2024 Draft Prospect Rankings: Wing Forwards
The 2024 NBA draft is rapidly approaching, which means it’s time to begin unveiling my draft ranks. Over the course of the next month, I’ll be releasing rankings by position, culminating in a final overall big board in mid to late June. Below you’ll find the third installment in the series: Wing Forwards. I define this position group as players who are going to spend the majority of their time on the court as either small forwards or power forwards, although a few of these guys might have the flexibility to spend some time at shooting guard as well. Ideally, a wing forward is able to adequately guard the 2-4, but they must at least be able to hold their own against both forward spots.
*Link to On-Ball Guard Prospect Rankings* *Link to On-Ball Guard Prospect Write-Ups*
*Link to Wing Guard Prospect Rankings/Write-Ups*
A couple notes to bear in mind:
These rankings are strictly film and athletic testing based, as I don’t have insight into medical information or character
I’ve sorted the players into tiers, and as with my team power rankings, players within the same tier are somewhat interchangeable
“Game Reminds Me Of” is NOT a direct comparison: It simply means I see similarities to a current player in style of play and/or movement profile on the court
Any testing or height/wingspan info I cite is from the NBA combine data
Finally, for each player I have listed my projection for their eventual NBA role, as well as my perception of their potential ceiling. Here are those role definitions, as well as a few examples of where I would slot current players based on their 2023-24 production.
2023-24 Examples of the Projected Roles:
All-NBA: Capable of being the best player on a high-level playoff team or championship contender
i.e. Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard
All-Star: A clear star player, probably best suited as a second option on a championship team
i.e. Jimmy Butler, Jalen Williams
Fringe All-Star: Capable of being a lead shot creator at times, but likely has a distinct weakness or two and lacks consistent all-star production
i.e. DeMar DeRozan, Scottie Barnes
Priority Starter: A clear value additive starter, but best suited as a complementary player on a high-level playoff team
i.e. O.G. Anunoby, Michael Porter Jr.
Quality Starter: Capable of starting and closing games, agnostic of opponent
i.e Kelly Oubre, Harrison Barnes
High End Reserve: Impact bench piece, capable of starting in a pinch, or closing if the matchup dictates
i.e. Nicolas Batum, Caleb Martin
Quality Reserve: Deserving of bench minutes on a night-to-night basis, including playoff games
i.e. Taurean Prince, Royce O’Neale
Rotational Reserve: Clear NBA players, useful depth for the regular season but not a guarantee to hold a rotation spot come playoff time
i.e. Torrey Craig, Jalen McDaniels
G-League/2-Way: Fringe NBA players, candidates to fill out the final few spots on a roster
i.e. Ziaire Williams, Isaiah Livers
*FULL PROSPECT WRITE-UPS ARE LINKED TO THE PLAYER/TEAM NAME*
TIER 1:
Height/Wingspan: 6’9” / 6’10”* (Unofficial measurement)
Rookie Season Age: 19
Player Type: Catch & Shoot Weapon / Transition Athlete / Toolsy Defensive Project
Game Reminds Me Of: Jerami Grant / Keegan Murray
Projected NBA Role: Priority Starter
NBA Upside: All-Star
Height/Wingspan: 6’7” / 7’1”
Rookie Season Age: 20
Player Type: Slashing Rim Attacker / Multi-Positional Defender
Game Reminds Me Of: Ousmane Dieng / Jaden McDaniels / Jalen Williams
Projected NBA Role: Priority Starter
NBA Upside: Fringe All-Star
TIER 2:
Height/Wingspan: 6’6” / 6’9”
Rookie Season Age: 23
Player Type: Movement Shooter / Shot Creator
Game Reminds Me Of: Bogdan Bogdanovic / Mike Miller / Michael Porter Jr.
