4 Upperclass Transfers with Pro Potential: Wings Edition
The late first-round in 2023 was filled with proven, older wings. Are there any college basketball veterans who are just one tweak away from providing first-round value?
Over the last few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about Olivier-Maxence Prosper’s ascent. What a whirlwind few months it has been for him, going from on the cusp of staying in the NBA Draft to getting selected 24th overall. Rewind the clock a little further and it’ll be really difficult to find any scouts or pundits who predicted Prosper would be a legitimate 2023 draft prospect.
O-Max started his career at Clemson in 2020-21, then transferred to Marquette and was inserted into the starting lineup. His role, minutes, and production all grew as a junior with the Golden Eagles, but Prosper wasn’t seen as a breakout star as a rising upperclassman.
Prosper looks the part with his frame, and the development of one portion of his game (his spot-up shooting) really helped jettison him into the draft. He checks so many boxes from a character standpoint, and he did what a lot of pre-NBA players do which holds sway within scouting circles: performed well in his NBA role to illustrate how translatable his game is.
The 2024 NBA Draft seems to be wide open at the top, but there are plenty of opportunities for players to earn their way into the draft or first-round at the back end. From my vantage point, 2024’s class is really guard-heavy at the one-and-done level. The NBA values wing play and wing depth — particularly those who shoot it. If the right wing or two breaks out during the next college basketball season, we could easily see a few juniors or seniors (like Prosper, Kris Murray, Julian Strawther, Kobe Brown, and Ben Sheppard) make their way into the first-round discussion.
Below are a few potential breakout candidates who, like Prosper, Sheppard, and Brown, are not currently on draft radars as thought-to-be first-round guys who might be one tweak to their game away from real viability as a prospect.
Matthew Cleveland, Miami (FL)
Those who have followed The Box and One for a few years have known that I am really high on Matthew Cleveland’s athletic and defensive potential. Each of the past few years I have been hopeful that Cleveland breaks out and turns into the next athletic, toolsy wing to make it out of Florida State and into the NBA.
Cleveland has made real strides in his game from freshman to sophomore years. He really showed intriguing flashes as a playmaker with the ball in his hands, trusts his mid-range pull-up, and ultimately looked super comfortable making an impact on the defensive end.
It was thought that Cleveland made some real shooting strides during his sophomore year, and the numbers are evidence of some improvement: he was up from 17.6% to 35%. The volume was quite low, though (only 2 attempts per game) and really fell off during the final 12 games of the year (28.6% over that span). Consistency is the name of the game.
Frankly, Cleveland possesses many other NBA-caliber traits. He’s an incredibly quick, active defender who can cross-match on the perimeter. He rebounds well, handles the ball with ease in transition, and knows how to play as a slasher.
Now, Cleveland heads to Miami and has transferred inside the ACC to join a group that just made the Final Four. We’ll see Cleveland in a different role, and perhaps one that is more fitting of showing off his pro potential. If he can continue to tighten up his shooting mechanics, there’s enough playmaking feel, defensive tools, and finishing potential for him to become a well-rounded role player in the NBA.