Justin Edwards goes No. 1 in For The Win 2024 NBA Mock Draft

The Kentucky Wildcats are going to have a far greater presence in the 2024 NBA Draft. While Cason Wallace did manage to go in the lottery, he was the only Wildcat to hear his name called among the first 30 picks.

With four incoming 5-star recruits, the Cats are easily projected to have two lottery picks (DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards), with Aaron Bradshaw and Robert Dillingham both also potentially going in the first round.

Wagner and Edwards will be the names to keep an eye on, especially Edwards, who is ranked No. 3 overall in the recruiting class per 247 Sports. Recently, For The Win’s Bryan Kalbrosky wrote a 2024 NBA Mock Draft and listed Edwards as the No. 1 overall pick.

Here’s an excerpt from what Kalbrosky wrote.

We are going in a different direction and crowning Kentucky’s Justin Edwards with the pole position. He was one of the best players at the 2022 Nike EYBL Orlando circuit, averaging 19.3 points per game while shooting 55.3 percent from beyond the arc.

“He is the safest,” one NBA scout told For The Win. “I know what I’m getting: Good positional size, can make open 3-pointers, aggressive downhill attacker and athletic above the rim.”

That’s about as glowing of a recommendation as you get. He has the size, tenacity, and offensive ceiling. He did note that his defense could use some work, and we will see if that can be corrected some at Kentucky.

Regardless, what Edwards possesses, teams will crave. Everything is there for him to be a generational talent, and with both Wagner and Edwards on the team, the sky will be the limit for the Cats this season.

Of course, Edwards wasn’t the only Wildcat to hear his name called in this projection. Also hearing their names called were:

• DJ Wagner goes sixth to Orlando Magic
• Rob Dillingham goes 18th to New Orleans Pelicans
• Aaron Bradshaw goes 20th to Cleveland Cavaliers

Check out the full mock draft here!

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