ESPN 2024 NBA Draft Big Board: Zach Edey Falls, Stephon Castle Rises Ahead of Combine
Two of the most prominent players from the NCAA men's tournament national championship game are on the move in the latest NBA draft rankings from ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo.
Givony and Woo released their most recent rankings of the top-25 prospects Thursday, and Purdue's Zach Edey fell from 13 to 14. It was better news for UConn's Stephon Castle, who jumped from that No. 14 spot into the top 10 at No. 9 overall.
Edey, Castle and all the other prospects will have the opportunity to move up draft boards later this month.
The NBA Combine will take place in Chicago from May 13-19 ahead of the actual draft on June 26 and 27 following the NBA Finals. The significant movement from Castle in particular underscores how players can take jumps in the process leading up to the draft.
He won't be the only UConn player under the spotlight, as Givony and Woo listed Huskies big man Donovan Clingan as their No. 3 prospect.
Clingan was sandwiched by No. 1 Zaccharie Risacher and No. 2 Alex Sarr on one side and No. 4 Rob Dillingham and No. 5 Nikola Topić on the other side.
Castle's rise into that top 10 comes after an impressive NCAA tournament.
He scored in double figures in four of his team's six games, including when he dropped 21 points during UConn's Final Four win over Alabama. The guard then filled the stat sheet with 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal in the victory over Edey's Boilermakers in the title game.
Edey did what he could in that contest with 37 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, but the Huskies had too much firepower.
The Purdue big man is one of the most intriguing prospects for this year's draft, as there remain question marks about his lateral quickness and whether he will be an issue on the defensive side at the next level.
However, it is also impossible to ignore his production with a college resume that includes two Associated Press Player of the Year awards, two Naismith Awards, two Wooden Awards and two Big Ten Player of the Year awards.
He averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 62.3 percent from the field during his final season. He likely won't average numbers like that in the NBA, but teams surely have him on their radars after such an impressive college career.
