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One month away from the start of the NBA regular season, there’s already talk about what the top of the 2024 draft is going to look like.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony dropped his latest mock draft on Friday, with G League Ignite forward Ron Holland going No. 1 overall to the Washington Wizards and USC point guard Isaiah Collier going No. 2 to the Detroit Pistons.
Givony recently noted on an episode of NBA Today that Holland boosted his stock during the Ignite’s two-game series against the NBL’s Perth Wildcats on Sept. 6 and 8.
Jonathan Givony @DraftExpress
Ron Holland, the projected No. 1 pick in 2024, helped himself in front of a big audience of NBA executives in Las Vegas posting 56 points in 60 minutes (4/9 3P) and playing outstanding defense. pic.twitter.com/Yims29MlWy
The 18-year-old Holland is a 5-star prospect and the nation’s top-ranked recruit in the 2023 class, per 247Sports. He originally committed to Texas before signing with the Ignite on June 20.
Givony cited Holland as a high-floor prospect thanks to his “relentlessness pushing in transition, crashing the glass, getting over screens, sliding his feet one-on-one and ability to generate turnovers.”
Even though Holland looks to be the early favorite for the top pick, there is a wide-open fight for that spot.
Collier is the top overall recruit in the 2023 class by 247Sports’ composite rankings. He’s earned very high marks as an NBA prospect for his strength and passing ability going into his first season at USC.
Per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, Collier’s ability to develop consistency as a shooter will likely determine how high he ends up going in the draft.
The biggest potential wild card at this point is someone who played against Holland when the Ignite took on Perth. Alex Sarr, who Givony has going No. 4 overall, has been rapidly rising up draft boards.
O’Connor had Sarr as the No. 17 prospect in his initial ranking of the 2024 class on Aug. 2. He wrote a Sept. 20 article calling the Australian big man arguably the most intriguing prospect in the draft.
“Standing at an imposing 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan,” O’Connor wrote, “Sarr is a skyscraping wing in a center’s body who stole the show by averaging 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, six blocks, and two assists against the Ignite.”
Givony noted Sarr is among a “half dozen or so prospects vying for consideration as the No. 1 pick at this point” after mostly strong showings at a number of high-profile games over the summer.
