NCAA-to-pro pipeline: Men’s basketball

June 26, 2024
Dreams will come true tonight at the 2024 NBA Draft and the majority of selectees will hail from the NCAA.
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NCAA-to-pro pipeline: Men’s basketballNCAA-to-pro pipeline: Men’s basketball
Souce: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The GIST: Dreams will come true tonight at the 2024 NBA Draft and, based on ESPN’s mock draft, 43 of the 58 selectees will hail from the NCAA. So let’s dive into the college-to-NBA pipeline, plus all the names to know before the ABC broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET.

The process: The NBA uses a traditional draft structure in which the league’s 30 teams make selections across two rounds. Normally, that equates to 60 picks, but the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns lost their second-round 2024 picks as punishment for tampering violations, so tonight’s lucky number is 58.

  • While there are ample professional opportunities overseas or in the G League (the NBA’s developmental league), the odds of a college star making the NBA are long: Only 1.1% of all eligible NCAA players — 3.6% of eligible Division I players — were chosen in last year’s draft.

This year’s top crop: International stars will likely capture the top draft spots, but Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard is projected to go as high as the No. 3 overall pick. Reigning two-time Player of the Year, Purdue’s 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey, should also hear his name in the first round.