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The 2023-24 men's college basketball season ended Monday night in the national title game with a highly anticipated matchup between two possible lottery picks. UConn's Donovan Clingan and Purdue's Zach Edey, the top two bigs in college, faced off in a game where Edey had the better individual performance but Clingan's Huskies won the contest to secure back-to-back national championships. Both centers helped their draft stock on college basketball's biggest stage. The next battle between the two will occur in the NBA as Clingan declared for the 2024 draft Friday, joining Edey, who announced his decision in February. ESPN NBA draft experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo unpack Clingan vs. Edey, provide the latest on the prospects as the No. 1 pick and examine where the other Huskies stand following a dominant run in March.
Unpacking Donovan Clingan vs. Zach EdeyNBA teams couldn't have asked for a better ending to the NCAA tournament than seeing 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan match up with 7-4 Zach Edey -- a clash many around the league were hoping to see. Edey filled up the box score as usual, with 37 points and 15 rebounds while playing nearly all 40 minutes, but UConn wore Purdue down and made his life difficult throughout. Clingan battled foul trouble but used his length and size to limit Edey's easy looks and finished with 11 points and five rebounds in helping the Huskies repeat. Clingan put his stamp on March, shifting the conversation around him as a prospect and making him a lock for the lottery. He looked healthier and more mobile, which took his individual defensive play to a different level and helped reframe how NBA teams discuss his upside. UConn allowed Clingan to play Edey straight up for much of the game, trusting him to tackle college basketball's toughest assignment while his teammates worked to take away Purdue's supporting cast. As Givony laid out, Clingan's recent strides will make him a consideration for teams at the top of the draft, and the intangibles he's displayed help his case as a potential defensive anchor in the frontcourt.
Most nights in the NBA, Clingan's assignments will be much different than trying to slow down a pure post player such as Edey, a rare true center with a distinct size and strength advantage over him. While Clingan could only do so much in one-on-one situations, that decision proved effective, as he was able to bother Edey with his length to consistently contest shots. Clingan will be tasked with guarding in space and moving his feet away from the basket much more in the NBA, so this matchup wasn't a true test of what will translate, but he at least reaffirmed his toughness and competitive mettle. It's certainly hard to knock Edey for his production this season, and it would also be difficult to fault him for Purdue not winning this particular game. However, UConn's size advantage on the perimeter essentially took away his teammates and forced Edey to exert maximal energy, particularly early in the game, when he scored 11 straight points during a stretch. Those tactics paid off in the second half, when Edey wore down and the Huskies pulled away. The Boilermakers' lack of a reliable backup center to relieve Edey for extended spurts ultimately hurt them against a UConn team that triumphs by dictating pace and forcing opponents into uncomfortable situations. Edey's remarkable season has firmly solidified him as a first-round pick, but he didn't necessarily help himself in the title game, despite his production. His dominance at this level wasn't news. While he handled the matchup with Clingan, there were moments in the second half where the pace and speed of the game visibly took a toll on Edey. He was forced to keep up with UConn's frenetic energy, and it ultimately made him look human after a hot start. When he establishes position, he's tough for anyone to defend, but when forced to pursue and chase 50-50 balls and play vertically, it's not always easy for him to keep up. To his credit, he's in good shape to consistently play heavy minutes at his size is remarkable in itself. As teams ask themselves in the coming weeks whether a player as specific and uncommon as Edey can fit into their plans, his body of work will matter much more in the end. Still, the UConn game served as a reminder that certain elements of the game will constantly test Edey's mobility and ability to dictate flow of play on the interior, rather than react. How he holds up in that regard, particularly on defense, may be the ultimate determinant of his eventual NBA role. -- Jeremy Woo
