Welcome back to The Vault Report!
The NBA Draft took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York over the past two days, with 58 players from around the world having their dreams come true.
Selections included eight Big East Players, and one from the Atlantic 10. Here’s who heard their name called during the event:
Stephon Castle (Connecticut): 4th Overall to San Antonio
If there was a more impactful freshman in the nation than Castle this year, I’d like to meet them.
The 6’6” guard primarily played the three for Dan Hurley’s club, yet is the perfect balance of size, speed, defensive instincts, and athleticism where he can fluctuate being a guard and a forward at his next stop with San Antonio. As a truly positionless player, he should bode well with last year’s first overall pick and reigning ROTY Victor Wembanyama on the Spurs- he’ll just need to get his three-point shot down to unlock his true potential (26.7% from deep).
Donovan Clingan (Connecticut): 7th Overall to Portland
A physical specimen (7’2”, 280 pounds), Clingan had a very sound chance of being the first overall selection in this draft due to his two-way capabilities; he is a thunderous force on the low block offensively and is a true rim protector on the defensive end.
Nevertheless, as teams look for more versatile floor spacers in the modern NBA, Clingan slid a little bit- but don’t let that fool you, he’s still arguably the greatest talent in the class. His screening and pick-and-roll capabilities should help unlock the untapped potential of former lottery picks in Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, both of whom haven’t quite lived up to expectations since arriving in Portland. Plus, with a pair of national titles to his name during his two years with the Huskies, he brings a winning mindset to a Trail Blazers desperate to right the ship.
Devin Carter (Providence): 13th Overall to Sacramento
Perhaps nobody in the nation was as indispensable to an NCAA program than Carter was this past year for Providence. After co-star Bryce Hopkins went down with an ACL injury in early January, the Friars high-flying guard donned the superman cape, earning Big East POTY honors after averaging 19.7 PPG 8.7 RPG, and 3.6 APG on 47.3% from the field and 37.7% from deep- all while playing spectacular defense.
In Carter, the Kings are getting a truly electric specimen of an athlete- one who can score at all three levels while playing up on the ball defensively and fight in the trenches for rebounds. He's a truly remarkable player, one who has come a long way since he first set foot on Providence's campus for the first time two years ago as a transfer from South Carolina.
DaRon Holmes II (Dayton): 22nd Overall to Denver
Holmes could’ve easily entered the NBA Draft a year ago and heard his name called; the question was whether or not that’d be as a first-round pick- if he was selected at all. After a dominant 2023-24 campaign, the big man made sure there was no doubt as to whether or not he’d be walking across the stage.
Adding a strong outside shot (38.6% from three this past year) to his arsenal to pair with his pre-existing traits such as a strong post presence and dominant defense, Holmes earned a share of A10 POTY honors alongside Richmond’s Jordan King, while also taking home the league’s DPOY award. He earned All-Defense honors within the conference each year he was on campus and was a Second-Team Consensus All-American as a junior this past year. At 6’10’ and weighing 220 pounds, he is the quintessential power forward for the modern NBA team, and is the perfect frontcourt piece for Denver, who can pair Holmes in the frontcourt with Nikola Jokic, who just earned his third career MVP award at season’s end.
Baylor Scheierman (Creighton): 30th Overall to Boston
Could there have been a better match between team and player late in the first round? Scheierman is a 6’7” playmaking wing who can shoot from anywhere in the gym (38.1% 3PT in 2023-24; 39% for his career). Being an older prospect (24 in September), the former South Dakota State and Creighton product saw his draft stock dip- so naturally, the Celtics, less than two weeks removed from their NBA-best 18th title in franchise history- take a flyer on the draft equivalent of a savvy veteran.
Scheierman may not see the floor the upcoming season in Boston, but that is more a credit to the Celtics depth than anything else. If anything, he’s more than apt to compete for a role on a team which won 64 games last year, is returning it’s top eight players, and will be looking to defend their title in 2024-25, meaning he’s about as great of a value pick as it gets.
Tyler Kolek (Marquette): 34th Overall to New York
What a journey it's been thus far for the kid from Cumberland, Rhode Island. A valued role player at George Mason, Kolek blossomed into a bona fide star at Marquette, and is the epitome of a player who transformed himself into a prized NBA prospect, evident by his selection early in the second round.
The Big East POTY in 2022-23, the 6'3", 182-pound guard carried Marquette to their first-ever Big East regular and postseason titles as a junior. Nagging injuries somewhat took away from a spectacular senior season this past go-around, but he was remarkable when on the court, averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 7.7 APG on 49.6% shooting. He's a tough kid with an incredible basketball IQ, and the perfect fit for a Knicks team that is desperately trying to keep pace with Boston.
Oso Ighodaro (Marquette): 40th Overall to Portland
Portland’s second Big East big man! Ighodaro heads to the Blazers after earning Second Team All-Big East honors in 2023-24. The 6’9” forward is another low block, back-to-the-basket type (0/2 from distance in his college career), but has freakish athleticism and some playmaking capabilities (3.3 assists/game in 2022-23; 2.9 in 2023-24).
Despite immense talent, a frontcourt logjam in Portland may prevent Ighodaro from seeing the floor right away. The aforementioned Clingan is now in the fold, and the Trail Blazers currently have Jerami Grant, Toumani Camara, Deandre Ayton, and Duop Reath returning. Add in a draft night trade for Washington’s Deni Avdija from Wednesday night, and things get mucked up a bit further- but, at the very least, Ighodaro should get a fighter’s chance at cracking the rotation for a rebuilding Blazers club.
Tristen Newton (Connecticut): 49th Overall to Indiana
Newton, a First Team All-American as a fifth-year senior for the Huskies in 2023-24 (and someone who starred on each of UConn’s championship teams the past two years), is a prime example of a prototypical NBA guard nowadays.
The 6’5”, 200-pound floor general impacts winning in every way imaginable: he’s a lockdown defender, willing passer (career-best 6.2 assists per game last season), excellent rebounder (6.6 rebounds/game in 2023-24, another career best), and can score in a hurry (15.1 PPG in 2023-24; 12.8 PPG overall). The shot needs work (career 40.2% from the field), but, as he’s has no limitations, he’s worth the flyer for an Indiana team that has exceptional offensive playmakers, and seemingly finds the right role for whoever they bring in.
Cam Spencer (Connecticut): 53rd Overall to Memphis
Continuing with the topic of do-it-all guards who impact winning, you can’t praise Newton without giving equal respect to Cam Spencer, his partner-in-crime in UConn’s backcourt as the Huskies trashed opposing competition all year long.
Another older prospect, Spencer was successful in all three of his collegiate stops, first making a name for himself in three years at Loyola-Maryland before popping up on national radars with Rutgers and then earning a national championship with Connecticut this year. Averaging 14.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 3.6 APG on 48.4% shooting (44% from deep), it’s fair to say the Huskies would not have made it far without Spencer, who now joins a Memphis team which effectively has their backcourt situation figured out- but it’s tough to count out a guy that has repeatedly beaten the odds.
Let’s hear from you. Which NBA Draft pick was the best? Worst? Most/least surprising?'
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