College Basketball: Eight Sleeper NBA Draft Picks That Are Upperclassmen

The 2024 NBA Draft continues to be a fun one to track. The tiers of players for this year’s draft are robust. The excitement lies in the fact that when draft night comes, the order of the names we hear will have no consensus. This will be a beauty is in the eye of the beholder type of draft. And with every team in the NBA having different needs and outlooks on players, the range of variance for players will be wide.

This year, more than ever, NBA scouting departments will need to trust their eyes. What are your core values, who are you building around, and what needs do you have? And they will need to cast a wide net and narrow down accordingly.

What could make this draft interesting is with the lack of top-end talent, NBA teams could take different approaches with their picks. This draft is heavy with connecting players at all positions. And with that, teams could lean into more of a sure thing. In years past, we have seen the trend toward younger and upside. However, with that attainable upside in question throughout this draft, teams could look toward older players with discernable talent; plug and play skill sets around the current team makeup.

Older players are finding their way in this year’s draft. The assurance of players like Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, Purdue’s Zach Edey, and Kansas’ Kevin McCullar are moving their way into the conversation around the first half of the first round of this draft. Fourth and fifth-year guys are providing a safe appeal.

We are about at the halfway point of the college basketball season. The 2024 NBA Draft is not until June 27, five months away. On Monday, I discussed the top ten NBA Draft prospects in college basketball. On Tuesday, I talked about eight college basketball underclassmen who have used this season to play their way into the NBA Draft conversation. Today, I am discussing eight upperclass players who have entered the conversation of the NBA Draft first round.

For the purposes of this writing, underclassmen are second and third-year college players and upperclassmen are players in their fourth and fifth-years.

READ | Top 10 NBA Draft Prospects in College Basketball | Eight Sleeper NBA Draft Picks That are College Basketball Underclassmen

F Tristan da Silva, Colorado 

The Buzz: The 2024 NBA Draft might go down as the draft of connecting pieces. Tristan da Silva is a good across-the-board, great at not one particular thing type of prospect. Listed at 6-foot-9 he has proven to be a good shooter at his size. Da Silva is more of a fluid athlete than an explosive one. He shot 37.9 percent from three over his last three seasons at Colorado. Da Silva moves the ball well and can push the break, under control, off the boards. He will need to add weight, which will help him project as a solid team defender at either forward spot. His rebounding rates have improved each season in college. 

F PJ Hall, Clemson

The Buzz: The superpower here for PJ Hall is the shooting. Listed at…