Who is No. 1? Since our first 2024 mock draft in February 2023, it's been the same question -- who will be the top pick? Now, 14 months later, there's a wealth of data, but still no clear consensus. The top of this draft is a puzzle, viewed differently by NBA executives, each with their own unique situation, roster and team-building philosophy. The May 12 lottery will play a significant role in shaping the draft, as no player has yet to establish themselves as the clear front-runner. Unlike in past years, there is a good chance that we won't know who the No. 1 pick will be until commissioner Adam Silver steps to the podium at Barclays Center and announces it -- meaning there's still a lot to be gleaned in the next two-plus months. It doesn't help how mixed the data points have been for all of the prospects currently in the running for No. 1. Zaccharie Risacher, currently slated No.1, appears to have hit a wall as he's already played 60 games this season -- nearly two college seasons, with his team enduring G League-style travel conditions. He's playing a significant role for Bourg, who just completed the EuroCup Finals series and is tied for third place in France. Risacher is shooting 53% from 2 and 40% from 3 this season, but is just 43% from 2 and 23% from 3 since Jan. 24, the 40-game mark of his season. He continues to bring outstanding intensity, versatility and smarts defensively, and has been extremely aggressive on offense -- launching four 3s in 22 minutes per game during his slump -- but has been unable to make shots consistently. Bourg has the No. 1 rated defense in French Pro A and the EuroCup, but doesn't play with a traditional point guard in its starting lineup, which means open looks aren't always easy to come by for Risacher, who is not an advanced ball handler or shot creator. Scouts' primary concern revolved around Risacher's toughness and passivity, so seeing him try to dunk on opponents aggressively and step into open 3s with never-ending confidence is a positive, but it would be nice to see those shots drop. Risacher is still making 39% of his 3s this season with significant volume as a recently-turned 19-year-old competing at the highest levels of European basketball. But how he finishes the season will be important for where he ultimately lands, and it would be very surprising to see him fall out of the top 3. Alex Sarr, Risacher's primary competitor for No. 1, saw his season end somewhat quietly in the NBL playoffs more than a month ago. He's moved to California to begin the pre-draft process. It's not clear how many team workouts Sarr will participate in, but showing improvement with his 3-point shooting -- he made 29% of his attempts in 27 NBL games -- would go a long way in solidifying himself atop the draft. His size, length, mobility defensively and explosiveness as a finisher make him an easy fit into NBA lineups if he can make shots consistently. Teams are still split in evaluating his floor and ceiling. Teams picking him at No. 1 will want to see him play a bigger role than he did at Perth this season, but that will take time as he builds up his frame and finds consistency on both ends of the floor. Clingan helped himself as much as any player in the NCAA tournament, playing a crucial role in UConn's national championship run. He is the best defensive prospect in this draft with his impact as a rim protector and the improvement he's shown on the perimeter guarding pick-and-rolls. Clingan's offense is still developing -- he's not an advanced post scorer and misses more around the rim than one might hope -- while his career 56% free throw shooting puts a damper on some of the optimism expressed regarding his long-range shooting development. Still, he's young, incredibly productive, has tremendous measurables, plays with outstanding intensity and has two national championship rings, making him one of the safer prospects to pencil in as an NBA starter and likely role player. Showing some untapped upside with his shooting and explosiveness could help make a case at the top of the draft, especially as an alternative to Sarr, but he's not the typical profile of a No. 1 pick. Rob Dillingham is a big wild card in terms of his draft range. Some teams say he is firmly in their conversations for No. 1, while others have a difficult time looking past his measurables and porous defense and consider him more of a super sixth man type spark plug scoring option. The way Kentucky's season ended didn't help him, or Reed Sheppard, but he's a rare prospect in this class who could potentially anchor a team's offense with his dynamic shot creation and shot-making prowess, giving him rare star power in a class sorely lacking in that department. Teams will want to get to know him better during the pre-draft process -- including getting a hold of his updated measurements -- but anyone looking for a point guard will study him closely. Other candidates could emerge as the draft process moves along. Nikola Topic is expected to return to action for Red Star Belgrade in the Adriatic League playoffs, an opportunity to build some momentum while the season is over for most prospects. Sheppard, Stephon Castle, Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland will likely stake their claims to be top picks as well, especially for teams casting a wide net in pre-draft workouts. -- Jonathan Givony
