2024 Rankings Primer


 

Breaking Down The Top

Tre Johnson has cemented himself atop the rankings in 2024 and has a strong case as the top upperclassmen prospect projecting ahead. A dynamic, versatile shooter with a surplus of physical upside. Fluid-moving scorer who can shoulder the load as an offensive hub or slot into a lower usage role and provide value with his ability to drive closeouts and slither to his spots. There’s room for growth as a playmaker and rim finisher, but there’s a ton of reason for intrigue given Johnson’s blend of skill and measurables. Dylan Harper has been the main challenger, and another big EYBL campaign could cause some shake-up. Ace Bailey has a case to make things interesting, but we’d like to see more reps against elite competition prior.

 

Depth on the Wing

The intersection of skill and size on the wing is a theme in this class, and looks likely to be a staple in 2025 and 2026 as well. 14 out of the top 20 and 22 out of the top 30 slot in on the wing or as big guards. As to why wing prospects are surging up the boards, the top/down impact of the NBA seems the main cause. The value on positional size and wings who can firstly, provide value on both ends of the floor, and secondly pass, dribble and shoot on the offensive end at plus size are few and far between. It’s a wing dominant league that prioritizes positional size, and I’d expect the intersection of size and skill to only continue to carry more weight from an evaluation and developmental lens looking ahead. Outside of the top 20, there are a variety of wing prospects who've shown the potential for big rises – Drew McKenna, Rakease Passmore, Zion Sensley, Derrion Reid, Sebastian Rancik and more.

 

Battle of the Bigs

The frame has shifted significantly in terms of this big man class in this class given the ascension and arrival of both Flory Bidunga and Yves Missi over the last two years. Jarin Stevenson and Derik Queen remain among the best of the bunch while Thomas Sorber, Pharoah Compton, Sammie Yeanay, Morez Johnson Jr, James Brown and Malick Diallo are moving in the right direction. Among the group, Tyler McKinley looks like an X-Factor. The Ohio native showed big flashes in the previous summer as a mid-post hub chock-full of creativity and skill but had an up and down season, before finishing very strong with Link. His summer ahead could go a long way towards ironing out this big man group. Makhan Diouf, Kuol Atak, Jacob Cofie and Doryan Onwucheckwa are a few names to monitor who a bit lower, but have demonstrated a ton of reason to be excited projecting ahead.

 

Shooting

A collection of big-time shooters are littered across the top 150 in 2024. Starting at the top, Tre Johnson has quite the resume as a shooter and continues to expand his shot profile. Juni Mobley (45% 3PT on 7 3PA per game in EYBL) and Kon Knueppel (46% 3PT on 8 3PA per game in EYBL) are vastly different shooters, but both have cases as the most potent shooting threats nationally regardless of class. Jalil Bethea, Austin Swartz, Kanon Catchings, Darren Harris, Brody Kozlowski, Kuol AtakTyler Betsey and Jaxon Johnson all project as high level shooting threats at the next level.

 

Where Things Stand

At this stage, the class of 2024 has more unknown than most others at the same stage. While primarily regarded as a weak class, and while it might be at the top in comparison to some others coming up, there appears to be plenty more to shake out. Large shakeup in the consensus appears on the way this coming spring and summer. There's real estate to be had in five-star territory and no shortage of potential suitors -- at this stage VJ Edgecombe, Kanon Catchings, Liam McNeeley, Isaiah Evans and  Ian Jackson occupy those spots.


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