8.8 two-point attempts per game in 2009-10.)
Wagner might also be an even better on-ball defender than Wall was during his time in Lexington.
We'll see if he can force teams to respect his range, though.
Wagner has gone just 1-for-6 from distance through two games. That's a minuscule sample size, but the three-point stroke was a big question mark before he got to Kentucky.
If he continues to struggle from distance while Rob Dillingham continues to shine at point guard, Wagner might be the odd man out of the starting lineup if and when Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso and/or Zvonimir Ivisic are able to take the floor for the Wildcats.
Even if he ends up being Kentucky's sixth man, though, Wagner will be the spark plug who ignites a fire in his team with his combination of slashing, passing and pilfering.
5. Stephon Castle, Connecticut
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If it wasn't already clear before Stephon Castle first arrived in Storrs, and if it still wasn't clear when he led Connecticut in scoring during its three-game tour in Spain over the summer, it has been made abundantly clear through the first two games of the regular season that he could be the driving force of the first back-to-back national champ in nearly two decades of men's college hoops.
While the 6'6" freshman wasn't necessarily the MVP of either blowout victory over Northern Arizona and Stonehill, he did score a combined 29 points on just 12 field-goal attempts while filling up the box score to the tune of 13 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Early returns suggest Dan Hurley will use Castle, Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer somewhat interchangeably, comfortable with letting any of them serve as the lead guard. But the unselfish freshman might end up being the primary facilitator of offense sooner rather than later.
As with D.J. Wagner, we'll have to wait and see with the three-point shooting. Castle has a great shooting stroke and projects as someone who could have knock-down range in due time, but he went just 1-for-3 in those first two games.
However, with his ability to drive-and-dish and with three very capable perimeter shooters alongside him in the starting lineup, there's no need to force it.
4. Aden Holloway, Auburn
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Auburn wasn't quite able to put the finishing touches on what would have been a big season-opening win over Baylor on a neutral floor.
But star freshman Aden Holloway?
That young man did not disappoint.
The closest thing to a Trae Young in this year's class, Holloway shot 4-for-8 from three-point range en route to 19 points and six assists. He and Ja'Kobe Walter were basically dueling each other in the second half, with Walter's supporting cast ultimately doing enough for the Bears to get the win.
No surprise there, though, as Holloway might be the most talented freshman in the country. He's going to rack up a ton of both buckets and dimes.
The big unknown that prospective NBA teams need to figure out is whether he's big and athletic enough to shine at the next level.
He's no Spud Webb or Muggsy Bogues, but Holloway is definitely a bit undersized at 6'1" and is far from the most explosive driver on the planet.
With more range than a satellite phone on his jumper, though, it's already clear he can be special at the collegiate level.
And he's going to get plenty of chances to show what he can do against some of this year's top freshmen. He already faced Walter. He'll run into Isaiah Collier (and maybe Bronny James?) when Auburn takes on USC in mid-December. And there will be at least one game against Kentucky's Justin Edwards and D.J. Wagner.
3. Justin Edwards, Kentucky
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Justin Edwards possesses maybe the highest floor in this year's freshman class.
And if he pans out, he could be this year's Brandon Miller.
A 6'8" left-handed wing-forward who can guard 1 through 4 and shoot from just about anywhere, Edwards has that prototypical plug-and-play mold that NBA teams are looking for these days.
His regular-season debut against New Mexico State was...fine. He finished with 12 points, five rebounds and a pair of steals. He built on that a bit in the second game against Texas A&M Commerce, going for 16 points and seven rebounds.
And he was sensational in the GLOBL JAM over the summer, leading Kentucky to victory over Canada in the gold-medal game with 23 points. Moreover, in the exhibition game against Kentucky State, he put up 17 points and nine rebounds.
It's looking like he could be for the Wildcats what Kevin Knox was six years ago. Edwards might be a bit more impactful on the glass than Knox was—at least until some combination of Kentucky's trio of centers is cleared to play—but they have similar builds and similar games.
If that comp holds true, expect a big game from Edwards in the Champions Classic against Kansas, because Knox put up 20 and 7 in that game in 2017. (Though, Big Blue Nation will be hoping for a victory that the Knox-led team was unable to get.)
2. Ja'Kobe Walter, Baylor
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It's kind of hard not to compare Ja'Kobe Walter to Keyonte George, right?
They're basically the same size, they're both impeccable volume scorers, they're both from Texas, and they both ended up going to Baylor, with Walter expected to serve as George's replacement.
One key difference, though, is that Walter stole the show in his collegiate debut.
Whereas George's career began with 13 quiet points against Mississippi Valley State, Walter went off for 28 against Auburn in a game that everyone was watching.
He did it efficiently, too, needing just 13 field-goal attempts while going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. And he scored 11 of Baylor's first 13 second-half points, almost single-handedly bringing the Bears back from what was a nine-point deficit at the intermission.
The very first bucket of his college career was a deep step-back three-pointer. Sure, it was a bit of a desperation heave with the shot clock ticking down, but it was a prime early example of his vast shooting range.
He would later add three more triples, a pair of layups and an and-one jumper from the elbow, showing off his ability to score from all three levels.
In addition to the scoring prowess already showcased, Walter should come to be regarded one of the most proficient defenders of this freshman class. He only has three steals and no blocks through three games, but he is going to make an impact on that end of the floor, even if it doesn't necessarily show up in the box score.
1. Isaiah Collier, USC
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Lauded by virtually everyone as the best freshman in this year's class, Isaiah Collier wasted no time in proving he belongs in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
By halftime of the season opener against Kansas State, he had already racked up 15 points and four assists, pacing the Trojans to a 10-point lead and an eventual noteworthy victory.
A few nights later against Cal State Bakersfield, he went for 19 points, five dimes and four steals, leading the team in all three categories in a comfortable win.
What stood out in both performances was Collier's ability to get to and finish around the rim, which has long been the No. 1 pro on his scouting report. He earned (and converted) three and-one opportunities in that first half against Kansas State, and then had several impressive reverse layups against Bakersfield.
The combined 10 turnovers and eight personal fouls—none of which were charges, so we're talking 18 separate plays here—will be something to monitor.
But while strength is a big part of his offensive game, Collier is no bull in a china shop. He plays with good balance and poise, he has finesse and touch at the rim, and he has maybe the best court vision of anyone in this year's class. The turnovers and fouls should sort of correct themselves as he grows more comfortable playing at this level.
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