The 2024 NBA Draft season is already upon us and we’ve all got plenty of scouting and reading to do before the college and professional seasons start. There are tons of big names to know (in these convenient lists here, here, and here), but there are plenty of sleepers to know and keep an eye on throughout the season. Here are those names to know so that you can claim you knew these players from the very beginning and look like a genius in front of your friends.
2024 NBA Draft Sleepers
Garwey Dual (Providence)
This 6-foot-5, 190-pound freshman is great with the ball in his hands and can create nearly any shot for himself. However, he will have to show that he can create for others as a lead point guard and ball handler. He’s an excellent defender and makes life miserable for other ball handlers with his absurd +6 wingspan. He’s shifty with the ball and uses his change of speed well to get to the rim. He uses his length to finish well at the rim around defenders, but he will have to gain some weight to go through that contact at the next level.
Baba Miller (Florida State)
The 6-foot-11, 204-pound big man was a bit of a sleeper going into last season. However, he completely fell off the radar after being forced to serve a half-season suspension for an absolutely ludicrous reason. With the opportunity to play a full season for a team that should be considerably better than it has been in the part couple years, Miller will likely strengthen his case as a legitimate prospect as he moves well, is athletic, and can handle the ball. He will have to prove he can shoot the ball though to move his way up the draft.
Riley Kugel (Florida)
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound guard came into his own late last season after Colin Castleton went down with an injury. From February 8th and on, he averaged about 17 points a game on nearly 50% shooting from the field. He will have the opportunity to start as a sophomore and play big minutes, even with the transfer talent the Gators brought in this year. He will need to show that he can do more than hit from deep consistently as he will likely be asked to create for others as a slightly smaller two-guard. His smoothness and athleticism are the calling cards while the passing and creation could propel him into the lottery.
Omaha Biliew (Iowa State)
The 6-foot-8, 215-pound freshman forward was a huge get for the Cyclones in the recruiting cycle. He’s the highest ranked recruit for them in the modern recruiting era and he will get to show why right off the bat as he will be a focus point on offense and defense for this team. He already does everything well on defense so showing that he can shoot consistently from deep and that he will continue to work on his mechanics will set him up for some lottery hype.
Grant Nelson (Alabama)
The 6-foot-11, 230-pound transfer made a name for himself late into last season and has parlayed that into a major role on a Power-5 squad in Tuscaloosa. He will get the chance to show that his stats and his highlights were legitimate at North Dakota State as he will be playing against much better athletes in the SEC. He led NDSU in pretty much every major statistical category, which will likely not be the case for the Crimson Tide. However, if he can continue to score and rebound like he did at NDSU, he should become a first round pick teams feel comfortable making.
