McDonald's All-American Game: Top 2024 NBA Draft Prospects Shine
In what was the most exciting McDonald’s All-American Game in recent history, Team East defeated Team West by a final score of 109-106.
The top players in the Class of 2024 took the stage in Houston ahead of making the jump to the next chapter in their respective basketball careers. While every player on these two rosters is an incredible prospect with NBA upside, there are a few players to pay the closest attention to.
Future USC guard Isaiah Collier lead all scorers with 25 points, but missed two free throws to potentially win the game. Regardless it was a fantastic showing from him. At 6-foot-4, he’s set to be one of the most explosive freshman in the country next season.
Collier won co-MVP of the event alongside Kentucky commit DJ Wagner, who had a huge close to the game and led his team to the victory. The highly ranked guard scored all 19 of his points in the second half and was by far the best player on the court in those final two quarters.
Wagner will be teaming up with wing Justin Edwards as a Wildcat next season, who also looked great in Tuesday night’s event. He finished with 11 points and showcased legitimate two-way talent. He has the perfect size and skillset to be a fantastic perimeter player at the NBA level.
One of the biggest stars to take the floor on Tuesday as Bronny James, who for obvious reasons is surrounded by an enormous amount of hype. While he’s always been a great athlete that can impact the game on both ends, he’s really emerged as an elite shooter more recently. This proved to be true in this contest, as he knocked down five of his eight 3-point attempts, scoring all 15 of his points from beyond the arc. James is the biggest recruit to still not have made a final decision on where he will be playing next season.
Another prospect that was raised by a father that had great success at the NBA level is Stanford commit Andrej Stojakovic. While he is known for also being a great perimeter shooter, he’s developed into much more than that. At 6-foot-6, he should be able to play a primary role next season as a freshman.
While there’s no clear top prospect for the 2024 NBA Draft, someone who could certainly take on that role over the course of the next year is Ron Holland. He’s set to play at Texas next season and has the tools to be a forward prospect with as much upside as anyone in this class. While he didn’t have the most productive game on Tuesday, he was a notable standout in practice this week leading up to it.
Another intriguing player that could be a candidate for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft is Matas Buzelis. He’ll be taking his talents to the G League to play for the Ignite next season where he’ll likely be the next high lottery pick to come out of that system. His fluidity and skillset at 6-foot-9 was on display all week.
In terms of sleepers, look no further than Colorado commit Cody Williams, who threw down some vicious dunks on Tuesday night. He is continuing to climb up the rankings, but still doesn’t get the credit he deserves as arguably one of the top three players in this class.
The most dominant center in this class could be Aaron Bradshaw, who is yet another player that will headline a loaded freshman class at Kentucky. He nearly produced a double-double with 18 points and eight boards as he took over the paint when he was on the floor on Tuesday.
As these players head to college and other unique routes next season, they’ll make their cases for being a one-and-done lottery pick. Furthermore, there’s quite a bit of talent overseas that will look to do the same. The 2024 NBA Draft isn’t expected to be as loaded as this summer’s class, but it should be very deep.
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