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Ryan Dunn, Nikola Djurisic Enter 2024 NBA Draft

April 16th, 2024 at 9:08am CST by Luke Adams

Virginia forward Ryan Dunn has opted to enter the 2024 NBA draft following his sophomore season and suggested in a statement to Jonathan Givony of ESPN that he’s prepared to forgo his remaining college eligibility to go pro.

“I had an amazing two years at UVA,” Dunn said. “I’m focused on the next step in my life now. I got really good feedback from the NBA and am ready for the next level. I am all in.”

As Givony details, Dunn was considered one of the best defensive players in all of college basketball this past season, but his shot didn’t develop as NBA evaluators had hoped. The 6’8″ forward averaged just 8.1 points per game while making 7-of-35 three-pointers (20.0%) and 41-of-77 free throws (53.2%). He told ESPN that he plans to focus on improving his shooting during his workouts this spring.

Despite some shortcomings on offense, Dunn is still the No. 31 prospect on ESPN’s board and is viewed as a possible first-round pick after averaging 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals in 27.5 minutes per game as a full-time starter as a sophomore.

[RELATED: 2024 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

Meanwhile, Serbian wing Nikola Djurisic has also declared for the 2024 NBA draft, per agent Misko Raznatovic (Twitter link).

The No. 78 prospect on ESPN’s board, Djurisic has been under contract with Mega Basket in Serbia since 2020. The 20-year-old, who was named the ABA League Top Prospect a year ago, has averaged 14.4 PPG, 3.4 APG, and 2.8 RPG in 26 games (30.7 MPG) this season, with a shooting line of .454/.330/.739.

The rules governing eligibility for NCAA players don’t apply to international prospects, so Djurisic will have the option of removing his name from the draft anytime up until the NBA’s June 16 withdrawal deadline. He also tested the draft waters a year ago before pulling out in June.

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Draft Notes: Buzelis, Risacher, Castle, Mocks, Early Entrants

March 27th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Matas Buzelis‘ draft stock has dipped a little over the course of the 2023/24 season, but the G League Ignite forward isn’t lacking for confidence as the pre-draft process nears. Speaking to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com, Buzelis expressed confidence that he’d match up well with Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 prospect on ESPN’s big board.

“Of course, I want to see him one-on-one,” Buzelis said. “He just doesn’t want to do that with me. His agent will not do that with me, and I know he won’t. It’s a business decision.”

Asked why he feels as if he has an edge over Risacher in a hypothetical 1-on-1 matchup, Buzelis replied, “My advantage is that I have everything over him.”

While Buzelis has spent the season in the G League, Risacher has been playing for JL Bourg in France, so the two prospects haven’t gone head-to-head. Considered a potential No. 1 overall pick when mock drafts for 2024 were first being published last summer, Buzelis is now at No. 6 on ESPN’s board, though he tells Urbonas that he’s attempting not to focus on where he’s projected to be selected.

“I try not to look at it,” Buzelis said. “It’s obviously there, and I see it. But I try to stay in the zone. I know what I’m capable of, and I don’t look at what number I am. I know if I’m getter better, then I’m winning.”

Here’s more on the 2024 draft:

  • Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer made updates to both his 2024 big board and mock draft on Wednesday. Interestingly, UConn’s Stephon Castle is now O’Connor’s highest-ranked NCAA prospect, at No. 2 on his big board, but comes in at No. 8 in his mock.
  • Despite Rob Dillingham‘s underwhelming performance in Kentucky’s NCAA tournament loss to Oakland, the freshman guard is still the first college player off the board in the latest mock draft from Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, at No. 2.
  • John Hollinger of The Athletic identifies a few NBA prospects whose draft stocks have risen or dropped as a result of their March Madness performances. Duke’s Jared McCain and Oregon’s N’Faly Dante are among those who are “up,” while Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard and Virginia’s Ryan Dunn are a couple names on the “down” list.
  • The following college players made announcements within the last week indicating that they plan to test the 2024 NBA draft waters:
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And-Ones: IST, 2024 Draft, Team USA, Trade Candidates

December 12th, 2023 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

The final of the NBA’s first in-season tournament on Saturday night was the league’s most-watched regular season game (besides Christmas Day games) on any network in nearly six years, according to a press release.

The broadcast of the Lakers‘ victory over the Pacers averaged 4.58 million viewers, peaking at 5.68 viewers. No regular season broadcast has achieved those heights since February of 2018. The audience for Saturday’s final also represented a 64% increase over the average viewership for last season’s prime-time Saturday games on ABC.

While it was already a lock that the in-season tournament wouldn’t be a one-off and that we’d see it again next season, those television ratings are more evidence that the event accomplished what the NBA wanted it to.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • In their latest 2024 NBA draft notebook, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link) take a closer look at several prospects, considering whether there will be roles in the NBA for traditional big man Zach Edey and defensive specialist Ryan Dunn, examining the rise of Colorado’s Cody Williams to No. 4 on their big board, and evaluating Bronny James‘ USC debut. James already looks like USC’s best defender but is a work in progress offensively, says Givony.
  • The U.S. men’s national team will face South Sudan on July 20 and Germany on July 22 at London’s O2 Arena ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, USA Basketball announced today in a press release. South Sudan’s team earned its first-ever Olympic berth earlier this year, while the Germans won the 2023 World Cup, knocking off Team USA in the semifinals.
  • In the latest HoopsHype podcast, Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan identified and discussed several possible trade candidates who will become eligible to be dealt as of December 15, including multiple Lakers, Rockets, and Bulls players. Several of the names on their list – such as D’Angelo Russell, Jock Landale, and Caris LeVert – were ones we singled out in our most recent article for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers.
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And-Ones: Petrusev, 2024 Draft, Trade Candidates, More

November 26th, 2023 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

After being cut by the Kings on Friday, big man Filip Petrusev should officially clear waivers later today. Nebojsa Covic, the president of Crvena Zvezda, Petrusev’s former team in Serbia, indicated on Saturday that he would be open to bringing back the 23-year-old.

“I heard about it and that Olympiacos made a very decent offer,” Covic said, per Mozzart (hat tip to Eurohoops). “The door of Red Star is open for Petrusev now, but it’s his and his agent’s decision. We’ll let them decide. There won’t be any hard feelings, regardless of this decision.”

Any interest the Serbian club may have in Petrusev appears to be moot. As Covic alluded to, reporting on Friday suggested the NBA rookie is set to join Greek team Olympiacos once he clears waivers, and that deal remains on track to be completed.

Aris Barkas of Eurohoops reports that Petrusev is expected to sign a three-year contract with Olympiacos that includes a third-year team option. The agreement will also include NBA outs in the event that Petrusev is offered another opportunity stateside, according to Barkas.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his mock draft for 2024, making major changes to rounds one and two. Two of the biggest risers are Pittsburgh’s Carlton Carrington and Virginia’s Ryan Dunn, who weren’t on Wasserman’s previous board but are now projected as lottery picks at No. 10 and No. 14, respectively.
  • Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype takes a look at a few players who are currently injured or out of their team’s rotation, identifying them as possible in-season trade candidates. A pair of Pistons – Monte Morris and James Wiseman – and Thunder forward Aleksej Pokusevski are among the players singled out by Gozlan.
  • Which players are the NBA’s biggest overachievers and underachievers through the first month of the regular season? Mark Medina names three for each category in a story for Bovada Sportsbook, with 10-time All-Star James Harden and five-time All-Star Klay Thompson showing up in his list of underachievers.
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