We are 40 days away from the 2024 NBA Draft on June 26. Should they keep both of their selections ahead of the two-day event, the Miami Heat will own the No. 15 and 43 selections.
While the Heat were outside of the lottery, there was plenty of shift inside the lottery, including the Atlanta Hawks leaping nine spots to earn the No. 1 overall selection. Thus, some teams’ plans about how they want to go about their selection may change leading up to the draft, which could benefit the Heat on draft night!
The perceived talent gap between the No. 1 and No. 15 picks isn’t viewed as largely as it has been in past years, but that doesn’t mean potential diamonds in the rough won’t emerge. We already parsed through myriad mock drafts roughly 24 hours after the lottery was decided, so I got to thinking: Which prospects are ones to look out for that haven’t been (arbitrarily?) linked to Miami by recent mocks? For that matter, could these players be the next “ones-to-watch” for NBA fans keen on powerplay betting in the coming months?
Let’s examine the first round first, shall we? Please go check out that latest mock draft roundup post if you haven’t already, but to save you some time, below, we did not include:
- Devin Carter, G, Providence
- Isaiah Collier, G, USC
- Tidjane Salaun, F, France
- Jared McCain, G, Duke
- Zach Edey, C, Purdue
- Terrance Shannon Jr., G, Illinois
- Ja’Kobe Walter, G, Baylor
- Kevin McCullar, G, Kansas
Let’s dive into it!
(Editor’s note: The list below is in no specific order relative to want or need. The list below also takes into account possible mocks published between May 13-17, but only ones published after the lottery up until the Mock Draft Roundup was published on May 13.)
Tristan da Silva, F, Colorado
Silva is one of the most polished (big) wings of the 2024 NBA Draft cycle, in my view. Listed at 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, the two-time All-Pac honoree was a dead-eye shooter, canning 39.5 percent of his 4.8 3-point attempts as a senior and was a 39.0 percent 3-point shooter over his final three collegiate seasons with the Buffaloes. He improved his scoring on a per-game basis every season, plus upped his effective field goal percentage and true-shooting percentage in three of his four seasons.
He’s a dynamic playmaker who can initiate offense and is a quick decision-maker. He’s a solid rebounder and positions himself well on the glass, despite the raw numbers suggesting otherwise. da Silva can defend multiple positions–likely a 2-4 defender plus against smaller 5s at the next level–improving his discipline each season, going from 6.5 fouls per 100 possessions as a freshman to just 3.4 as a senior.
da Silva is an automatic floor raiser on both ends of the floor. A very good well-rounded player who could positively impact a rotation from Day 1.
Yves Missi, C, Baylor
Full disclosure: I am likely higher on Missi than most, and I don’t necessarily foresee Miami going with a backup big behind Adebayo in the middle of the first round.
But Missi deserves consideration. The 6-foot-11 big tested well at the 2024 NBA Draft combine, including a 31” standing vertical with a 38.5” max vertical, both above-average marks for a 7-footer.
Missi entered his freshman season at Baylor as a raw player, but Scott Drew did a phenomenal job developing him throughout the season. He’s your stereotypical rim-running big man who can vertically space, though Missi showed he possessed the instincts, foot speed and hip mobility to defend on the perimeter against smaller, quicker guards.
His shooting must improve, but his handle in the open court, passing and touch around the rim improved considerably as the year went on. Missi’s also an exceptional shot-blocker with good timing and possesses an exceptionally high motor on both ends of the floor. I love that.
He still may be viewed as a project, but I would take a chance on Missi’s budding talent and physical tools.
DaRon Holmes II, F/C, Dayton
I talked about Holmes as a prospect to keep an eye on at ahead of the NCAA Tournament. He had a good showing, averaging 20.5 points and 10 rebounds on 60.5 percent true shooting across two games against (my beloved) Nevada and Arizona, respectively.
Throughout the season, Holmes was the best two-way player in the Atlantic-10 conference, winning the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year while averaging 20.4 points on 62.7 percent true shooting. Holmes developed his floor-spacing ability over time during his three seasons, raising his 3-point percentage to 38.5 percent on 2.5 attempts (20.8 percent 3PAr).
He’s not overly powerful with his back to the basket, but flashed good touch within ~10-15 feet of the rim. He projects to either play the 4 or 5 at the next level and could develop into a multi-positional big with time, but he’s not quite there yet. At worst, he could play drop and maintain his own against NBA bigs once he improves his frame. He’s a great shot-blocker and was exceptional at defending without fouling. That matters.
Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette
Kolek is the only guard on this list—given that plenty of the mock draft artists above went with guards.
