Subscribe
Follow Us
In less than one month, the 2024 NBA Draft will begin with the Atlanta Hawks having to make a potential franchise-altering decision with the first overall pick. A little bit of clarity as to who will be selected in this year's draft was provided on Wednesday, May 29, as the deadline for college players to retain their eligibility by withdrawing from the draft came and went.
After participating at the NBA Draft Combine, players such as Bronny James, Alex Karaban, Mark Sears, Caleb Love, and others faced the tough decision of either staying or withdrawing from the draft. Of course, the new NIL rules in the college landscape have drastically impacted the NBA, as various players who were projected to be second-round picks ended up returning to college, where they would ultimately make more money.
Nobody can fault these players for following the money. Many of us would make the same decisions for our families as well. However, the changes the NCAA has made to pay their athletes directly impact the NBA's ability to have great talent in the draft every year.
The final day for those who declared “early entry” to withdraw from the 2024 NBA Draft has passed. Of the many players pulling out of this year's draft, 17 of them ranked inside the Top 100 of ClutchPoints' 2024 NBA Big Board 2.0. Four of these prospects were projected to be drafted in ClutchPoints' 2024 NBA Mock Draft 2.0, which was released after the combine on Monday.
Below is a list of prospects that withdrew from this year's draft and were featured on the big board with their recent draft ranking:
- Hunter Sallis (Wake Forest, ranked #33)
- Alex Karaban (UConn, #52)
- Trevon Brazile (Arkansas, #53)
- Jamir Watkins (Florida State, #57)
- Payton Sandfort (Iowa, #59)
- Mark Sears (Alabama, #61)
- Jaxson Robinson (BYU, #69)
- Coleman Hawkins (Illinois, #72)
- Ugonna Onyenso (Kentucky, #77)
- JT Toppin (New Mexico, #78)
- Michael Ajayi (Pepperdine, #80)
- Matthew Murrell (Ole Miss #81)
- Nique Clifford (Colorado State, #84)
- Baba Miller (Florida Atlantic, #85)
- Caleb Love (Arizona, #91)
- Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida, #94)
- Baye Ndongo (Georgia Tech, #95)
Hunter Sallis, Alex Karaban, Trevon Brazile, and Payton Sandfort were all projected to be drafted in ClutchPoints' recent mock draft.
The biggest names returning to college not only include Sallis and Karaban, but Coleman Hawkins and Mark Sears as well. Hawkins is set to transfer from Illinois, making him the best big man available in the transfer portal. Sears, who is projected to be a preseason All-American at Alabama, helped lead the Crimson Tide to the Final Four this past year. Drawing comparisons to Jalen Brunson, Sears will look to cement his status as a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft with another year of college under his belt.
Of course, Bronny James was the player that NBA personnel have been fixated on throughout the pre-draft process. There were some questions about whether or not he would stay in the draft or return to college after a lackluster freshman year at USC, but after the draft combine, his agent Rich Paul made it very clear that Bronny was going to be staying in the draft.
Johnny Furphy from Kansas was another freshman, alongside James, who initially declared for the draft. The Australian wing has decided to pursue a pro career instead of withdrawing, leading many to believe that Furphy has received a promise from a team near the end of the first round, assuming he isn't selected earlier. DaRon Holmes II (Dayton), KJ Simpson (Colorado), Trey Alexander (Creighton), Harrison Ingram (North Carolina), and Cam Christie (Minnesota) are a few other players who ultimately decided to keep their names in the 2024 NBA Draft instead of returning to college.
Jaxson Robinson, who was projected to be a second-round prospect in the 2024 NBA Draft, was the biggest mystery after the 11:59 p.m. ET deadline passed on Wednesday night. It was not until Thursday afternoon that his decision was made, as Robinson is withdrawing from the 2024 NBA Draft and following Mark Pope to Kentucky, according to ESPN's Jeff Borzello. Robinson will finish his collegiate career with the Wildcats before being a possible first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
