Cam Christie, Jaylen Wells Staying In 2024 NBA Draft
Following his freshman season at Minnesota, Cam Christie has decided to go pro, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the 6’6″ guard will remain in the 2024 NBA draft pool rather than heading back to school.
The No. 34 player on ESPN’s big board of 2024 prospects, Christie showed real promise as a shot-maker with size in his first and only college season, averaging 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game with a .391 FG%. NBA teams are intrigued by the youngster’s long-term upside, according to Givony, who observes (via Twitter) that Christie is still 18 years old.
Washington State forward Jaylen Wells will also keep his name in the NBA draft, forgoing his senior year at college, he tells Jamey Vinnick of CougFan.com. Wells is currently the No. 60 player on ESPN’s board, making him a candidate to be selected in the second round of next month’s draft.
Wells, who spent his first two college seasons at Sonoma State before transferring to Washington State in 2023, averaged 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 29.2 minutes per game across 34 appearances last season, with a .436/.417/.814 shooting line. After deciding to test the draft waters this spring, he was initially invited to the G League Elite Camp before instead receiving an invite to the combine.
While Christie and Wells are staying in the draft, a number of his fellow NCAA early entrants are withdrawing in order to return to school. Here are several of those players, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports:
- Forward Achor Achor is transferring from Samford to Kansas State for his super-senior season (Twitter link).
- Guard Koby Brea is transferring from Dayton to Kentucky for his super-senior season (Twitter link).
- Guard Jalen Blackmon is transferring from Stetson to Miami for his senior season (Twitter link).
- Guard Dion Brown is transferring from UMBC to Boston College for his junior season (Twitter link).
- Forward Ben Humrichous is transferring from Evansville to Illinois for his super-senior season (Twitter link).
- Butler swingman Jahmyl Telfort is returning to school for his super-senior season (Twitter link).
We expect more updates on draft decisions to come in over the course of the day, since the deadline for players to withdraw and retain their college eligibility is Wednesday night at 11:59 pm Eastern time.
Draft Notes: Brazile, Bradshaw, Traore, More Early Entrants
Arkansas junior forward Trevon Brazile won’t be playing for new Razorbacks head coach John Calipari next season. Brazile tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN that he has decided to forgo his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2024 NBA draft.
“I’m 100 percent into the draft,” Brazile said. “Arkansas made a big hire with John Calipari. I’m happy for the program, but the main thing for me is keeping a one-track mind. I am going out for my dreams in the NBA.”
The No. 42 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board, Brazile had an up-and-down season in his return from ACL surgery, averaging 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 25.7 minutes per game while shooting .488/.353/.695.
According to Givony, Brazile is a candidate to improve his stock during the pre-draft process, since NBA evaluators are intrigued by his combination of length and mobility, as well as his ability to space the floor on offense and protect the rim on defense.
Here are several more draft-related notes and updates:
- Freshman center Aaron Bradshaw is one of several Kentucky players entering the 2024 draft. He announced on Instagram that he’ll test the waters while retaining his NCAA eligibility and also will enter the transfer portal. Bradshaw averaged just 13.7 minutes per game in his first college season, registering 4.9 PPG and 3.3 RPG. He’s the No. 73 prospect on ESPN’s top-100 list.
- French forward Armel Traore, the No. 80 prospect on ESPN’s board, has declared for the draft, he tells Givony (Twitter link). A 6’9″ forward with a 7’3″ wingspan, Traore has had a productive season for Blois Basket in France’s top league, Givony notes.
- Initially thought to be testing the draft waters, Miami forward Norchad Omier has hired an agent and intends to keep his name in the draft pool, as Michelle Kaufman of The Miami Herald details.
- The following players are also among the early entrants for the 2024 draft. They’re testing the waters unless otherwise indicated:
- Jabri Abdur-Rahim, G/F, Georgia (senior) (link via Joe Tipton of On3 Sports)
- Michael Ajayi, F, Pepperdine (junior) (Twitter link)
- Jalen Blackmon, G, Stetson (junior) (Twitter link via Jeff Borzello of ESPN)
- Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida (junior) (Twitter link)
- Jalen Cook, G, LSU (senior) (Twitter link)
- Note: Cook’s announcement doesn’t say anything about retaining his NCAA eligibility, so we’re assuming he intends to go pro.
- Robert McCray, G, Jacksonville (sophomore) (Instagram link; hat tip to RookieScale.com)
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his 2024 mock draft following the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard are the top NCAA players in Wasserman’s mock, coming off the board at No. 2 and 3, respectively.