2024 NBA Draft Prospect Previews: Small School Gems

Breaking down the NBA Draft potential of five prospects outside of the major conferences.

In today’s landscape of NBA scouting departments and social media, the unearthing of these small school gems has become much more prevalent.

The five players in this article are not nearly all of the small school prospects that NBA Draft fans should familiarize themselves with but they are five that have interesting season’s - and questions - ahead of them.

Dillon Jones

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The Weber State product leads us off because he is simply the most talented of the bunch and the prospect that seems to be the surest thing as a 2024 NBA Draft pick.

Jones had an incredible junior season but still flew somewhat under the radar throughout the season.

That quickly changed during the pre-draft process where he first made a name for himself at Nike Hoops Summit - playing for the Portland Generals in the closed scrimmages - and then at the NBA G League combine and eventually the NBA Draft combine.

At 6-foot-6 and bringing all sorts of versatility to the floor, the biggest question Jones must answer this season is improvement with his floor spacing.

He shot just over 30% from beyond the 3-point line last season - many of those off the dribble as he was tasked with being the primary creator for most of the year - but all accounts are that the shot is looking good in the preseason and he was made a great transformation to his body, looking the best he ever has.

Questions on whether Jones is an NBA player or if he will be drafted should be gone at this point. The only real answer we are looking for is how high he will be able to play himself into being drafted - potentially, a first round pick - in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Ajay Mitchell

Michael Ciaglo-USA TODAY Sports

Through two seasons at UC Santa Barbara Ajay Mitchell has flat out been productive.

He followed up an impressive freshman campaign with a sophomore year that saw him average 16.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals on 51% from the field and 81% from the free throw line on 5.5 attempts per game.

As a primary creator Mitchell also offers great size at 6-foot-5 and hooping is in his DNA as his father played for Norfolk State before eventually playing professionally overseas.

He was the 2022 Big West Freshman of the Year and last year won the honor of Player of the Year in the conference.

This all sounds like NBA potential - and it is - but his NBA Draft stock really comes down to two things.

Is the lefty point guard good enough on the ball to do that at the next level? Per Synergy, 43% of his playtypes last season were with the ball in his hands.

If he is not, does he have the floor spacing ability to play off the ball? The free throw percentages are really good for his career and are often used as a better indicator for NBA 3-point shooting but the 3-point percentage is below 30% for his career on low volume.

With no big time non-conference matchups to really put his name on the national stage consistent dominance will be the key for Mitchell throughout the entirety of the season.

Tyson Degenhart

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

You have to go back to Chris Childs - with respect to Chandler Hutchinson who was a first round pick but only played 103 career games - to find a Boise State player that had a long and successful NBA career.

Tyson Degenhart may not be the best bet, but he is at least a name to know.

The 6-foot-8 forward will not wow you with athleticism but instead gets the job done with great basketball feel and skill level.

Unfortunately, after a freshman season that saw him shoot 43% from the 3-point line he had a major regression to just 33% - on similar volume - as a sophomore.

It is vital that Degenhart is able to bring that number back up to 40% this season to have any chance of being a factor in the 2024 NBA Draft.

The great thing for him is he will have a stretch early in the season to prove his ability against high major competition with games against Clemson and then Virginia Tech and others at the ESPN Events Invitational.

Wesley Cardet Jr.

Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

While Matt and Ryan Bewley may be the most recognizable names on the Chicago State roster, Wesley Cardet Jr. is one to know as well.

After a productive freshman season at Samford all Cardet Jr. did was improve in every statistical way in his first season with Chicago State.

The 6-foot-6 junior is now looking to take yet another leap that will truly vault him into 2024 NBA Draft conversations.

His best archetype and role looks to be on the wing where he can slash but also offer great value as a secondary - or second side - creator.

While the ball handling and play making chops are good for this role, they probably are not quite good enough to be the primary creator at the next level.

This will work out just fine for Cardet Jr. if the catch-and-shoot jump shot continues to grow and catches up to the fluidity and smoothness of his off-the-dribble.

Due to the style of defense employed by Chicago State it is a little tougher to say exactly what he is on this end of the floor but there are some positives.

He has been asked to play all over the floor and take on a variety of matchups which could offer versatility at the next level.

While the actual movements can sometimes be confusing there is no questioning his activity and engagement.

There are no major conference matchups on the schedule but because of the additions of the aforementioned Bewley twins - former five-star recruits and previously of the Overtime Elite program - there is already buzz around this team that should bring eyes to Cardet Jr. as well.

Johnny O’Neil

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps it is unfair to place a player with Santa Clara in this category considering their recent draft success and the success of the WCC, overall.

Still, these smaller west coast schools don’t always get the same national attention due to the time of their games and Johnny O’Neil is transferring from American University in the little discussed Patriot League conference.

O’Neil’s box score stats may not pop off the screen but keep in mind that American played at the 358th fastest pace in the country last season. Looking at it from the other side that would make them the 6th slowest.

The 6-foot-10 forward was still able to average double digits in his junior season and did so while shooting just under 40% from the 3-point line on five attempts per game.

He was also able to be impactful on the boards bringing down over six of these per game.

Will a change of scenery and style of play - Santa Clara was the 39th fastest pace team in the country last season - help skyrocket the Florida natives box score stats and NBA Draft stock?

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