Men’s college basketball coaches react to the 2024 NBA draft

The narrative leading up to the 2024 NBA draft was that the talent pool was smaller than in previous years. Adding to that, the first round was projected to be older – and bigger, height-wise – than the previous season

Did Wednesday and Thursday play that way?

ESPN spoke with a dozen college coaches about some of the key stories that emerged during the two-day event.

According to various sources, the increased age and size of the first-round draft pool are correlated, and they are directly related to several developments at the college level: name, image and similar (NIL); Additional years granted to student-athletes due to the Covid-impacted 2020-21 season; and increased proliferation of transfer portals.

Zach Edey, 22, spent four years at Purdue; Devin Carter, 22, of Providence; Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht is 23; And back-end first-rounders Dillon Jones (22), Baylor Shearman (23) and Terrence Shannon Jr. (23) are all older than the average early draft pick.

“All of college basketball is a little older now,” one college coach said. “I think that while college basketball is going to start getting young again very soon, the NBA — especially in the back half of the first round — seems more willing to draft established guys who can make a bigger impact than bet on good long-term projects.”

Another coach said, “It’s like college basketball now. “The age range is anywhere from 18-24. … The NBA draft is at the mercy of what’s happening in the college landscape.”

As ESPN’s Jeremy Wu wrote before the draft, eight centers were projected as potential first-round picks in this year’s NBA draft, compared to just one in 2023 and three in 2022.

“It speaks to the copycat nature of the league,” said one college coach. “Edey was talked about as a first-rounder somewhere after being in the 40s for 18 months, and then he went into workouts and dominated. It only takes one or two decision makers or influencers to change opinion. It’s a cycle of degrees, and There’s a conversation right now about guys who can win the (NBA) playoffs.”

One NBA scout added, “Bigs have historically been sent back in college basketball and now they’re paying more than they would in two-way (contracts). Do they roll the dice and end up two-way? Or take money from college?”

Most college coaches also agree that the talent level at the top was low, but the draft had impressive depth through the rest of the first round and early into the second round.