2024 NBA Draft Prospect Team Previews: G League Ignite
There is not another team in the world that has many 2024 NBA Draft prospects playing for them this year than the G League Ignite.
In reality, with seven players in the conversation, there are not many “leagues” - league equating to a college conference (ex: Big 12 or SEC) or professional organization (ex: NBL) - that have as many prospects as this team does this season.
Head coach Jason Hart has plenty of young talent but will have his hands full trying to navigate the playing time and usage for each of these players.
With a schedule that includes more games than any previous season, it will be interesting if they end up taking the approach to stagger games played by some of the overlapping skill sets.
The headliner for the Ignite’s 2024 draft class is the 6-foot-8 wing, Ron Holland. Coming from Duncanville, TX, he was a consensus top five recruit who initially committed to the University of Texas.
Still just 18-years-old - and not turning 19 until he is playing at NBA Summer League - Holland has built a reputation for being one of the hardest playing prospects in the class and one that gives great effort on the defensive end of the floor.
The “elite” tag around that defense still has some question marks and needs to prove itself at this next level but there is no denying the potential impact.
On the offensive end of the court, Holland is an extremely smooth athlete whose jump shot is still rounding into form but has shown some promise. He shot just 27% from beyond the 3-point line in the Intercontinental Cup but was perfect from the charity stripe.
Keep an eye on this throughout the Ignite season along with how much he is truly able to create with the ball in his hand as this growth in his offensive skill set will ultimately determine his draft ceiling.
Not far behind Holland in terms of name recognition is Matas Buzelis. He is a 6-foot-10 wing/forward from Lithuania who played for Sunrise Christian Academy after being at Brewster Academy. The skill level pops off the screen with Buzelis as he will most likely have an argument as the best shooter in the class come draft night.
We have not seen as much from him with Ignite - he sat out the three games overseas - but the good and bad was on display in the two games vs the Perth Wildcats. At times he showed that skill level but others he seemed to blend in on the court and struggled with the physicality of the game.
Showing off the 3-point shooting is not something to keep an eye on moving forward, we know he can shoot the rock. What will be important to watch for is the usage he gets, how aggressive he is with those touches, how much he can do with the ball in his hands and what he looks like on the defensive end of the court.
Yet another big time name for the Ignite is Izan Almansa who is perhaps the most decorated of the group with his FIBA accomplishments. The Spanish prospect, who spent the past two seasons with the Overtime Elite program, is just 18-years-old and will not turn 19 until June.
The 6-foot-10 center averaged just over six points per game in the three overseas games a couple weeks ago but chipped in an impressive 7.7 rebounds and nearly five assists. Finding exactly what the role for the big man will be at the NBA level will be an important determination to properly rate his draft stock over the next nine months.
Babacar Sane leads off the list of players whose names were not popping off early season NBA Draft Big Boards. He made his presence felt in those scrimmages vs Perth with a physical profile that is hard to ignore and then built on that by shooting the ball extremely well.
Scouts will be impressed with his frame and athleticism all season but to truly rise up draft boards Sane will have to prove he can bring a specific value on the offensive end, that of which is yet to truly be determined.
A player that is trying to get his name back as a headliner after being a highly rated recruit before also entering the Overtime Elite program is Tyler Smith. He is a long and athletic 6-foot-10 lefty with a pure shooting stroke, one that looks like the ball is going through the net every time he puts it up.
To truly be in the first-round pick conversation he must actualize that beautiful shooting form into higher percentages as well as continue to show he can add value in other areas of the game including offensive rebounding and defensive playmaking.
The next prospect on the list is the one that will be in charge of feeding the mouths of each of the aforementioned prospects. London Johnson is a 6-foot-4 guard out of Georgia who has done some nice things through these early season games but must find an elite skill to hang his hat on throughout the year.
Is he going to be an elite creator with all of this talent around him? He averaged just over three assists per game in the Intercontinental Cup.
Will the jump shot prove to be a legit weapon? He shot 33% from the 3-point line on just 2.3 attempts in those games but also an impressive 79% from the free throw line.
The final prospect to mention is one that has yet to play a single minute with the Ignite thus far.
Theirry Darlan is a 19-year-old from the Central African Republic that seems to still be recovering from a knee injury. In the film from the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, he was a player that played with the ball in his hands a lot and it sounds like that is the archetype he sees for himself.
This Ignite squad could use some on ball creation - regardless of how well Johnson plays - so it would not be surprising to see Darlan get those reps to see how he can perform in that role.
As you can see, this Ignite program is flush with young promising talent and they will be a must watch night in and night out to see which prospects rise to the top and how many total 2024 draft picks they can produce.
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