NBA Draft: Six under-the-radar players who returned to school to see their stock rise

The 2024 NBA Draft will be a unique one. It will be one where NBA Scouting Departments will be forced to cast a wide net and trust their eyes. In most draft cycles, you see clearly defined tiers of players that are pretty universal throughout the industry. This cycle, it is more a beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The draft ranges for some players will be vast.

It has been well-documented how down this 2024 NBA Draft is expected to be. This brings a unique aspect to this draft because it had players like Kyle Filipowski (Duke), Donovan Clingan (UConn), Tyrese Proctor (Duke), and Trey Alexander (Creighton) that were projected to be drafted but decided to return to school, so they can get into this 2024 NBA Draft cycle. 

Every draft cycle, there are going to be players who seemingly come out of nowhere to get drafted. This year, it seems like there could be more than normal. Players who are not universally high on mock draft boards in July climb their way onto and up them as the season progresses. With the noted talent level of this draft, it seems to be a perfect draft cycle for both international players and college returners to climb. 

Here is a look at six college returners that I will be looking at through the pre-season to see how they progressed through the off-season. Four of them will be sophomores, one is returning off a season-ending injury, and the sixth is a senior who made his mark during the Draft Combine process. 

Arkansas PF Trevon Brazile 

Trevon Brazile was off to a great start last season, averaging 11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks through his nine starts. The 6-foot-9 power forward had shown unique explosion and athleticism before a right knee injury ended his season. 

Brazile moved in a very fluid, very bursty manner. He had the straight-line explosion to get on the rim in the half-court; he also had the fluidity to turn his hips and slide his feet on defense. The natural timing blocking shots proved to be helpful from the weakside, It will be interesting if he can build upon his shooting touch displayed last season. In 3.2 attempts per game (29 total), Brazile shot 37.9 percent from beyond the arc. Already a late bloomer, Brazile is still coming off a torn ACL. The natural physical tools are there. 

Weber State SF Dillon Jones

After earning the Big Sky Rookie of the Year award in 2021, Dillon Jones has twice been named All-Big Sky and twice earned Big Sky All-Tournament nods. Jones is a unique talent in that he finished top ten in the conference last season in points (16.7), rebounds (10.9), assists (3.8), steals (1.6), field goal percentage (46.2), and free throw percentage (81.3). 

The production has consistently been off the charts for Jones, as he is already eighth all-time in the Big Sky in career rebounds (833). Jones is the ultimate connecting piece, a tough guy who processes the game in an advanced manner. Jones plays a point-forward role for his Weber State team; he also guards the opposing team’s top forward threat, all the while cleaning up the glass. He created buzz for himself in the G-League Combine and then the NBA Combine. Carrying that buzz back to Weber State, where he should be a projected all-league performer again, will only enhance his stock. 

Florida SG Riley Kugel

Riley Kugel entered Florida’s starting lineup last season in late January. In the 14 games after that January 25 start, Kugel averaged 14.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals. In those games, the shooting guard shot 47.4 percent from the field on 12.4 Attempts per game and 36.7 percent from three on 4.3 attempts per game. 

Kugel carries a sturdy, 210-pound frame with long arms and nice athleticism. He is a natural offensive threat, with the ability to put the ball on the floor and create space for himself within the halfcourt set. The jump shot is smooth, and we saw the confidence grow as he became more comfortable as a go-to scorer in the offense. After some additions from the transfer portal, it will be interesting to see how Tood Golden’s perimeter rotation falls, but Kugel ended his freshman season as one of the hottest players in the SEC. 

Virginia SF Ryan Dunn

Very rarely do freshmen make an impact for a Tony Bennett-led team. However, by the end of the season, Ryan Dunn found himself playing double-figure minutes in 14 of the final 18 games, including all four post-season contests. 

At 6-foot-8, where Dunn really excels is on the defensive end of the floor. He is lengthy, with excellent fluidity and impeccable timing. Dunn can slide his feet with a perimeter threat, play aggressively in the passing lanes to cut angles or act as a weak-side shot blocker. He averaged 1.2 blocks over his last 22 games. He finished with at least one block in each of his last eight games. Offensively will be the question with Dunn, and what can he show on that end of the floor? Most of his offense during his freshman year was heading toward the rim. He flashed explosion and translatable burst. He shot 60.9 percent from two. In limited looks, he did shoot 31.2 percent from three. If he is able to elevate the attempts and raise the percentage in year two, there is a lot of ability that franchises are looking for in the NBA Draft with his potential archetype outcomes. 

Houston SF Terrance Arceneaux

Terrance Arceneaux came in with a little buzz last season and lived up to some of the hype earning an AAC All-Freshman nod. The 6-foot-5 wing showed flashes in a reserve role last season for a Houston team that was ranked in the top five for a majority of the season. 

The NBA Draft archetype is clear for him, a low-volume, three-and-D wing. From year one to year two, the hope is that Arceneaux can jump from being a capable shooter to a reliable shooter. That will be the swing skill for him. The same steps need to be taken on the defensive end. He showed intriguing flashes of being a high-upside team defender. Arceneaux will have a pathway to step into the starting lineup and claim his share of the nearly 88 minutes left available with Tramon Mark transferring and Jarace Walker and Marcus Sasser getting drafted.

Kentucky C Ugonna Onyenso

At this point in time, it looks like health might be the biggest question for Ugonna Onyenso. The 6-foot-10 center re-classified into the 2022 class and enrolled a year early at Kentucky. In a recent scrimmage, Onyenso broke his foot, which projects to keep him out until mid to late September. 

Onyenso is one of the best natural shot blockers in the college game. In the five games where he played double-figure minutes last season, he averaged 2.8 blocks in 16.0 minutes played. He has great length and fluidity with unique natural timing. He is a good traffic rebounder, going to get the ball. Like with many others, the interesting piece will be the offensive game. Can he show the promise of a game that translates? Defensively, his ability to move his feet and protect the rim are tools that will translate moving forward, and so is the rebounding.