Listed at 6-foot-2, Kolek is on the smaller side. If you’re looking for functional size in the backcourt, you could probably look elsewhere at No. 15. But Kolek, a consensus All-American in 2023-24, is arguably the best pure point guard in this class.
He led the Big East in assist percentage in each of the last three seasons and finished in the top-5 nationally in that category the last two seasons. The southpaw is an exceptional passer with adept processing speed—improving his live-dribble reads from season-to-season. Kolek is also a very good spot-up shooter, knocking down 39.3 percent of his long-range attempts over the last two years.
I am admittedly not great with NBA comparisons—nor do I make them often—but Kolek reminds me of former Heat guard Goran Dragic. He may be small, but Kolek plays with an ultra-feisty competitiveness and played in plenty of big games at Marquette.
Kel’el Ware, C, Indiana
Ware stands out 7-foot with a 7-foot-5 wingspan and a 9-foot-4 standing reach. The physical tools are all there. He also crushed the agility drills at the combine and showcased a 32.5″ standing vertical with a 36″ max vert.
Ware, who transferred from Oregon to Indiana last fall, improved substantially and was more consistent on both ends of the floor. He also saw far more opportunity, but still averaged 3.3 more points and 2.2 more rebounds per 100 possessions from his freshman to sophom*ore season. He lowered his 3-point rate by 17.1 percentage points, but raised his long-rage efficiency to 42.5 percent and featured a far greater effective field goal and true-shooting percentage.
The biggest question with Ware is his motor and work ethic; he was called “lazy” at Oregon, but those concerns appeared to be minimized by the end of last season. Though that concern will still be harped on pre-draft, as teams evaluate him. When he’s locked in, he’s locked in; he’s an athletic vertical threat who can space the floor. But when he’s not, he’s not. As he continues to learn and develop, I like his prospects as an NBA big.
Dillon Jones, G/F, Weber State
Jones is ranked as the No. 58, 44 and 30 on big boards from The Ringer, ESPN and Tankathon, respectively. So he may not be considered for the No. 15 selection. I’m not saying he is or isn’t a part of it (I have no sources), but if we’ve learned anything from the Heat over the years, their big board doesn’t always follow the consensus … for better or worse.
Jones isn’t the most athletic prospect in the class, but the 6-foot-6 tweener was one of the most productive players in college basketball last season. He led the Big Sky in defensive rebounding percentage four straight seasons–finishing with the third-highest defensive rebounding percentage in NCAA History over his career, per Stathead. In 2023-24, he also led in defensive win shares, total win shares, player efficiency rating (PER), box plus-minus and points produced last year.
Being such a high-usage player in college against weaker competition, I’m interested to see how Jones adjusts to the next level. Though he played in the two scrimmages at the combine and was quite impressive with his nose for the basketball, especially defensively–hounding lead guards at the POA with good dexterity and screen navigation. He was an inconsistent 3-point shooter at Weber State, but I think a role more suited off-ball could benefit those percentages.
He has good strength and is fluid in the open court and in traffic. Perhaps he falls to No. 43, but I think he could be a prospect that rises up draft boards as late June approaches.
Any other options?
Nikola Djurisic, F, Serbia
Djurisic, a wing listed at 6-foot-7, was one of the biggest winners of this last week–especially with his two performances in the combine. He was aggressive from multiple levels and showcased a lot of playmaking chops. If that small sample was any indication–he will become a good NBA player. I loved what I saw.
Tyler Smith, F, G-League Ignite
Smith was one of the most consistent players for G-League Ignite last season. He was a deadly spot-up threat who’s a capable three-level scorer, but he will need to be more consistent with his positioning and physicality defensively.
KJ Simpson, G, Colorado
Simpson fits into the Jones mold of players who I think will rise up draft boards. He was exceptional in the two combine scrimmages. He was aggressive off the bounce and is a lights-out threat from deep. Most importantly, over those two days, he controlled what was happening on the floor with teammates he’d never played with before–which is what we consistently saw at Colorado. That’s not nothing. Whether he’s considered at No. 15 or not is a different question, but he deserves first-round consideration in my book.
Johnny Furphy, F, Kansas
A big wing who was an exceptional (corner) 3-point shooter who did a much better job playing through contact by the season’s end.
Kyle Filipowski, F, Duke
Filipowski was an inconsistent shooter at times during his collegiate career, but is good with his back to the basket and is a strong connector. He’s a better defender than he’s given credit for, but I’m interested to see how the near-7-footer fares in an NBA setting when it comes to his size (he has a negative wingspan) and positioning.
Ron Holland, F, G-League
I don’t think Holland, an athletic wing, drops outside of the top-10. But if he falls……
Who do you think the Heat should consider ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft? Let us know in the comments!
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