Projected NBA Role: Quality Starter
NBA Upside: Fringe All-Star
4. Ron Holland / G-League Ignite (USA)
Height/Wingspan: 6’7” / 6’10”
Rookie Season Age: 19
Player Type: Slashing Rim Attacker / On-Ball Initiator
Game Reminds Me Of: R.J. Barrett / Caris LeVert
Projected NBA Role: Quality Starter
NBA Upside: Fringe All-Star
TIER 3:
5. Matas Buzelis / G-League Ignite (USA)
Height/Wingspan: 6’10” / 6’10”
Rookie Season Age: 20
Player Type: Versatile Defender / Supplementary Rim Protector / Athletic Finisher
Game Reminds Me Of: Deni Avdija / Andrei Kirilenko
Projected NBA Role: High-End Reserve
NBA Upside: Priority Starter
Height/Wingspan: 6’7” / 6’10”
Rookie Season Age: 21
Player Type: Low-Usage 3&D Glue Guy
Game Reminds Me Of: Kelly Oubre / Robert Covington
Projected NBA Role: Quality Starter
NBA Upside: Priority Starter
Height/Wingspan: 6’8” / 6’8”
Rookie Season Age: 20
Player Type: Catch & Shoot Weapon / Versatile Defender
Game Reminds Me Of: Simone Fontecchio / Nicolas Batum / Dean Wade
Projected NBA Role: Quality Reserve
NBA Upside: Quality Starter
8. Tristan da Silva / Colorado
Height/Wingspan: 6’9” / 6’10”
Rookie Season Age: 23
Player Type: Movement Scorer / Catch & Shoot Weapon
Game Reminds Me Of: Kyle Kuzma / Santi Aldama / Danilo Gallinari
Projected NBA Role: High-End Reserve
NBA Upside: Quality Starter
TIER 4:
9. Pacome Dadiet / Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)
Height/Wingspan: 6’8” / 6’9” * (Unofficial measurement)
Rookie Season Age: 19
Player Type: Catch & Shoot Threat / Toolsy Upside Defender
Game Reminds Me Of: James Jones / Otto Porter Jr.
Projected NBA Role: Quality Reserve
NBA Upside: Priority Starter
Height/Wingspan: 6’8” / 6’10”
Rookie Season Age: 21
Player Type: Catch & Shoot Weapon / Secondary Shot Creator
Game Reminds Me Of: Jordan Nwora / Kyle Anderson
Projected NBA Role: Quality Reserve
NBA Upside: Quality Starter
Height/Wingspan: 6’6” / 6’9”
Rookie Season Age: 23
Player Type: Versatile Perimeter Defender / Secondary Shot Creator
Game Reminds Me Of: Jaime Jaquez / Justin Jackson
Projected NBA Role: Quality Reserve
NBA Upside: Quality Starter
Height/Wingspan: 6’5” / 6’11”
Rookie Season Age: 23
Player Type: On-Ball Playmaker / Versatile Perimeter Defender
Game Reminds Me Of: Dillon Brooks / Jae’Sean Tate / Josh Hart
Projected NBA Role: Quality Reserve
NBA Upside: Quality Starter
TIER 5:
13. Nikola Đjurišić / KK Mega Basket (Serbia)
Height/Wingspan: 6’8” / 6’8”
Rookie Season Age: 20
Player Type: Slashing Playmaker
Game Reminds Me Of: Keldon Johnson / Leandro Bolmaro
Projected NBA Role: Rotational Reserve
NBA Upside: Quality Reserve
14. Baylor Scheierman / Creighton
Height/Wingspan: 6’7” / 6’8”
Rookie Season Age: 24
Player Type: Movement Shooter / High-IQ Distributor
Game Reminds Me Of: Joe Ingles / Georges Niang / Sam Hauser
Projected NBA Role: Rotational Reserve
NBA Upside: High-End Reserve
15. Trentyn Flowers / Adelaide 36ers (Australia/New Zealand)
Height/Wingspan: 6’7” / 6’8”
Rookie Season Age: 19
Player Type: Transition Athlete / 3&D Project
Game Reminds Me Of: K.J. Martin / Derrick Jones Jr.
Projected NBA Role: G-League/2-Way
NBA Upside: Quality Reserve
Honorable Mentions: Melvin Ajinca (Saint-Quentin (France)), Jaylen Wells (Washington St.), Jalen Bridges (Baylor), Alex Toohey (Sydney Kings (Australia/New Zealand))