With the NBA Draft just over one week away and the predraft process all but officially wrapped, the CBS Sports and 247Sports college basketball experts used their expertise for the final Big Board of the 2024 cycle as a guide to next week's spectacle in Brooklyn. This marks the third year CBS Sports and 247Sports have done a consensus rankings where we take each of our analyst's own Big Boards and combine them to form our aggregate rankings. The goal in so doing is to give a complete picture of how our team views the class and to minimize outliers.
This exercise is also instructive in sussing out which analyst is higher -- or lower -- on certain prospects. So while the collective rankings flattened out any spicy rankings, there were a few worth mentioning in the space below. I gave each writer the platform to discuss their rationale for their view in detail.
Here are the top 10 NBA Draft prospects and you can see the full top 75 NBA Draft prospect rankings here followed by each expert's analysis of a prospect they had a different opinion on than the rest of the group.
Final consensus Top 10 NBA Draft prospect rankings
| RK | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YR | POS | HT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Sarr | France | - | C | 7-0 |
| 2 | Zaccharie Risacher | France | - | SF | 6-9 |
| 3 | Reed Sheppard | Kentucky | Fr | PG | 6-2 |
| 4 | Donovan Clingan | UConn | Soph | C | 7-2 |
| 5 | Stephon Castle | UConn | Fr | SG | 6-6 |
| 6 | Dalton Knecht | Tennessee | Sr | SG | 6-5 |
| 7 | Rob Dillingham | Kentucky | Fr | PG | 6-1 |
| 8 | Nikola Topic | Serbia | - | PG | 6-6 |
| 9 | Matas Buzelis | G League Ignite | - | SF | 6-9 |
| 10 | Ron Holland | G League Ignite | - | SF | 6-7 |
Why Kevin McCullar is underrated
One of the mistakes NBA Draft evaluators often make is discounting older-than-normal prospects as if they're already finished products and/or on the verge of retirement instead of looking at them as plug-and-play options capable of helping good teams immediately. They did it with Jaime Jaquez last year. They're doing it again with McCullar this year. Yes, McCullar is already 23 years old and will turn 24 during his rookie season.
No, that's not ideal. But what should be intriguing for any franchise in win-now mode is the likelihood that McCullar will be equipped to contribute for a contender on Opening Night because of his physical maturity and defensive versatility. Will he be a star in the NBA like he was a star in the Big 12? Probably not. But the Kansas alum should be a useful player quickly while a whole bunch of younger players picked ahead of him spend the winter struggling to find playing time. -- Parrish
Kyshawn George worthy of lottery consideration
Miami's one-and-done star finished No. 29 on the CBS Sports Big Board but ranked No. 14 in my own grading system. George had a steady freshman season with the Hurricanes and flashed both shot-making (40.8% from 3-point range) and playmaking (2.2 APG) from the wing spot that has NBA teams intrigued with his long-term potential. The Swiss star has an intriguing background as a basketball player having grown up playing point guard before growing late and filling out into a wing.
He has immense feel for the game and a shooting profile that should allow him to integrate himself into the NBA as a catch-and-shoot weapon with room to grow into more as he continues to learn the game and discover new things about himself. I think we'll see him go in Round 1 on draft night but I'm almost certain he'll end up being selected at a discount based on where I rank him. -- Boone
The case for Nikola Topic falling outside the lottery
When I compiled my first big board of the draft cycle earlier this calendar year, I had Topic ranked No. 5. In my final big board, I have Topic ranked No. 17 — nine spots lower than his consensus ranking of No. 8. There are two main factors on why he dropped so far for me, and the obvious one is his health. There's a chance Topic could miss time because of his ACL injury, and that's concerning.
The other and more reasonable point is other point guards in this class are better. I have Rob Dillingham ranked No. 1 overall on my personal board. Other point guards I ranked ahead of Topic are Stephon Castle (5), Isaiah Collier (10), Jared McCain (11) and Devin Carter (12). Although Topic plays the position in control, his lack of explosiveness and length are more reasons why he's lower on my radar. -- Cameron Salerno
Isaiah Collier is a polarizing evaluation
There are three main concerns for Collier - the consistency of his jump shot, his high turnover rate, and his lack of defensive competitiveness at USC. That's a really risky overlap of liabilities. While I expect the defense to improve at the next level, because he has the physical capabilities, I was candidly expecting it to be better than it was this year at USC as well.
Similarly, the turnovers were also something I thought would improve at a more competitive level, when he wasn't able to be as casual with some of his decisions, and yet they did not. The shooting has been a consistent concern since high school. Collier shot 33.8% from the 3-point line and 67.3% from the free-throw line. Those numbers aren't good, but more than that, it's the inconsistencies in his mechanics, and more specifically his release that are most concerning. -- Finkelstein
Jaylon Tyson plays himself into the first round
In a draft without a whole lot of sure things, Tyson is a high-floor prospect that looks like a prototype straight off the "two-way wing" assembly line. While Tyson may be lacking the high-end athleticism required to project as an All-Star, he's got the all-around game to stick in the league for years to come. He's a three-level scorer who posted efficient college splits, and he's also a versatile and efficient defender. Tyson measured taller than players like McCullar, Dalton Knecht and Harrison Ingram at the combine, which only solidifies the idea that he should be a first-round selection. -- Cobb
Pacome Dadiet emerges as a top-20 talent
There are far more proven commodities in the 2024 NBA Draft, but Dadiet is tantalizing. The 6-8 wing is still just 18, but the shooting stroke is gorgeous. He projects more as an off-ball wing, but his ability to attack long closeouts and make jumpers off the bounce is ideal. He's one of the top off-the-dribble, shot-makers in this class. Plus, there's real playmaking in his tape, and he's an excellent cutter from the slot who cuts hard whether he gets it or not. All of that stuff translates. The Frenchman has a shot to be a real gem. --Trotter
Donovan Clingan comes with questions
I like what Clingan can bring to the floor with his size, IQ and how he can impact the game defensively as well as the idea of what he could theoretically become on offense. However, I still have questions with his limitations as a scorer but the biggest questions to me are with his durability and his mobility to play significant minutes in an up-tempo, spaced-out and athletic NBA as a guy who played 21.8 minutes a game in Big East play this season. Talking around the industry between NBA scouts and coaches that have competed against him, I've learned I am not the only one with those same concerns regarding a potential top 5-10 prospect. -- Branham
Why Cam Christie should be a first-rounder
When it comes to this year's draft, there is a lot of guesswork involved and looking at it, I feel like there's a very strong chance that I end up wishing I would have put Cam Christie even higher than No. 25 overall. Maybe this is partially me looking to right a wrong after we underrated Christie coming out of high school but I see a ton of long-term value with him. Christie has good size at 6-5. For a shooting guard he has real feel as a passer which makes him a danger to overzealous closeouts. However, what makes him a potential steal in this draft is that he has a very projectable role as a jump shooter.
Per Synergy, he ranked in the 84th percentile of all college players on points per jump shot and I think he's just scratching the surface of what he can do off the dribble. Admittedly his awful numbers finishing at the rim are a concern that will have to be addressed but Christie looks like a sniper from deep in training and we are talking about a kid that won't turn 19 until almost one month after draft night. Despite his youth he's mature beyond his years and seems to have a lot going in his favor. In a draft full of questions and guesses, I'm willing to bet on Christie.
