Night one of the inaugural two-day NBA Draft is now behind us, featuring 30 picks and two players left standing behind in the greenroom -- Johnny Furphy (Kansas) and Kyle Filipowski (Duke).
On Thursday afternoon beginning at 4 p.m. ET, 28 more players will hear their names called and there is still some good talent left on the board. While both Furphy and Filipowski will be high-value picks and hear their name called early in Round 2, there are several other players that are not to be slept on.
This list would be easy to expand to eight or nine but here are the top five sleepers entering the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
Tyler Kolek, PG, Marquette
Kolek may be old for a draft prospect at 23-years-old and isn't an explosive athlete but his skillset, feel and IQ for the game are second to none. Kolek has an uncanny ability of knowing how to get to his spots, creating out of ball-screens and has unlimited confidence to tack on with it. In his final season at Marquette, Kolek was a 50% shooter from the field and a 39% shooter from three-point range.
Jonathan Mogbo, PF, San Francisco
Mogbo has climbed his way all the way up from the JUCO ranks due to his length, athleticism, motor, intangibles and his defensive impact. Offensively, Mogbo is limited outside of dunks and finishes at the rim but he is a smart and talented passer, an area he can build an identity around on this end of the court. Mogbo is a 63.6% shooter.
Harrison Ingram, PF/SF, North Carolina
Harrison Ingram is a versatile forward who can play both the four and the three. He excelled as a mismatch four man at North Carolina after transferring in from Stanford, despite being just 6-foot-5. Ingram's strength, seven-foot wingspan and his motor all allowed him to play bigger than he actually is. Ingram shot 38.5% from three in 2023-24.
Pelle Larsson, SF, Arizona
The 6-foot-5 small forward is highly skilled and versatile on the offensive end with his ability to dribble, pass and shoot (42.6% from three). He has a high IQ, makes the right decisions with the basketball, is a reliable shooter on the perimeter and can create off the dribble. Defensively, Larsson saw a dip this past season with the Wildcats but he's not a poor defender by any means and proved that in seasons prior.
Antonio Reeves, SG, Kentucky
For any team looking for a reliable shooter off the bench in tonight's draft, Antonio Reeves is the guy. The 6-foot-5 guard is an absolute sniper from three-point range (44.7% last season) and has evolved himself into an efficient multi-level scorer who utilizes his threat as a shooter to generate and attack hard closeouts. He doesn't just have a lethal jumper from three but he also has a feathery floater (he's a 51.2% overall shooter), making him to be an injection of offense into any NBA organization.
Other sleepers we like in the second round include Justin Edwards (Kentucky), Keshad Johnson (Arizona), Cameron Christie (Minnesota), Tyler Smith (Ignite) and Kevin McCullar (Kansas).