Who are UConn's other NBA prospects?NBA teams always place a premium on winning, and it's no surprise that UConn's historic back-to-back championships are likely to earn the program and its players some extra equity from clubs in the pre-draft process. Here's where the other Huskies stand following a dominant run in March. Stephon Castle | 6-6 | Freshman The extended time in the March spotlight worked in Castle's favor, with positive showings in both Final Four games, helping to underscore his utility as a Swiss Army knife-type player for the Huskies. He locked in defensively in the tournament, putting his size to use on the perimeter, and stepped up enough as a shooter when opponents dared him to take open looks on the perimeter. Castle did well in the final stretch to assuage some of the concerns about his motor, considering the way he embraced his defensive responsibilities and displayed significant contributions as a freshman on a championship team. Castle has solidified himself as a lottery pick -- his physical tools, unselfishness and defensive aptitude will likely provide a clean pathway to NBA minutes -- but there remains significant divergence of opinion around the league regarding his scoring ability and how much optimism there should be around his offensive projection. It's difficult to play on the ball in today's NBA if you can't punish defenders for sagging off or going under on screens. Opponents will continue to play off of Castle until he proves he can do it. Similarly, to play off the ball, he'll need to get comfortable catching and shooting, forcing teams to respect him. He deserves credit for being effective despite all that, but the questions will persist -- and the strongest arguments on his behalf hinge on an assumption that he'll improve. His job in the pre-draft process will be convincing teams of his capacity to do so. It will play in Castle's favor that he'll enter the NBA coming out of a winning framework with a bankable defensive skill set, making him the type of player teams like to gamble on long term. All of this to underscore that there's still quite a way for him to go, but in a draft like this, it's a reasonable type of bet to place. Cam Spencer | 6-4 | Senior More often than not, Spencer has been UConn's bellwether, not only with his scoring but also with his contagious, thorny competitive nature. He was his usual self throughout the NCAA tournament, coming up with timely plays and helping stabilize his team. NBA teams have taken notice, wondering if he can compensate for his lack of NBA-caliber physical tools and skills by making shots, moving the ball and doing just enough to make an impact at the highest level. His shooting will have to be elite to get him on the court, but we've seen enough to trust that Spencer will do his part to get the most out of his ability. There's much worse than taking a chance on a quality shooter with upside on the back end of a roster. At this point, Spencer is widely viewed as a solid two-way contract candidate, but it's possible that the level of demand rises to the point where he might earn himself guaranteed money on draft night somewhere in the second round. Alex Karaban | 6-8 | Sophomore Karaban has been an underappreciated part of UConn's title teams, functioning as a connective tissue for the Huskies in a versatile forward role and providing on both ends without wasting touches or dribbles. He's often in the right place at the right time, consistently gets the most out of his size and limited tools and can be a potent -- if streaky -- shooter from long range. Traits that should at the very least give him a meaningful opportunity to find a role in the NBA long term. Karaban will have an opportunity to test the market and return if he doesn't like the feedback. He's a player who has quite a few fans around the league, but anything less than guaranteed money might make returning to school as the primary holdover an attractive option. Whether or not he opts to capitalize on UConn's success or return for more will be a consequential decision as the Huskies try to sustain their success. Tristen Newton | 6-5 | Senior After being named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player, it's likely Newton will receive plenty of opportunities on the workout circuit, having earned the respect of NBA teams over the past two seasons. Set to turn 23 years old before draft night, Newton doesn't offer a ton from a physical perspective, but he's been able to showcase his ability to score and execute, despite not being a point guard in the true sense. Newton came up big with 20 points in the title game, picking his spots and using his size to make himself a threat. It's likely he winds up as a strong two-way candidate as a lower projection but odds are a team will be willing to take a shot on his winning pedigree, grant an opportunity to make the team and see what elements of his offense translate. -- Woo Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams. Jeremy Woo is an NBA analyst specializing in prospect evaluation and the draft. He was previously a staff writer and draft insider at Sports Illustrated.
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