Top 5 college basketball centers in the 2024 NBA draft ft. Donovan Clingan
The 2024 NBA draft is scheduled for June 26 and 27, while the draft lottery is just a few days away (May 12) and the draft combine between May 12 and 19. With the draft season set to begin, let's take a look at the top five centers in the 2024 NBA draft.
Top 5 college basketball centers in the 2024 NBA draft
#1, Donovan Clingan
Donovan Clingan has sky-rocketed up draft boards and could hear his name called in the top five of the NBA draft. The UConn Huskies center had a breakout season after entering the starting lineup as a sophomore, averaging 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 2.5 blocks in 22.6 minutes per game (while shooting 63.9% from the field).
#2, Kyle Filipowski
Kyle Filipowski could have been a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA draft but instead, he returned to the Duke Blue Devils for a sophomore season. He averaged 16.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.1 spg and 1.5 bpg in 30.4 minutes while shooting 50.5% from the field, 34.8% from the three-point range and 67.1% from the free-throw line. Filipowski is expected to be a lottery pick this year.
#3, Yves Missi
Yves Missi spent just one season as a member of the Baylor Bears, but in that campaign, he averaged 10.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.6 spg and 1.5 bpg in 23.0 minutes while shooting 61.4% from the field.
#4, Kel'el Ware
Kel'el Ware had a breakout sophomore season with the Indiana Hoosiers after spending his freshman campaign with the Oregon Ducks. He averaged 15.9 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.6 spg and 1.9 bpg in 32.2 minutes while shooting 58.6% from the field, 42.5% from the three-point range and 63.4% from the free-throw line.
#5, Zach Edey
Zach Edey may be the toughest prospect to gauge and has been the topic of much discussion this season. Despite being the back-to-back national college Player of the Year, the Purdue Boilermakers center is considered a fringe 2024 NBA draft prospect.
Edey just had the best season of his four-year career, averaging 25.2 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.3 spg and 2.2 bpg in 32.0 minutes while shooting 62.3% from the field and 71.1% from the free-throw line.
At 7-foot-4 and 300 pounds, there are concerns about Edey's athleticism and how his game would transcend into the NBA. Analysts have been pointing to this for months, and this is expected to hurt his draft stock. That said, the league is ever-evolving and you just never know.