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The 2024 NBA draft combine is effectively over, with the athletic testing, measurements, and scrimmages all taking place over the past week. NBA scouts and GMs are now conducting interviews and private workouts, with still about five weeks until the draft takes place in late June.
In a year without much consensus near the top, this draft often gets unfairly labeled as weak when in reality there is a lot of depth in the middle. The combine proved that, with many players who performed well enough to improve their stock and potentially put themselves in the conversation as first round picks.
The recent success of older college basketball prospects in the NBA, like Jaime Jaquez from UCLA and Brandin Podziemski from Santa Clara, could help similar older prospects move up into the late first round where teams competing for a title look to add players who can help right away.
Below is a look at five players who boosted their draft stock this past week at the combine, and what they might look like at the next level:
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Creighton wing Baylor Scheierman has continued to ascend draft boards after posting 17 points, eight rebounds, and three steals in his first scrimmage.
Scheierman didn’t exactly blow scouts away with his athletic testing – which wasn’t a surprise – but he’s an elite shot maker and has exceptionally high basketball IQ. Where he really stood out was on defense, where his lateral mobility and ability to fight over screens led to multiple turnovers.
If he can prove himself to be an adequate defender at the next level, he should land in the first round in June.
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Last year a veteran guard from Houston, who led his team to an excellent season before suffering an injury, found a surprising amount of success as a rookie in the NBA.
And while Jamal Shead is not Marcus Sasser, there is plenty of reason to believe he can immediately impact an NBA backcourt – especially after an excellent showing in scrimmages at the combine.
Shead, who wasn’t even at 100%, was tough defensively and a commanding floor general on offense, finishing with 13 points and six assists in the final scrimmage. Don’t be surprised to see Shead dominating during workouts and positioning himself to land in the late first round – much like Sasser did in 2023.
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Simpson, like Shead, is an undersized point guard prospect who displayed quality floor general skills during the combine scrimmages. The junior from Colorado had 16 points and three steals on day one of scrimmages, and 11 points, seven boards, and four assists the next day.
The 6’1 guard has a high basketball IQ and looked capable of getting separation and knocking down open threes, and whichever team nabs him will have a high floor backup guard in the mix from day one.
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Mogbo was a revelation last year for the San Francisco Dons, playing a point forward role at times while dominating on the block. However, he needed to prove he can be an impactful post player against NBA caliber talent – and while his four points, six rebounds, and four assists don’t exactly pop off the page the eye test made it clear he can play multiple roles at the NBA level.
If NBA scouts buy into his ability as a playmaker he could start to get more love as a second round pick, where he could carve out a role as a versatile backup big.
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Freeman, like Mogbo, is an undersized big from the mid-major ranks who needed the combine to prove they can compete with NBA caliber athletes. Freeman actually began his post-college career at the Portsmouth Invitational last month, parlaying that into an invite to the G League Camp and then a call up to the combine.
The Akron forward looks capable of playing a wing role at the next level, or a small ball four. He looked great on the defensive end of the floor, tallying three steals in the final scrimmage while also displaying smooth passing and jump shooting ability.
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Courtesy : https://collegesportswire.usatoday.com/lists/baylor-scheierman-jamal-shead-nba-draft-combine-stock-risers/