Second Year, Second Chance: Seven Prospects Out to Reclaim Their NBA Draft Buzz
After underwhelming freshman seasons, these sophomores are ready to bounce back and restore their first-round potential in 2024-25.
“Hindsight is 20/20” is a phrase often used to capture how much clearer things become after the fact—our vision seems much sharper when looking back than when projecting forward. Last August, in my first Big Board of the season, I ranked 14 freshmen who I believed would be first-round picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, we know that six of those players were selected in the first round, while Justin Edwards, the No. 1 recruit in the nation, went undrafted. Seven of those freshmen returned for their sophomore seasons, with only Elliot Cadeau and Elmarko Jackson staying at their original schools. The other five have entered the transfer portal, each seeking a fresh start at a new program.
In this article, I’ll break down their freshman seasons, revisit what I wrote about each player last summer, and assess what went wrong. I'll also explore how they can bounce back or boost their draft stock in 2024-25, as all of these players enter the season with significantly less draft buzz than they had a year ago.
DJ Wagner
Freshman Review: The Ups and Downs
DJ Wagner is gearing up for a fresh chapter in his sophomore season, having transferred to Arkansas to continue playing under John Calipari. Once heralded as the top prospect in the 2023 class and projected as a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft—where I ranked him No. 9 on my Big Board last August—Wagner’s freshman year at Kentucky fell a bit short of expectations. He still managed to put up solid numbers, averaging 9.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game, while also securing SEC Freshman of the Week honors three times during the 2023-24 season.