With the NCAA and other leagues worldwide officially in full swing and the NBA season approaching its halfway point, NBA scouts are now hard at work looking for their teams’ next potential star and core pieces. As a part of Sports Business Classroom’s 2024 NBA Draft series, the following are ball-handling guards to watch ahead of June’s draft.

Ball-handling guards primarily bring the ball up the floor and typically initiate/run the offense.

Standing on top of the ball-handling guards ranking is Serbia’s Nikola Topic. The newest addition to the NBA’s growing “Nikola ___ic” list, Topic brings forth a very classic European style of basketball. He knows how to control the game’s pace with high awareness without panicking under defensive pressure. At 6’6″, he is a very crafty playmaker and has a knack for finding ways to complete difficult passes. Topic possesses impressive burst and acceleration, which allow him to get downhill and into transition quickly. He’s still very young at only 18 years old, so his weaknesses (defensive consistency and three-point shooting) aren’t initially concerning.

Rob Dillingham sits comfortably in the second slot behind Topic. Dillingham brings forward exceptional offensive skills that are very polished for a 19-year-old. Dillingham is averaging 14.5 points per game, 4.1 assists per game, and shooting the three-ball at an impressive 40.6 percent clip in only 22.3 minutes off Kentucky’s bench. What has stood out a lot about Dillingham in his freshman season is his character. Being asked to come off the bench behind DJ Wagner, somebody he is competing with for draft stock, and doing so with complete grace and humility speaks volumes to the type of person an NBA team will be getting with Dillingham.

First Round:

  1.     Nikola Topic – KK Crvena Zvezda (EuroLeague)
  2.     Rob Dillingham – Kentucky
  3.     Isaiah Collier – USC
  4.     Stephon Castle – UConn
  5.     Ajay Mitchell – UCSB
  6.     Judah Mintz – Syracuse
  7.     Tyrese Proctor – Duke

Second Round:

  1.     DJ Wagner – Kentucky
  2.     Tyler Kolek – Marquette
  3.     Carlton Carrington – Pitt
  4.     AJ Johnson – Illawarra Hawks (Australia)
  5.     Elliot Cadeau – UNC
  6.     Kylan Boswell – Arizona
  7.     Reece Beekman – Virginia

G-League:

  1.     London Johnson – G-League Ignite
  2.     Jeremy Roach – Duke
  3.     KJ Simpson – Colorado
  4.     Tyrese Hunter – Texas

Marquette’s Kolek is having a stellar senior season for the Golden Eagles and rising quickly up draft boards. He will be considered by plenty of teams within the second round who are in win-now mode to come off their bench and make an impact immediately. Kolek plays a very fundamental, high-IQ style of basketball on both ends of the court. He looks very comfortable running an offense and is always aware of where his teammates are. He has become a better interior scorer over his time in the NCAA, as well as a more focused and disciplined defender. Kolek’s age, lack of size and vertical athleticism are the primary areas of concern that keep him out of heavy first-round conversation.

London Johnson is a polarizing prospect out of the NBA G League Ignite. He has a great baseline skillset offensively, which gives NBA teams a lot to work with in terms of development. Johnson has a great handle and has shown in flashes that he can be an effective scorer around the perimeter. However, Johnson must make more progress in his second season with the Ignite. Head coach Jason Hart has done a great job of ensuring all of his draft prospects get their opportunity to shine, but Johnson still needs to get into a consistent offensive rhythm. He has grown as a playmaker and will only be 20 years old on draft day, which may entice a team in the late second round to take a chance on him. If not, he could end up as a two-way contract pickup once the draft concludes.