NBA Draft 2024: Assessing Scouting Reports on Top Stars from Experts' Mock Draft
The 2024 NBA draft is fluid in all facets.
Everything from which prospects reside atop the draft board to which lottery teams will land those early picks remains up in the air as the 2023-24 season barrels toward its final buzzer.
While there is clearly much to be decided, let's take stock of where things sit at the moment by analyzing the latest scouting reports on three of the top prospects in this class.
Donovan Clingan, C, Connecticut
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Interior bigs can struggle to excite modern NBA teams, but Donovan Clingan could be an exception to that rule. The 7'2", 280-pounder has dominated the college paint in ways that make you think he has a real chance of doing the same at the next level.
ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo slotted Clingan third in their latest prospect ranking, with Givony noting Clingan had steadily ascended back up their ranking after making "his early-season injuries become a distant memory." Givony went on to call Clingan "the most dominant defensive center we've seen in college basketball in recent memory."
B/R's Jonathan Wasserman put Clingan in the No. 5 spot of his latest mock, crediting the center for "changing games with his paint presence, contesting shots around the key and eliminated finishing windows for drivers." While Clingan's appeal is largely attached to his defensive potential, Wasserman wrote "he can still provide value with his finishing, pressure on the glass and low-post game" and noted his "significant improvement as a passer, looking like a legitimate assist weapon who's seeing the floor, reading plays and delivering the ball over the top."
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor mocked Clingan at No. 6 but credited the center for "[playing] himself into the top-three conversation." O'Connor detailed a laundry list of Clingan's strengths, including his "7'7" wingspan," ability to "block shots without even leaving his feat," being "mobile enough to hedge on the perimeter" and dunking "everything around the basket." O'Connor also cautioned that Clingan is a "borderline hackable free-throw shooter" and is a "slow-footed perimeter defender who will need to prove he can defend in space to have scheme flexibility."
Zaccharie Risacher, SG/SF, JL Bourg-en-Bresse
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Zaccharie Risacher looks the part of a top prosect. He has good size (6'8", 202 lbs) and length for the wing, and his skill set touches about every spot on the hardwood. He has exceeded expectations as a shooter this season (for the most part), makes quick reads as a passer and attacker and uses his length and mobility to handle a wide variety of defensive assignments.
There are some questions about that jumper, though, and they potentially loom large over his overall assessment given the likelihood that, at least early in his career, he'll spend the bulk of his offensive possessions away from the ball. He was lights-out to start the season, but a recent rough patch could change the way clubs view his long-ball.
"He's started cooling off lately," Wasserman wrote recently. "Since January 20, he's just 17-of-62 from three (27.4 percent). And now it's suddenly worth thinking about his 69.4 free-throw percentage, whether it's more indicative than the early-season three-point accuracy—or the fact that he hadn't been known for advanced shooting coming in."
O'Connor agreed that Risacher's shooting slump has raised a few eyebrows, particularly when paired with his history as a shot-maker. O'Connor went even deeper into Risacher's history, noting that he "made only 32 percent" from three over his first three seasons playing pro, is just a "71.1 percent" career free-throw shooter and "makes just 29.4 percent of his dribble jumpers and only 40 percent of his floaters."
Givony, who ranked Risacher as the No. 1 prospect in this class, mentioned the shooting slump but noted "he is still shooting 40 percent [from] three on the season" while adding that "to his credit, [he has] continued to play very good basketball on both ends of the floor, making smart passes, never shying away from open looks and guarding up and down the floor with his terrific size, feel for the game and intensity."
Alexandre Sarr, PF/C, Perth Wildcats
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While this status is very much subject to change, Alexandre Sarr might come closest to being labeled as the consensus top prospect on the board. He held the No. 1 spots on the latest mocks from Wasserman and O'Connor, while landing No. 2 on the most recent prospect ranking from Givony and Woo.
Sarr's blend of established ability and growth potential sounds enticing. O'Connor called Sarr "a skyscraping wing trapped in a center's body, with a rare blend of size, finesse and explosiveness."
Wasserman said Sarr's "physical tools, pro-level production and translatable defense" are floor-risers, while his "flashes of inside-out offensive skills" are what elevates his ceiling. Do-everything defense is his calling card, but his handles, playmaking and shooting could be significant assets if fully developed.
Woo noted team's will have questions about Sarr's "below-average rebounding, spotty awareness and toughness," but the ESPN scribe also conceded "it's hard to find 7-footers with his degree of physical gifts in any draft."
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